The Audit Trail
The term audit trail, or link, refers to the connection between the main steps in the instructional design process. Links between the steps follow this pattern:
•Analysis components are linked to objectives by creating an objective from an analysis item, or consolidating the analysis item into an objective as content.
•Objectives are linked to (or sequenced into) a training unit (such as a lesson).
•Questions are linked to objectives.
•Prerequisites are linked to program units.
All of the links for a selected data object refer to its audit trail. To see the links, or audit trail, of an analysis component, you would look for its associated objective, the related test item(s), and the lesson(s) in which the objective appears.
Click the Color Attributes button in the Workbench Toolbar to see members of the selected hierarchy that have links. Each type of hierarchy (Analysis, Objective, Program) has its own types of color attributes (see Using VISION Hierarchies).
Links Windows in the Audit Trail
The Links Windows displayed on the bottom of your screen show items (Analysis components, Objectives, Program titles, questions, cross-references, and prerequisites) that are linked to other items. You can use these to trace an audit trail from a program all the way back to its original analysis element or task.
Look at the illustration of the links windows below. Each will display a different set of information depending on the item that has been selected and the hierarchy that has been selected.
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Analysis Linked to ... shows Items from the Analysis hierarchy that have been linked (consolidated, directly linked, associated) to the selected objective or training unit. |
Questions Linked to ... shows questions linked to the selected analysis, objective item, or training unit. |
Objectives Linked to ... shows objectives that are linked to the selected training unit or which have the selected analysis item linked to them. |
Programs Linked to ... shows programs that contain the selected objective or selected analysis item. |
Cross References Linked to ... shows Cross References that are linked to the selected analysis, objective, or program item. |
Program Prerequisites shows program items that are linked as prerequisites to the selected program node. |
Depending on which Hierarchy is active, the links windows will show you different information.
Right-click any item in a links window to access a menu of operations for that item. Particularly useful in the context of this section is the menu item, “Go To ... Hierarchy.” This command will jump to and highlight the selected item in the appropriate hierarchy, expanding the hierarchy as necessary. For example, if you have a list of objectives linked to a lesson, this would be a quick way to find out where they are in the hierarchy to see how they might be related to one another.
Below is an example of an audit trail connecting a lesson with one of the analysis items on which it is based. First, select the program item that you are interested in auditing. The objective(s) contained within it will appear in the Objectives Linked to Analysis window. You can use the Go To Objective Hierarchy command to jump to the item in the objective hierarchy. Once you have selected the objective, the analysis item(s) linked to it will appear in the Analysis Linked to Objective window. You can also right-click on this item and use the "Go To Analysis Hierarchy" feature to see it in its expanded Analysis hierarchy. Keep in mind, however, that simply by clicking on an item in the Program hierarchy, you will be able to view any linked analysis items, so you don’t even need to find the connecting objective if you do not want to.
The Flowchart Tool
The flowchart tool offers another way to view an audit trail. It shows the audit trail in a diagram form. Simply select a node in the hierarchy and then use the Show Flowchart button 
on the workbench toolbar, or the Show Flowchart menu item from the right-click menu. (This is available in the links windows as well.)
Trace an Analysis Audit Trail
To see the audit trail (or links) associated with any Analysis Component:
1.From any Workbench screen, highlight the analysis component in an Analysis Hierarchy window that you want to trace by clicking once on the text.
2.Click on the flowchart tool in the workbench toolbar, or right-click on the hierarchy node and choose "Show … FlowChart" from the popup menu.
Tip: Click the Color Attributes button in Workbench Toolbar. In the 'Analysis Color Attributes' window, check the 'Made into Objective' and 'Consolidated' boxes and click the Apply button. Then click the Close button. This will allow you to see what analysis components have links to objectives.
