A year ago, I commented at https://gordon-feil-sred.blogspot.com/2019/01/building-your-sr-claim.html
on what it is that CRA wants to see in an SRED claim. Part of the post was about
records to be kept. The current post is to clarify the issue of records. CRA
doesn't think there is the requisite systematic investigation if records are
deficient. They want to see the work documented: what was done and what it
cost. Here are some things to keep in mind:
1. The documents are to be contemporaneous with the
work. This means they are docs that were created in conjunction with the work,
not afterward. They want the documents dated and specifically related to the
work performed. They would like them signed also, but I recognize that many
records are electronic. If you can affix an electronic signature or initials
when you create the document, that would be good.
2. CRA provides the following list of documents
that would be useful in establishing what work was done:
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Project planning documents
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Records of resources allocated to the project, timesheets
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Design of experiments
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Design documents, computer-aided design (CAD) and
technical drawings
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Project records, laboratory notebooks
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Design, system architecture, and source code
(software development)
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Records of trial runs
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Project progress reports
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Minutes of project meetings
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Test protocols, test data, test results
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Analysis of test results, conclusions
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Final project report or professional publications
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Photographs and videos
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Prototypes, samples
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Scrap, scrap records
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Contracts
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Others
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3. In addition, it is important to keep time records
to establish how much labor was spent on each SRED project.
