How to Create an Observation Checklist & Adding it to a Course

What is an Observation Checklist?

An observation checklist is a structured form used to observe and record how someone performs a task — completed by the users themselves, a peer, or their manager. Common uses: safety inspections, compliance checks, on-the-job sign-offs, and competency validation.

Steps Overview

1. Open Observation Checklists
2. Create a New Checklist
3. Configure Properties
4. Build Items (Groups & Questions)
5. Preview the Checklist
6. Schedule the Checklist
7. Attach to a Course (Optional)


1. Open Observation Checklists

• Click the gear icon at the top right corner (Admin menu) → E-Learning → Observation checklists

2. Create a New Checklist

• In the top-right, click the green '+' button → the Create new observation checklist panel will open.
• Fill in:
  • Code (optional) — internal identifier (e.g. `COMPANYNAME-CHECKLISTNAME`). Optional but recommended for reporting.
  • Name (required) — what users will see (e.g. `Safety Checklist`).
  • Description (optional) — short context for observers.
• Under Options, tick any that apply:
  • Add an area for free notes for each item — gives observers a text box under every question for extra comments.
  • Allow file and video upload for each item — lets observers attach a photo/video/file as evidence (one per item).
  • Add an acceptance review to the checklist — observers can close the checklist only after reviewing its responses.
• Click Create and edit → you'll land on the checklist's config page with five tabs: Properties, Items, Preview, Schedules, Courses.

3. Configure Properties

• The Properties tab is where you come back to edit the shell later. Same fields as step 2.
• Edit Code, Name, Description, and Options anytime.
• Click Save Changes (bottom-right) after any edit(s).

4. Build Items (Groups & Questions)

• Items are the actual questions. They sit inside groups so you can organise long checklists by section (e.g. Exterior Checks, Interior Checks, Paperwork etc.). Each item can use a different response type depending on what you need to capture.
• Create a group
  • Go to the **Items** tab → click the green **+** button in the centre.
  • In the **New group of items** panel:
  • Group name** *(required)* — e.g. `Safety Check Exterior`.
  • Description/Instructions** — optional guidance shown to observers.
  • Tick **Do not show the group name in the checklist** if you want groups used for admin organisation only (not visible to observers).
  • Click **Create**.

• Add items to the group
  • In the group card, click New item + button
  • Fill in:
    • Item (required) — the question text (e.g. *Is the car starting fine?*).
    • Response type — pick the format that fits the answer you need:
      • Short answer — single-line text.
      • Paragraph — multi-line text.
      • Single choice — radio buttons, one answer only (e.g. Yes / No).
      • Multiple choice — checkboxes, one or more answers.
      • Dropdown — select from a list.
      • Date picker — calendar input.
      • Time picker — time input.
    • For Single choice, Multiple choice, and Dropdown, add Option 1, 2 and so on, by clicking New option + button.
  • Repeat New item + to add more questions to the group.

• Add more groups as needed using the centre + button.
• Drag the handle (⋮⋮) on the left of a group or item to reorder.
• Use the elipsis ⋮ menu on any group or item to Duplicate, or Delete.
• Click SAVE CHANGES when done. 

5. Preview the Checklist

• Preview shows exactly what the observer will see — useful for sense-checking wording, options, and layout before you schedule it.
  
  

6. Schedule the Checklist

• Scheduling is how you assign the checklist to actual users for a set time period. This is separate from attaching it to a course (see step 7) — scheduling sends it directly to people's My Checklists can be found in the hamburger menu (≡) at top-left of the platform.

• Click the clock icon in the top-right → the Schedule checklist 4-step wizard opens.

  • Step 1 — Users to check. We'll need to pick one of the below:

    • Users assigned to a group — select one or more groups.

    • Users associated with a branch — select branches.

    • Single users — pick specific users.

    • Click Next

  • Step 2 — Observation. Pick one or more:

    • Self observer — the user checks themselves.

    • External observers:
      Manager — the user's direct manager completes it.

    • Selected user — a specific named observer (peer, trainer, supervisor, etc.).

    • Click Next.

  • Step 3 — Approval (Optional)

    • Choose whether the checklist requires approval.

    • If approval is rejected, the observer can correct their answers and resubmit.

    • Click Next

  • Step 4 — Time frame

    • The window during which the checklist must be completed.

    • Choose the time frames you'd like to set up.

    • Click Confirm  to activate the schedule.
      
      

7. Attach to a Course (Optional)

• Attaching the checklist to a course makes it a piece of training material inside that course — so it's triggered by course enrolment instead of a manual schedule. Use this for induction checklists, post-training sign-offs, or any observation tied to completing a course etc..

  • You attach it to a course by following the below steps:

  • Go to Admin menu → Course Management

  • Open the course you want to attach the checklist to.

  • Go to the Training Material tab → click Add Training Material.

  • Select Observation checklist as the material type.

  • Search for your checklist name in the list → select it → configure the observer, approval, and completion options (same as schedule steps 2 & 3).

• The course will now appear in the Courses tab of your checklist and count toward course completion for enrolled learners.