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04. Team Training - Using the Activated Checklist
04. Team Training - Using the Activated Checklist

Training for your team on how to use Activated Checklists

Andrew Sutton avatar
Written by Andrew Sutton
Updated over 3 months ago

The Activated Checklist is Way We Do's process and workflow powerhouse and an incredibly useful tool.

There are a variety of ways in which you can be involved in completing a checklist and this training will walk you through each of these scenarios.

You can use the below links to jump to the relevant section.

Running the Activated Checklist

When you first open a checklist it will appear in its entirety, with no checkboxes showing. All the steps are listed but you are unable to mark off the steps from this screen.

In order to use the checklist, you'll need to 'activate' it by creating a new Checklist Instance.

1: Start a New Activated Checklist Instance

Each time the checklist is initiated and used by a team member, it is a Checklist Instance.

To create a new Checklist Instance, simply click the Run checklist (Play) button at the top right of the main checklist screen. It is the blue button with a triangle on it.

You'll be redirected to a Run Instance page where you will enter the title of your checklist instance, assign collaborators and select when collaborator invites should be sent.

Collaborators

By default, you will be included as one of the collaborators for completing this activity. If you would like to invite others to work on this with you, select Edit and choose who from the list of team members that appears.

Collaborators for specific roles

Some checklists will be created with steps that can only be completed by a certain role in your organization. For example, there may be a step that can only be completed by a Human Resources Manager. In this situation, you'll need to choose who is going to represent that role. Select Assign and choose from the list of team members that appears. This list will only show team who are set up as that role and you can choose one or more people.

Collaborator Invites

When the instance is started, any collaborators you add will receive an invite. The Send Invites dropdown lets you choose when this invite will be sent. The two options are:

  • When a step can be completed: meaning that the invite will be sent when a relevant step is reached. For general collaborators, this will be the first step that can be completed by anyone i.e. a step with no role specified. For collaborators who are added to complete steps with a role specified, this will be when the relevant step is reached

  • Immediately: all collaborators are invited when you click Start

Click the Start button to initiate the checklist instance and begin using the checklist.

Tip: You can also run the checklist by clicking the run checklist button from the procedure card.

2: Using the Activated Checklist

Once a Checklist Instance has been created, the steps will convert so they can be marked off as each step is complete. You can select the step to view the instruction panel containing additional information on how to complete the step.

There are some different step types that you'll interact with, which are detailed for you below.

Activity Step

This is the standard step in a checklist. Once you've read any instructions in the information panel and completed the task, select the checkbox to mark it as complete

Decision Point

This step requires you to make a choice from a range of options. The choice you make may impact how the rest of the checklist is completed. For example, selecting one choice will 'reveal' the next steps based on that choice. Selecting a different choice may 'reveal' different steps.

You can easily tell a Decision Point as it has a forked arrow symbol on it.

Selecting the Decision Point opens up the information panel, where you'll make your choice from the range of options. After choosing an option, you'll select Save Changes to confirm it (don't worry if you choose the wrong one, you can change it)

Decision Points don't require the checkbox to be manually selected, the auto-complete once Save Changes has been selected.

Steps with a Role Specified

Some steps will have a role assigned to them, which means only someone who performs that role can mark it off. When you run the checklist, you select who this is when choosing collaborators.

You can tell a step with a role assigned, as it displays the role under the step title.

When you reach a step with a role assigned the relevant person(s) selected as the collaborator will need to complete the activity. Once this is done, you can continue with any steps relevant to you.

Steps with Due Dates

Activity Steps and Decision Points can have a due date assigned to them. This is to let you know that there is a time period that this task needs to be completed within. There can be more than one step with a due date on it within the one checklist and they will have a line of color next to them. At the top of the checklist will be an overall due date, which takes in to account all due dates on the individual steps

When viewing the information panel for a step with a due date, it will show the specific due date for that step

More information on running a checklist with due dates can be found here.

Event Steps

An Event Step works like a "point in time" within the overall process. It's a time frame that you work towards, with all preceding steps to be completed by the time the event occurs.

Event Steps are identified by a calendar icon on the step.

The information panel provides details of the date and time the event occurs as well as a countdown to that point in time.

You don't need to do anything to an Event Step. It will auto-complete at the specified date and time.

More information on running a checklist with Event Steps can be found here.

Delay Steps

Sometimes, a process needs to pause for a given period of time. It may be a pause to facilitate the time between making contact with a customer, or because there's a period of time required for product manufacturing to happen. Whichever the scenario, a Delay Step enforces this pause and stops the process from advancing until the delay period has completed.

Delay Steps are identified by an hourglass icon on the step.

The information panel provides details of the length of time the delay occurs for as well as a countdown to that point in time.

You don't need to do anything to a Delay Step. It will auto-complete at the specified date and time.

More information on running a checklist with Delay Steps can be found here.

Supervisor Sign-off

Some checklists may be set up with the final step being a Supervisor Sign-off. This sign-off is set by your organization to be sent to a specific role and will route the checklist to them to review.

When you reach the sign-off step, it will prompt you to send an invite to a supervisor. If there is only one team member who is in the appointed role, it will automatically go to them. If there is more than one, then you'll need to choose the relevant person from a list that will display.

3: Using the filters to show or hide steps

You can use filters to show or hide steps in the checklist as you complete it. The below video will show you how to perform this activity.

4: Adding More Collaborators to an Active Checklist Instance

Collaborators are typically added as you start the Checklist Instance, however there may be circumstances where you want to add more collaborators to a Checklist Instance that's already active.

To do this, you can click the "Add a Collaborator" button at the top of the checklist. It's the one that looks like a person with a plus sign.

5: Closing a Checklist Instance and Returning to it Later

Not all checklists will be completed in one sitting. In this case, you can close a checklist and return to it later to resume your progress. Simply select Close at the top of the screen.

You can return to a checklist you have in progress either from your Dashboard or from the checklist itself.

From the Activated Checklist

Navigate to the checklist you want to resume and then select the Activity tab. Locate the Instance you would like to continue and click the Resume button. You'll be returned to the Activated Checklist Instance and can resume your progress.

From the Dashboard

You can also resume a checklist instance, by selecting the required checklist from the checklist steps tab on your dashboard.

6: Finishing a Checklist Instance

Activated Checklist Instances are automatically marked as complete once all steps have been checked off or when the Supervisor Sign-Off has been performed.

What if I no longer require a checklist? In this case, you can Abandon it.

To do this, select the dropdown next to Close and select Abandon Checklist.

You're required to provide a reason why the checklist wasn't completed. Enter the explanation into the field and click Abandon. The reason provided will be recorded as part of the permanent checklist activity.

7._Abandon_Checklist.png

7:. Understanding the Activity Page

The Activity tab on a checklist shows you all of the instances you've run of that checklist. There's a range of different statuses these checklists can be in.

In Progress

Checklist Instances that are still in progress have a partial green progress bar and a Resume button.

Completed

Completed instances will be marked with a full green progress bar and a checkmark.

Pending Sign-Off

If the checklist instance requires Supervisor Sign-off, it will feature a full orange progress bar and a Resume button.

Abandoned

Abandoned checklists are shown with a full red progress bar and a stop button.

Being invited to an Activated Checklist by a colleague

If you're invited to complete a checklist by a colleague you'll receive an email notification about this.

The email will have the subject: Collaborate on a checklist in [company name's] process platform. In the body of the checklist it will tell you who has invited you, the name of the checklist, and have a link to Help complete the checklist.

Click to be taken straight to the checklist you're being asked to work on.

Being invited to an Activated Checklist via an Automation

Some checklists can be set to run automatically via automations. This is where the checklist initiates automatically based on something happening. The events that can trigger an automation are:

  • Date Schedule: which runs a checklist at a predetermined frequency

  • When a checklist instance is completed: which runs a a checklist upon completion of another

  • When a step in a checklist instance is completed: which runs a a checklist upon completion of a step in another

  • When a new team member is added: which runs a checklist when a team member is added to your account

You'll receive an email the same as above, but in this situation it tells you that Way We Do has invited you, not one of your team.

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