Checklist Templates - Build Inspection and Maintenance Checklists

Overview

Checklist templates define structured inspection or maintenance procedures that technicians complete as part of a work order. Each template is a reusable list of items — pass/fail checks, numeric readings, text observations, or photo requirements — that can be attached to a Preventive Maintenance (PM) work order.

When a technician submits a completed checklist, UniAsset automatically records the results and creates a Corrective Maintenance (CM) work order for every item that was marked as failed.

Templates created here are available to attach to any PM work order. Archiving a template hides it from future use without affecting any live checklists already in progress.

Who Can Access This

Employees can use checklists on work orders they are assigned to, but they cannot create or modify templates.

How to Access This Section

1. Log in to your UniAsset account
2. Click Settings in the left sidebar
3. Select Checklists

Checklist Item Types

Each item in a checklist is one of four types:

Pass / Fail items

Selecting Fail requires a failure note — the technician must describe what is wrong before they can save the response. An empty failure note is not accepted.

Failed Pass/Fail items trigger automatic CM work order creation when the checklist is completed.

Numeric items

Numeric items can have optional minimum and maximum bounds. If the entered value falls outside the defined range, the item is treated as out of range and is flagged accordingly. You can set either bound independently — only a minimum, only a maximum, or both.

Set the unit (e.g. "PSI", "°C", "kPa") to give technicians context for the expected reading.

Text items

Text items accept any free-text entry. They are useful for observations or descriptions that do not fit a pass/fail or numeric format.

Photo items

Photo items require the technician to upload an image. Use them to capture visual evidence of an asset's condition at the time of inspection.

Required vs Optional Items

Each item has a Required toggle:

• Required — the technician must provide a response before the checklist can be submitted as complete
• Optional — the technician can skip the item; it will not block completion

Mark items as required when the inspection cannot be considered valid without that specific check. Use optional for items that apply only in certain situations.

How to Create a Checklist Template

1. Navigate to Settings > Checklists
2. Click Create Template
3. Enter a Template Name (e.g. "Monthly Forklift Inspection")
4. Add checklist items:
   • Click Add Item
   • Enter the item label (e.g. "Check hydraulic fluid level")
   • Select the item type (Pass/Fail, Numeric, Text, or Photo)
   • For Numeric: optionally set min, max, and unit
   • Toggle Required if the item must be answered
5. Repeat to add all items, ordering them as they should appear to the technician
6. Click Save Template

The template is immediately available to attach to PM work orders.

How to Edit a Checklist Template

1. Navigate to Settings > Checklists
2. Find the template and open its actions menu
3. Select Edit
4. Add, remove, or modify items as needed
5. Save the changes

Editing a template does not affect checklists that are already attached to open work orders. Those live checklists continue with the item set they had when they were attached.

Attaching a Checklist to a Work Order

Checklists can be attached to Preventive Maintenance (PM) work orders. When creating or editing a PM work order, select a checklist template from the checklist field.

Once attached, the checklist becomes a structured form the assigned technician must complete as part of the work order.

Completing a Checklist

Technicians respond to each item in the checklist from the work order detail page. When all required items have responses:

1. The technician clicks Complete Checklist
2. UniAsset records the completion timestamp
3. For every Pass/Fail item that was marked Fail, a Corrective Maintenance (CM) work order is automatically created

This is an atomic operation — the checklist is marked complete and all CM work orders are created together in a single transaction.

Auto-generated CM work orders

Each failed item produces one CM work order with the following properties:

The CM work order is linked to its parent PM work order, giving supervisors a clear audit trail from the inspection finding to the corrective action.

Archiving a Template

Archiving a template removes it from the checklist picker when creating new work orders. It does not affect checklists already attached to open work orders — those continue normally.

How to archive a template

1. Navigate to Settings > Checklists
2. Open the actions menu for the template
3. Select Archive
4. Confirm the action

Archived templates are hidden from the creation flow. They are retained in the database for historical records and remain visible on completed work orders that used them.

Important Notes & Limitations

Failed items require a failure note

• A technician cannot mark a Pass/Fail item as Fail without providing a written failure note. This ensures there is always a description of the problem alongside the failed check.

Checklist completion is all-or-nothing

• Submitting a checklist and creating the resulting CM work orders happens in a single transaction. Either all CM work orders are created, or none are (in the event of a system error).

Template edits do not affect live checklists

• Once a checklist is attached to a work order, it captures a snapshot of the template's items at that time. Subsequent edits to the template have no effect on the in-progress checklist.

CM work orders use a 24-hour SLA placeholder

• Auto-generated CM work orders receive a 24-hour SLA deadline regardless of the asset's criticality or the SLA configuration in Work Order Settings. You can update the deadline manually after the CM WO is created.

Archiving is not deletion

• Archived templates are not permanently removed. They remain accessible on completed work orders that reference them. Only the Owner or Admin can archive templates.

Photo items require file upload

• Photo type items require an image to be uploaded as the response. Ensure technicians have the ability to take and upload photos from their device when using this item type.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an Employee create a checklist template?

No. Only Owners, Admins, and Managers can create, edit, or archive checklist templates. Employees can respond to and complete checklists on work orders they are assigned to.

What happens if I archive a template that is currently attached to an open work order?

Nothing changes for that work order. The live checklist continues with its existing items. Archiving only prevents the template from being selected for new work orders going forward.

Can I attach a checklist to a Corrective Maintenance work order?

No. Checklists are designed for Preventive Maintenance (PM) work orders. CM work orders are corrective actions and do not use the checklist workflow.

How many items can a template have?

There is no enforced item limit. Add as many items as the inspection procedure requires.

Can I reorder items in a template?

Items appear in the order they were added. When editing a template, you can remove and re-add items to control their order.

If a numeric reading is out of range, does that create a CM work order?

No. Automatic CM creation only applies to Pass/Fail items that are marked Fail. Numeric items that are out of range are flagged in the checklist results but do not trigger automatic CM creation.

Can I use the same template on multiple work orders?

Yes. A template can be attached to any number of PM work orders simultaneously. Each attachment is an independent checklist instance.