For clinical trial sponsors

Keep trial documentation and quality follow-up under review.

Manage essential trial files, controlled procedures and corrective actions in AQ. Give sponsor teams the evidence they need to review partner delivery and follow up outstanding work.

AQ
eTMFSponsor file
QMSProcedures and learning
CAPAFormal quality actions
CTMSAdd for AQ-managed study operations
eISFSite-operated · scoped review
PharmacyPharmacy scope · scoped review
Digital DoAInvestigator delegation
eSourceSource forms · scoped review
LabsSample management · scoped review
Core modulesAdd according to scopeIn the selected workflow
The work behind sponsor review

Know what is outstanding before the next study review.

Partner updates need supporting records, current procedures and clear follow-up. AQ helps your team review the documentation and quality work within its scope.

Sponsor workflows in AQ

Review the records behind each stage of the study.

Explore sponsor-file management, authorised document review, procedure changes and quality follow-up — from setup through closeout.

Sponsor review · Study SP-014Illustrative module viewsPartner-led delivery · sponsor documentation and quality workflows
Workflow 1 · Set up oversightWorkflow 2 · Review essential filesWorkflow 3 · Review partner evidenceWorkflow 4 · Manage changesWorkflow 5 · Follow quality actionsWorkflow 6 · Prepare closeout

Establish the files and procedures your team will use.Identify missing documents and incomplete reviews.Review the study records your partners maintain.Keep document versions and staff learning current.Follow formal quality actions through effectiveness review.Confirm outstanding work and future access.

Organise expected trial documents, assign document responsibilities and configure authorised access. Use QMS for the controlled procedures and learning managed by your sponsor team.Review expected records, document versions and outstanding submissions in eTMF. Use file status to focus follow-up on the documents and contributors requiring attention.Administrators use the Sponsor Portal to give authorised sponsor reviewers access to specified studies, sites and document folders in participating AQ environments. Agree how records from other systems will be supplied and reviewed.Maintain the relevant approval records and current study documents in the appropriate files. Review, approve and publish controlled procedures in QMS, then assign learning to affected staff.Record investigations and root causes, assign corrective actions and review implementation evidence. Complete effectiveness verification before closing the CAPA.Review remaining documents and quality actions before handover or closeout. Agree the records to transfer, required exports, retention arrangements and access after delivery ends.

Sponsor question. Which records do we expect, who provides them and who reviews them?What is missing, what is awaiting review and what needs correction?Can our reviewer reach the relevant record within the agreed scope?Which version applies, and who still needs to complete the assigned learning?Were the actions implemented, and did they address the cause?What remains unresolved, and who will hold and access the records afterwards?
Outcome. Begin with defined document requirements and review arrangements.Make document follow-up specific and traceable.Access relevant evidence without extending permissions to unrelated records.Distinguish an approved document from completed staff preparation.Distinguish completed actions from a verified resolution.Make record custody and unresolved work explicit before responsibilities change.
Modules in this workflow
eTMF · sponsor fileQMS · proceduresCTMS · conditional
eTMF · sponsor file
Sponsor Portal · access administrationeTMF · sponsor fileeISF · review accessPharmacy · review access
eTMF · sponsor fileQMS · proceduresDigital DoA · investigator-owned
CAPA · quality actionsQMS · supporting
eTMF · sponsor fileCAPA · where relevantQMS · where relevant

Contract negotiation and vendor qualification are not illustrated; they remain in your existing processes.Documents uploaded are not necessarily reviewed and accepted. Completeness, timeliness and quality are shown separately.The Sponsor Portal is the access layer used by administrators; it is not another clinical module. No cross-provider aggregate view is implied.Clinical assessment, local implementation and re-consent decisions remain with the responsible teams. Procedure learning does not prove site implementation.Routine corrections do not necessarily require formal CAPA.AQ does not close the clinical database, submit results or write the clinical study report.

eTMFRequirement setupSP-014
All scopesStudyCountrySiteContributors
26
Requirements defined
5
Contributors assigned
1
Reviewer
Scopes
StudySP-014 · Phase II3 records
CountryUnited Kingdom2 records
Site 04Northgate3 records
Site 07Warrington3 records
Expected documents · study scope
Protocol approval evidenceBefore FPIRegulatory leadRequired
Insurance certificateAnnual renewalSponsor legalRequired
Central lab certificateNo central labNot assignedNot applicable
RequiredConditionalNot applicableReviewer Sponsor TMF lead
QMSSOP-014 v3.0 · Sponsor document reviewPublished 1 Sep · 10 sponsor review staffLearning 8 of 10
Illustrative module view. Sample data.
eTMFRequired documentsas of 22 Sep 2026
Due by 22 SepAll sitesNot receivedAwaiting reviewReviewed and filed
Required documents · study, all sites
26due by 22 Sep
20Reviewed and filed
2Awaiting review
4Not received
Review queue
Site 04 monitoring reportNot received
CRO monitoring team
Due
18 Sep 2026
Receipt
No submission recorded
Last action
Escalated 22 Sep
Site 07 updated CVAwaiting review
Site coordinator
Protocol v3.0 approval evidenceReviewed and filed
Regulatory lead
States are mutually exclusive. Completeness, timeliness and quality are reported separately; uploaded is not reviewed and accepted.
Illustrative module view. Sample data.
eISFeTMFReviewer access by folderno participant-level data
Sponsor monitorStudy SP-0143 of 5 foldersEnds 31 Oct
Sponsor monitorRead only · study SP-014 · access ends 31 Oct 2026
Document folderSite 04In scopeSite 07In scopeSite 02Not in scope
Regulatory and ethics
Investigator CVs and training
Monitoring visit log
Participant identification log
Pharmacy file
Permitted for this reviewerOutside the agreed scope
Sponsor PortalGranted 8 Sep · amended 15 Sep · managed by the participating organisation administratorAdmin use
CTMSRecruitment report · Site 07 · 1–21 Sep · screened 6 · consented 4 · randomised 3Where operations are managed in AQ
Illustrative module view. Sample data.
eTMFQMSVersions and learningtwo separate module records
Protocol v3.0SOP-014 v3.0Learning 8 of 10
Study file · protocol versions
Protocol v2.014 Nov 2025Superseded
Protocol v2.13 Mar 2026Superseded
Protocol v3.012 Sep 2026Current
Approval evidence filed with v3.0 · REC favourable opinion · MHRA acknowledgement · Regulatory lead
SOP-014 v3.0 · learning assigned to affected staff
Published 1 Sep · 8 of 10 complete
2 outstanding
AN·RI·JB·KO·SP·MW·EF·CH·TMdue 26 SepLDdue 30 Sep
An approved document is not completed staff preparation. Procedure learning does not prove site implementation; clinical assessment and re-consent stay with the responsible teams.
Digital DoASite 04 · eligibility assessment delegated to Dr S. Rahman · accepted 15 Sep · PI approved 16 SepInvestigator-owned · sponsor view only
Illustrative module view. Sample data.
CAPAFormal quality actionas of 22 Sep 2026
CAPA-042Stage 7 of 8Owner: QA ManagerDue 30 Sep
CAPA-042
Linked procedure SOP-014 · stage 7 of 8
Awaiting effectiveness verification
DetailsOpened 4 Aug · Head of Clinical Quality
Repeated late submission of monitoring reports · Sites 04 and 07
InvestigationCompleted 11 Aug
Three consecutive reports submitted after the agreed period
Root cause analysisCompleted 18 Aug
Review ownership not reassigned during team handover; reminders went to a leaver’s inbox
Action planningOwner: Clinical Operations Lead · due 12 Sep
Revise SOP-014 to name the responsible reviewer per site; assign reviewer for Sites 04 and 07
ApprovalQA Manager · 22 Aug
Plan approved
ImplementationEvidence attached · 1 Sep
SOP-014 v3.0 published; reviewer assignments recorded
Effectiveness verificationOwner: QA Manager · due 30 Sep
Assess timeliness and review evidence for the next three reports
ClosureNot started
Routine corrections do not necessarily require formal CAPA. Completed actions are not a verified resolution; the CAPA closes only after effectiveness is confirmed.
Illustrative module view. Sample data.
eTMFCloseout and continued accessSP-014
Sep–Oct 20264 items openCustodian confirmed
Before handover · what must be true, and when
30 SepEffectiveness verificationCAPA-042 outcome recorded
10 OctSite close-out reportsReviewed and filed · CRO monitoring team
25 OctFinal monitoring report · Site 04Awaiting review
28 OctTMF index and completeness statementIn preparation · Sponsor TMF lead
31 OctReviewer access endsSponsor Portal expiry · custodian: Sponsor TMF lead
Record custodianConfirmed · Sponsor TMF lead
Export verificationPending · confirm history and metadata inclusion
RetentionAgreed · 25 years
Closeout is completed by the responsible teams. AQ does not close the clinical database, submit results or migrate records from another provider’s system automatically.
Illustrative module view. Sample data.
Sponsor and partner access

Review site evidence without changing who is responsible for it.

Investigators and pharmacy teams maintain their own records. Authorised sponsor and CRO reviewers receive access to the studies, sites and document folders agreed for their work.

Step 01Owns the recordInvestigators and pharmacy teamsMaintain their own investigator and pharmacy files, approve delegation and decide what their site implements.eISF and Pharmacy stay site-operatedPI approves Digital DoA changesParticipant identification logs stay local
Step 02Administers accessParticipating organisation administratorGrants, amends and withdraws reviewer permissions in the Sponsor Portal. Every change is logged.Scope set per study, site and folderGrants and withdrawals recordedNot configured by the sponsor
Step 03Reviews within scopeSponsor and CRO reviewersSee the studies, sites and folders agreed for their work, read only, until the access end date.Regulatory, CV and monitoring folders where permittedNo edit, upload or approval controlsAccess expires without renewal

Reviewer access is granted per study, site and folder, with an end date. Document access does not infer participant-level access. Pharmacy scope applies only where pharmacy work is in review.

Fit with your trial systems

Every AQ module is available. Your responsibilities decide how you use them.

AQ covers trial documentation, procedures and quality, study operations, site, pharmacy and delegation workflows, and source forms and samples. Sponsors adopt the modules that match the work their organisation holds.

The AQ platformAll nine modules are available. How your team uses each one depends on your responsibilities.
Sponsor-heldSponsor documentation and quality

Maintain essential trial files, control procedures and learning, and follow formal quality actions through verification.

eTMFQMSCAPA
Delivery run in AQStudy operations

Manage study and site activity where delivery is conducted in AQ, with reporting available within the agreed access scope.

CTMS
Site-operated · review accessSite, pharmacy and delegation workflows

Support investigator files, pharmacy documentation and delegated site duties, with relevant evidence available for authorised sponsor review.

eISFPharmacyDigital DoA
Site-operated · review accessSource forms and samples

Support controlled source forms and sample handling at sites, with form versions, sample history and manifests available for authorised sponsor review.

eSourceLabs
Outside the platformExchange scoped during implementation
Works alongside your existing trial systemsAgree how AQ exchanges information with the specialist systems your study teams already run.
EDCSafetyIRT and supplyRegulatoryFinance
Scoped with youDeployment and ownership vary by study.
Which modules you runWhich records reviewers accessInterfaces, permissions and validation
Sponsor Oversight Guide
How eTMF, QMS and CAPA support sponsor review, partner access and closeout — module by module.
Read the guide
Evaluating AQ

Assess the workflow, implementation and assurance requirements together.

Review the functions your team will use, the records that need to move and the controls your organisation requires before agreeing the deployment scope.

Review with AQ

Confirm workflow fit.

Demonstrate the sponsor, CRO and site responsibilities relevant to your studies.

Delivery modelReviewer permissionsModule scopeSite participation
Review with AQ

Plan the transition.

Define migration, interfaces, user access, training and implementation responsibilities.

Migration acceptanceAudit history continuityExternal-user licensingSupport model
Review with AQ

Review assurance and retention.

Assess validation, security, hosting, audit history, export and continued-access requirements.

ValidationHosting and subprocessorsSSO / MFAExport and archive access
FAQs

Questions from sponsor teams.

Yes. Agree which sponsor workflows are managed in AQ, which partner records your reviewers may access and how evidence from other systems will be supplied.

The sponsor-file workflow can include documents supplied from other systems. Agree the submission, review and transfer process; do not assume access to a site’s underlying application.

No. Select eTMF, QMS and CAPA according to the workflows your organisation adopts. Add CTMS for relevant AQ-managed operations. Site, pharmacy and delegation modules depend on local responsibilities and access arrangements.

This configuration supports trial documentation, procedures, learning and quality actions. Clinical data management, safety case processing and regulatory submissions remain in the systems selected for those activities.

Review outstanding records and actions, agree the transfer scope, verify the required exports and confirm future custody, retention and access arrangements.

Also built forNHS / HospitalAcademic ResearchCROsSMOs and site networks
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