What Is a Compliance Obligation Register?
A compliance obligation register is a centralized repository that documents all compliance obligations an organization must meet — from laws and regulations to contractual requirements and internal standards. It is the foundational tool of compliance management, providing a single source of truth for what the organization must comply with and the status of each obligation.
What a Compliance Obligation Register Contains
A comprehensive register includes for each obligation: the requirement description, source (regulation, law, contract, internal standard), jurisdiction, regulator, section reference, applicability assessment, assigned owner, compliance status, evidence of compliance, monitoring frequency, and next review date. The register should cover all material obligations across all jurisdictions and business units.
Sources of Compliance Obligations
Compliance obligations come from multiple sources: regulatory requirements (laws and regulations), legal obligations (contracts and agreements), licence conditions, internal standards and policies, code requirements, and regulatory guidance. Each source may have different compliance requirements, evidence needs, and monitoring frequencies. The register should categorize obligations by source for clear tracking.
Applicability Assessment
Not every regulation applies to every organization. The register should include an applicability assessment for each obligation — applicable, partially applicable, not applicable, or under review — with documented rationale. This ensures the organization focuses its compliance efforts on obligations that actually apply, rather than trying to comply with everything.
How MPG Supports Compliance Obligation Management
MPG's compliance management module provides a comprehensive obligation register with applicability assessment, compliance status tracking, evidence management, monitoring scheduling, and deadline alerts. Obligations are connected to risks, controls, policies, and assessment findings through the governance knowledge graph, ensuring a unified compliance view.
Key Takeaways
- A compliance obligation register is the single source of truth for what an organization must comply with
- It covers regulatory, legal, licence, internal, and code requirements
- Applicability assessment ensures focus on obligations that actually apply
- Each obligation needs an owner, compliance status, evidence, and review schedule
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we build a compliance obligation register from scratch?
Start with your regulatory landscape: identify applicable regulations by jurisdiction and business activity, extract requirements from each regulation, assess applicability, assign owners, and set up monitoring. This is a significant effort but essential. MPG's obligation extraction tools and pre-built templates can accelerate the process.
How often should the register be updated?
The register should be continuously updated — new obligations are added as regulations change, existing obligations are reassessed when circumstances change, and compliance status is updated as monitoring occurs. MPG supports continuous register management with automated review reminders.