Choose a useful level of detail
Use one row for each obligation that needs a distinct owner, date or evidence item. A single row called ‘deliver the project’ hides the work. At the other extreme, copying every sentence of an agreement makes the register difficult to maintain. Separate reporting, approvals, delivery milestones and conditions that require a decision.
Record the agreement version and clause or page reference. If wording is ambiguous, preserve the wording and add a question for the authorised person or funder. Do not silently turn an assumption into a confirmed requirement.
Build the register in six steps
- Identify the current award letter, agreement, reporting instructions and approved variations.
- Extract the requirements that affect delivery or reporting.
- Add the source reference to each row.
- Confirm an accountable owner and deputy.
- Add the actual external deadline and a separate internal preparation date.
- Link the required evidence and record open questions.
Ask the person named as owner to confirm the row. A name entered by somebody else is not evidence that responsibility has been accepted. Review the first version with both finance and delivery so that financial and operational requirements are visible together.
Use it at the next reporting review
Filter the register to the next reporting period. For each row, ask whether the owner can locate the current evidence, explain the status and identify the next action. Keep an issue open where evidence is missing, even if somebody says the work is probably complete.
When a requirement changes, retain the original source reference and link the approved change. Record who updated the register and when. A proposed variation should remain a proposal until the organisation has the relevant confirmation.
Avoid the common failure points
A register becomes unreliable when reporting dates live only in personal calendars, evidence links point to inaccessible folders, or ‘complete’ means an email was sent rather than an obligation was checked. Test a sample row with a deputy who did not create it.
Keep beneficiary-level records elsewhere under the organisation’s appropriate controls. The register normally needs an evidence reference and responsible owner, not sensitive source records copied into the spreadsheet.
A worked example
Fictional illustration. These dates, amounts and requirements are examples, not a rule for every funder or a client result.
| Source | Requirement | Owner and dates | Evidence and open action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fictional agreement, clause 4.2 | Quarterly delivery and spend update | Programme lead; funder 31 January; internal review 24 January | Finance schedule and output index; reconcile December outputs before review |
Check your working version
- Every material row has a source reference.
- External and internal deadlines are distinct.
- Owners and deputies have confirmed their roles.
- Evidence links can be opened by the intended reviewer.
- Unresolved interpretation or approval questions remain visible.
Use the free branded workbook (.xlsx) to record your own case. The workbook includes Obligations, Evidence and Exceptions tabs.
Sources and scope
The steps and example above are suggested operating practices. Confirm the actual requirements against your award agreement and current programme instructions. They are not a compliance opinion.
- Charity Commission: internal financial controls (CC8). General context for charities in England and Wales; different jurisdictions and organisations need the relevant guidance.
- National Lottery Community Fund: managing your funding. An example of funder-specific guidance, not a universal rule.
Published for Antony Draper Advisory with AI-assisted drafting. Examples are fictional and have not been presented as client evidence.
Choose a practical next step.
Use the free plan yourself, or talk to Antony about the grant that needs attention. The free call ends with one agreed priority, a suggested owner and the next action.
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