When research compliance breaks down, it is rarely because people intend to do the wrong thing. More often, the issue sits in day-to-day operational processes that make research compliance management harder than it needs to be.
Across many institutions, research approvals, amendments, monitoring and reporting are still coordinated through email chains, spreadsheets and shared drives. Working this way creates delays, reduces visibility and increases institutional risk. Even when policies are clearly defined, inconsistent workflow design makes it difficult to maintain reliable research compliance.
In this article, we look at research compliance from a practical, operational perspective. The focus will be on how research workflows function in real research environments and how structured, automated processes make for stronger research compliance management.
Research compliance through the lens of research operations
Research compliance isn’t maintained by policy documents alone. In practice, it is delivered through everyday operational processes and research administration.
Research governance and research administration teams sit at the centre of research compliance management. They oversee project approvals, monitor ongoing requirements, manage project changes and make sure any reporting obligations are met.
In practice, research compliance comes down to how clearly workflows are designed and how consistently they are followed. Consistent processes help decisions stand up to scrutiny, while fragmented workflows introduce risk even when governance frameworks are well established.
Day-to-day compliance challenges in research workflows
Many organisations face similar challenges. Manual submissions and email-based coordination are not well suited to tracking research activity or managing workload at scale. Spreadsheets are often used to record approvals, conditions and expiry dates, which increases the likelihood of errors or missed deadlines that impact research compliance.
Documentation and version control are also ongoing pain points. Without a central system, teams may work from outdated project records or struggle to confirm which version of documentation is current. Over the life of a project, tracking changes becomes difficult and time-consuming, weakening research compliance management.
Approval delays can also occur when timelines are unclear or responsibilities are not well defined. Researchers and administrators often have limited visibility into project status, which leads to follow-ups and duplicated effort.
Finally, demonstrating audit readiness becomes challenging. When records are stored across multiple systems, responding to funder requirements or internal reviews takes significant time and becomes reactive rather than planned. These are operational workflow problems that directly impact research compliance.
Best practices for research-driven compliance
Strong research compliance management starts with well-structured research operations. Standardised submission requirements help ensure applications are complete and comparable. Clear review criteria support consistent, defensible decisions. Separating responsibilities between administrators, reviewers and researchers strengthens governance and accountability.
Clear timelines and escalation paths help keep projects moving and make turnaround expectations predictable. Tracking approvals, reporting milestones and project requirements in one place makes it easier to maintain research compliance as work progresses. Centralising project records and correspondence also keeps teams audit-ready and accountable.
Together, these practices reduce risk and support sustainable research compliance.
Automating your research workflows
Automation plays an important role in strengthening research compliance management. Automated workflows enforce required information at the point of submission so projects follow consistent approval and monitoring processes. Automated reminders support reporting and milestone tracking, reducing the risk of missed deadlines and compliance gaps.
Automation also creates a reliable audit trail. Actions and approvals are recorded and traceable, and teams gain real-time visibility across active projects. This allows governance teams to monitor research compliance proactively rather than reacting to issues after they occur.
Platforms such as OmniStar support this approach by embedding governance requirements directly into day-to-day research administration. Automation becomes part of research compliance management, rather than an additional administrative task.
Matching research workflows with the research lifecycle
Research workflows come into their own when aligned with the full research lifecycle. At the study design stage, early checks identify reporting requirements and potential compliance risks. When a project is submitted, clear workflows help everyone understand what information is needed.
Once research is underway, teams need a clear view of project changes, reporting activity and outstanding requirements. When the project concludes, having information already tracked makes final reporting and record-keeping far simpler and supports ongoing research compliance.
Your research compliance readiness checklist
Lifecycle stage | Compliance focus | Best practice action |
Study design | Project feasibility | Confirm requirements and potential risks early |
Submission and approval | Review consistency | Use structured submission and decision workflows |
Active research | Ongoing monitoring | Track project changes and reporting centrally |
Monitoring | Oversight and reporting | Maintain visibility across active projects |
Close-out | Final compliance | Complete reporting and documentation requirements |
Research data management and compliance
Research data management plays a key role in research compliance management. It involves the organisation, storage, maintenance and reporting of data collected during a research project. Funders and publishers increasingly require clear data handling practices, both in Australia and internationally.
Effective data management supports transparency and enables open access to funded research outputs. A structured research management system helps institutions manage data more efficiently, saving time and reducing administrative effort while supporting research compliance.
Structured research management as a compliance enabler
Strong research compliance relies on structured, well-managed workflows. Consistent processes improve visibility, reduce institutional risk and support reliable research compliance management across organisations.
Book a demo with OmniStar today to discover how to revolutionise your current research processes.
