Documentation acceptability — Are electronically stored files categorically unacceptable as official documentation simply because they can be altered, or can proper controls make them acceptable?

Introduction / Context:
A common misconception is that digital files are inherently untrustworthy because they can be edited. In reality, acceptability hinges on governance—controls that ensure authenticity, integrity, and traceability—rather than on the storage medium itself.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Statement: electronic files may not be acceptable since they can be altered easily.
• We assume organizations employ EDMS/PLM with access control and audit trails.
• Goal: determine whether alterability alone disqualifies electronic documentation.

Concept / Approach:
All documents—paper or digital—are alterable. What matters is control: permissions, check-in/out, versioning, approvals, electronic signatures, and immutable logs. When these are implemented, electronic records are fully acceptable as official documentation and often superior due to searchability, distribution, and backup/DR capabilities.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Identify the risk: unauthorized or untracked changes.2) Mitigate via system features: role-based access, workflow approvals, and audit logs.3) Enforce retention and backups to ensure long-term integrity.4) Conclude that with proper controls, electronic records are acceptable.

Verification / Alternative check:
Many quality frameworks and customer audits accept electronic records that demonstrate governed lifecycle management; e-signatures and time stamps further strengthen legal defensibility.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Correct: Incorrect because the premise ignores the role of controls.
• Printed and signed only: Wet signatures are not the sole route to validity.
• Temporary records only: Permanence depends on retention policy, not format.
• No network access: Security is about management, not isolation alone.

Common Pitfalls:
Relying on uncontrolled shares; mixing draft and released states; lacking periodic integrity checks and offsite backups; ignoring file format obsolescence planning.

Final Answer:
Incorrect