Building Templates

Step-by-step guide to creating checklist templates with items and sections, and grouping them into collections.

This guide walks through creating checklist templates and collections — the building blocks for every inspection.

Creating a Checklist

Start a New Checklist

Go to Admin → Inspections → Templates and open the Checklist Library tab
Click Create Checklist
Enter a name (e.g., "Reinforcement Inspection — Foundations")
Select a category: Concrete, Steel, MEP, Safety, Closeout, or Custom
If you are an owner or admin, choose the Scope — Project (this project only) or Organization (every project in the org). Organization scope is one-way and cannot be reverted.

The Create Checklist page with a name, the Concrete category and Project scope filled in, and the first item's settings open below — A new checklist: name, category and scope first, then sections and items

Add Items

Each item describes one thing to check during the inspection:

Type the item's label into the section's Add item to … box and click Add — be specific and measurable: "Rebar spacing at 150mm c/c per drawing" not "Check rebar"
The item's settings open below it — the arrow beside the item collapses or reopens them
Add instructions for additional context or specification details
Set severity if failed: Critical, Major, Minor, or Observation (critical items flag more prominently on failure)
Toggle requires evidence if a photo should be mandatory for this item, and name the evidence type
Toggle requires test result if a measurement must be entered before the verdict can be saved

Every item is answered the same way in the field — Pass, Fail or N/A. There is no per-item response-type setting.

Checklist builder showing items grouped into sections with drag-and-drop reordering — Checklist builder — each item defines one inspection check

Organize into Sections

Group related items under section headers:

Type a name into New section name… and click Add section (e.g., "Main Bars", "Stirrups", "Cover")
Add each item inside the section it belongs to — an item cannot be dragged into another section
Drag an item by its handle to reorder it within its section
During the inspection, items are grouped by checklist rather than by these sections

The checklist builder with items grouped under a section and the New section name box with an Add section button at the bottom — Name a section and click Add section, then add items inside it

Add Standard References

For items that reference codes or specifications:

Use the item's Reference standard / code field (e.g., "IS 456:2000 Clause 26.5.1" or "ACI 318-14 §25.2"). It is stored on the template and shown in the builder.
To put the reference in front of the inspector during the run, repeat it in the item's Instructions — that text travels with the item into the inspection.

Save

Click Create Checklist (when you edit it later, Save — each save increments the version number). The checklist is now available for use in collections or as a standalone inspection source.

Creating a Collection

Start a New Collection

Go to Admin → Inspections → Templates and open the Templates tab (collections view)
Click Create Template
Enter a name (e.g., "Concrete Pre-Pour") and description, then click Next

The Create Template page on its Details step with a name and description filled in and a Next button — Name and describe the collection, then click Next to choose checklists

Add Checklists

Select checklists from your Checklist Library
Mark each as required or optional
Use the up and down arrows to reorder — order determines the sequence during inspection
Add as many checklists as needed

Collection editor showing the selected checklists in order with their required flags — Collection editor — group checklists and set their order

Save

Click Create Template (Save when you edit it later). The collection is now available as a source when creating inspections. All included checklists appear as sections in the inspection.

Best Practices

Specific labels — "Rebar spacing 150mm c/c" not "Check rebar". Measurable criteria reduce ambiguity.
Reference standards — include IS codes, ACI, BS references where applicable
Critical severity — use for safety-critical or structural items. Failures on critical items are highlighted prominently.
Severity levels — Critical (red), Major (amber), Minor (blue), Observation (gray) — choose based on how urgently a failure needs attention.
Section grouping — mirrors the physical inspection sequence on-site. Group by location, system, or trade.
Evidence requirements — enable for items where photographic proof adds value (especially structural and safety items)

Managing Existing Templates

Action	How	Notes
Edit	Click template → modify → Save	Version increments. Existing inspections unaffected.
Activate/Deactivate	Click the template → Deactivate / Activate	Deactivated templates hide from creation wizard.
Promote	Row menu → Promote to Org	Makes a project-level checklist available across all projects in the organization. One-way.
Delete	Row menu → Delete	Removes it from the library. Inspections already created keep the copy of the items they were built with.

Next Steps

Templates Overview — The two-level template system explained
Creating Inspections — How templates are used when creating an inspection

Questions

Can items be answered with something other than Pass, Fail or N/A?

No. Every item is judged Pass, Fail or N/A. If you need a reading, switch on requires test result for that item, and the inspector has to enter the measurement before the verdict saves.

Will the inspector see the standard reference I entered?

No. The reference stays on the template. To put it in front of the inspector, add it to the item's Instructions as well.

I changed a checklist. Do I need to update my collections?

No. A collection points to the checklist, so new inspections from that collection pick up your change. Inspections already created keep the version they were built with.