...changes to the crontab file were not easily traceable...
Don't edit the crontab. Use cron.d entries, atomic files dedicated to specific packages, services, and/or tasks. In a multi-host environment, manage those under your configuration management tool.
Mind: a major gripe I've had with Chef in the past was that it failed to use individual cron.d files and instead edited the crontab file directly under its cron management interface. That is a critical design error.
Cron keeps a log of job outputs on the server where the jobs were run
That'a fault of your logging system, as all system services log locally by default. Set up a log server if you need centralised logging.
...bash profile settings have been stripped from the Cron environment...
Sounds like someone unfamiliar with cron, or sane script development and testing procedures. If you need environments set, set or source them explicitly (I recommend the latter, FWIW).
...changes to the crontab file were not easily traceable...
Don't edit the crontab. Use cron.d entries, atomic files dedicated to specific packages, services, and/or tasks. In a multi-host environment, manage those under your configuration management tool.
Mind: a major gripe I've had with Chef in the past was that it failed to use individual cron.d files and instead edited the crontab file directly under its cron management interface. That is a critical design error.
Cron keeps a log of job outputs on the server where the jobs were run
That'a fault of your logging system, as all system services log locally by default. Set up a log server if you need centralised logging.
...bash profile settings have been stripped from the Cron environment...
Sounds like someone unfamiliar with cron, or sane script development and testing procedures. If you need environments set, set or source them explicitly (I recommend the latter, FWIW).
These are PEBKAC, not cron, errors.