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Traceability is generated by normal work. Do not build a separate recall spreadsheet when receiving, inventory, production, orders, and documents already contain the source records.

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What traceability connects

  • Supplier lot, received lot, COA, and receive movement.
  • Input lots consumed by a production run.
  • Recipe version used by the run.
  • Output lots produced by signoff.
  • Customer order, reservation, shipment, and shipment allocation.
  • Generated traceability exports and retained files.

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Backward trace

Start with a finished lot or shipment and identify:
  • The sales order and shipment allocation, if the lot reached a customer.
  • The finished or WIP lot created by production.
  • The production run and recipe version.
  • The input lots consumed by the run.
  • The suppliers, supplier lot codes, COAs, and movements behind those inputs.
Use backward trace for customer questions, mock recall exercises, finished lot investigation, and QA review.

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Forward trace

Start with an input lot and identify:
  • Receiving event and supplier context.
  • Any movements, holds, adjustments, transfers, returns, or scrap.
  • Production runs that consumed the lot.
  • Output lots created from those runs.
  • Customer orders and shipments that received the output lots.
Use forward trace for supplier issue investigations and affected-customer analysis.

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Traceability exports

Generate a trace package when QA, support, or a customer needs a reproducible file package. Generated exports should remain attached to the source export job or report. See Reports.

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Investigation rules

  • Keep movement references precise. Movement rows should point to receiving, production, shipping, adjustment, transfer, return, scrap, or correction records.
  • Prefer FEFO unless QA documents an exception.
  • Preserve production signoff history instead of editing completed batch records silently.
  • Fix source records when a trace looks wrong.

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Common trace issues

  • No lot matched scan input: search by internal lot, supplier lot, traceability lot code, or generated Batchlane lot link.
  • Finished lot has no input history: confirm production was signed off, not manually created outside the normal flow.
  • Customer shipment is missing: confirm the order was shipped, not only reserved.
  • Export cannot run: confirm the selected lot exists in the current workspace.
Related pages: Inventory, Production, Orders, Common errors.