Important Caveats

1. DO NOT EVER check off an item unless you personally completed it or you personally verified it was completed. 

2. ALWAYS CHECK OFF the item if you completed it or you personally verified it was completed.`

Once you check off an item, you are responsible for that item and your name is attached to it in the checklist. 

How to Access Checklists in Autotask

You must have Autotask permissions set to view or edit the checklist library. If you need access to the library and don't have it, please ask Roberta.

Even if you don't have direct access to the checklist library, you can add a checklist from the library to a ticket. The checklist choices change based on the ticket category. If you don't see the checklist you need for the ticket category you are using, ask Roberta to make that checklist available in that category. 

How to Approach Checklists

1. In general, complete the checklist items in the order they are listed. They're in order for a reason. (There may be special circumstances where this isn't always possible, but it should always be the goal.)
   

1. Don't change a ticket status to Complete without first checking off all the checklist items. If you change the status of a ticket to Complete without all the checklist items being checked off, a workflow rule will automatically change the ticket status to Follow-Up Needed.  
   

1. If an item in a checklist is not applicable to that particular ticket and therefore will not be completed, prepend the item with "NA: " or "Not Applicable: " before checking it off. That way anyone looking at the ticket in the future will know that this task was not performed. If necessary, in order to clarify, add a note in the ticket or time entry explaining why the item was not applicable (e.g., it required installing a piece of software the user didn't need). That way anyone looking at the ticket in the future will know why this task was not performed. If the note is brief, you can also prepend it to the checklist item. 

1.   If an item in a checklist was completed prior to the creation of the ticket (e.g., a machine already has a piece of software installed because it was used by a previous user),  prepend the item with “PC: ” or “Previously Completed: ”
   

1. If  work on a ticket cannot be completed (e.g., in a situation in which the customer does not respond after repeated attempts) and you want to change the ticket status to Complete, you will need to check off all the checklist items. If you don't (as mentioned above) the ticket status will change to Follow-Up Needed when you try to "Complete" it. Before checking off the remaining items , prepend the item with "NCTC” for "not completed, ticket closed."  This is only to be used for tickets that we are closing without finishing the ticket work. A note should be added to the ticket stating that the work was not completed and the reason why. 

Do not delete checklist items from the ticket under any circumstances. 

1. If you're working on a user's machine, when possible do "front end" items first so computer access can be returned to the customer while you work on items from the back end. When you stop work, whether the checklist is completed or not, let the user know so he can get back on his computer. (There is a note template available for this purpose in Autotask:  NYGG-283T. See also: List of Note Templates in AutoTask (Partial) .)
   

1. Make sure to read the checklist item fully;  there can be more than one action in each item. (If the checklist is long this may be unavoidable because there is a limit to the number of items that can be contained in a checklist. When creating shorter checklists, it's advisable to break each step in to a separate checklist item.)
   

1. Always look for improvements to the checklist and consider editing the permanent version of the checklist in the Autotask checklist library.  (If you intend to edit the checklist in the library, ask a senior team member first.) 
   

2. You’re expected to complete all checklist items on a ticket in one session unless this is not possible (eg, you’re waiting for a device to show up in a dashboard to complete another step).   
   

3. If for some reason you can't complete all applicable checklist items at once, create an internal ticket note clarifying why the checklist items could not be completed. If you need to connect to the machine on the front end, schedule with the user so user can be off the machine. If you are having trouble reaching the user, ask the Office Admin to coordinate the appointment. If the work can be done on the back end, you are responsible for scheduling yourself to finish that day or, at latest, the next day. The bottom line is that if you are assigned the ticket as primary resource, you are responsible for getting it completed promptly.

4. When working on a ticket with a checklist, there still needs to be a time entry to account for the time you spent working on the checklist. The checklist is not a substitute for your ticket time entry. It is acceptable for your time entry to say something like, "performed steps as indicated in the checklist." Do not use the word “completed” ("completed checklist items") unless there are no more open checklist items when you are done with your work. It’s confusing because it’s unclear if you completed the whole checklist or just some items. Instead say, “performed steps according to the checklist,” unless the entire checklist has been marked complete. 

5. For onsite assignments, checklists help us confirm everything is done before leaving the site. For onsite, either print the checklist (you will need to go back later and check off the items in the ticket) or just open the ticket on your laptop/tablet. Check off items in real time to make sure they are actually completed and you don't leave anything out.
   

Only check off items in real time to make sure you don't leave anything out.