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      Workflow Checklists

      Learn about the to-do list workflow feature which helps organise tasks on busy workflow phases.

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         Estimated Read Time: 4 minutes

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      What are Checklists?

      Checklists are a to-do list linked to specific workflow phases. They help teams stay aligned by tracking key actions and ensuring consistency across processes.

      When a card enters a phase with a checklist, the items appear as a task list at the top of the card:checklist

      The Phase Owner can mark items complete by selecting the checkbox:

      complete checklist item

      Hovering over a completed checklist item shows who completed it and when.

      Note:

      • If a card leaves and then re-enters a phase with checklists, any previously completed items will be cleared. The checklist resets each time the card enters the phase.
      • Checklist activity is not included in the card's History tab.

      What are Mandatory Checklists?

      Depending on configuration, users may be required to complete all checklist items before actions can be taken or cards can progress. When this setting is enabled, users attempting to proceed without completing the checklist will see a warning message.

      prevent approve

      Users can still Reject cards even if checklist items are incomplete. This allows reviewers to return or terminate forms when checklist tasks are not relevant or required for that stage. Expand the following section to see a full list of what users can/cannot do: 

      Restrictions When Checklist is Incomplete

      Users can:

      • Save a form after making updates
      • Reject a card
      • Complete actions such as Create Contract or Update Supplier
      • Allow SLA Timer Transitions to move cards automatically

      Users cannot:

      • Submit a form
      • Approve a card

      View Checklists from My Dashboard

      If you prefer to view all approvals from the My Dashboard view, it is also possible to tick off checklist items from the mini-card summary:

      Which Phases Support Checklists?

      Checklists can be configured on most phases of a workflow, however, they are not supported on the following phase types:

      • Start Phases - checklists cannot be added as start phases are intended for initiating forms. Any required prompts should be included as form fields, using mandatory settings where appropriate.
      • Done Phases - it's not recommended to add checklists to done phases as they are designed to mark the end of a workflow. If tasks still need to be completed, consider using a Live phase instead.
      • Vendor Portal Phases - checklists are intended for internal Gatekeeper users, so vendor users will not be able to see any checklist items. For tasks which Vendor Portal users must complete, use mandatory form fields instead.

      Add a Checklist

      To ensure a checklist is added to all cards on a particular phase:

      1. Navigate to the relevant workflow and click on the phase to edit it.
      2. From the Core tab, enter an item into the Add Item text box then click Add.
        add item
      3. Repeat Step 2 until all items have been added.
        1. If you want to prevent the card from progressing with incomplete items, select the Card can only be submitted if all checklist items are complete checkbox.

      Note: Checklist items cannot be completed via email. Therefore, if you set your checklists to be mandatory, Gatekeeper will prevent you from enabling the Approval Via Email setting for approval phases.

      Edit Existing Items

      To make changes to a checklist item:

      1. Click on the phase to edit it.
      2. From the Core tab, click the pencil icon next to an item to edit it, or click the delete icon to remove it.

      Note: Checklists are applied to workflow cards at the point they arrive on a phase. Therefore, any changes to the checklist items or configuration will not effect existing cards on the phase.

      Additional Reading 📚