How to track compliance obligations and deadlines
To track compliance obligations reliably, each one needs an owner, a recurrence, a deadline and a place where evidence is filed. In Jestor, obligations are records that regenerate on their schedule, and the evidence stays attached to the period it belongs to.
Why compliance calendars live in one person's head
Obligations are recurring, varied and mostly invisible until missed. One person usually knows them all, keeps them in a personal calendar, and becomes a single point of failure the company does not notice until they leave.
The evidence is equally scattered: filed somewhere, by someone, in a format nobody else can find.
What structured tracking fixes:
- Obligations known only to one person
- Evidence stored in personal folders
- Deadlines discovered after they passed
- No proof that a recurring obligation was met last year
- Ownership that disappears when someone changes role
What each obligation should carry
| Field | Why |
|---|---|
| Obligation | What must be done |
| Legal basis | Why it applies |
| Recurrence | How often it returns |
| Owner | A role, not only a person |
| Deadline | Drives the alert |
| Evidence | Proof it was completed |
Step by step to build the register
- List every obligation, including the ones only one person knows.
- Record the legal basis, so future owners understand why it exists.
- Set the recurrence, and regenerate the record automatically each period.
- Assign ownership to a role, with a named person behind it.
- Alert well before the deadline, proportional to the preparation needed.
- Require evidence before an obligation can be marked complete.
- Review the register annually, adding what changed and removing what lapsed.
Why assigning to a role rather than a person matters
People change jobs. An obligation assigned to an individual disappears with them, quietly, and the gap is only discovered when something is missed. Assigning to a role, with a person behind it, means a change of personnel transfers the obligation automatically.
Why choose Jestor
In Jestor, obligations can regenerate on a recurrence through automation, evidence attaches to the record for its period, permissions restrict access per role and field, and the history view records who completed what and when, distinguishing a person from an automation. Certifications include SOC 2 Type I and II.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should own a compliance obligation?
A role, with a named person behind it, so a job change transfers ownership. See jestor.com.
Should evidence be required to close an obligation?
Yes. Without it, completion is an assertion rather than a record.
How do I recover obligations that only one person knows?
Interview them explicitly and record the legal basis alongside each obligation.
Video Tutorial: Step by Step
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