How to Assign an Inspection Checklist to a Class / Model

Assigning an inspection checklist to an equipment class or model tells Latner which list of checks to attach whenever a Run Up, Return or Equipment Transfer inspection is raised for that gear, so every machine of that type gets looked over the same way.

Overview

Inspectors shouldn't have to remember what to check on a 3.5 tonne excavator. Set the checklist once on the class, refine it on the models that need something different, and Latner attaches the right list to each inspection as it is created.

Inspection checklists are assigned on the General Details card of an Equipment Class or an Equipment Model, not on individual equipment numbers.
There are three of them: Run Up Checklist, Return Checklist and Equipment Transfer Checklist. Each field only offers checklist templates whose Checklist Type matches.
The model wins over the class. If the inspection has an equipment model, Latner uses the model's checklist, and falls back to the class only when the model's field is blank.
The tick box beside each field decides whether Latner raises that inspection automatically. The checklist beside it decides what is on the inspection once it exists.
The checklist is copied onto the inspection at the moment the inspection is created, so it is a snapshot, not a live link.
Pre Sale inspection checklists are the exception. They are set on the Serialized Stock record, not on a class or model.

Before You Begin

Have these ready before you start.

Requirement	Where to Find It
A checklist template of the right type	Equipment › Configuration › Checklist Templates. See How to Create a Checklist Template.
Equipment Class and Equipment Model screen access	Security › Configuration › Permission Groups, under Equipment › Configuration.
Create Equipment Class / Create Equipment Model permissions	Security › Configuration › Permission Groups, under Equipment › Option. The same permission that creates a class or model is the one that saves changes to it.
The settings that raise inspections	Security › Settings › Equipment: Create Run Up Inspection for Rental Contract Reservations, Create Return Inspection after Rental Return and Create Inspection after receiving Equipment Transfer.

Security › Settings › Equipment, where the settings that raise each type of inspection live

Assigning a checklist does not create inspections by itself. The settings above, together with the tick boxes on the class or model, decide whether an inspection is raised. If nothing raises an inspection of that type, the checklist simply never appears.

Assigning the Checklist

Step 1 - Check you have a template of the right type

Go to Equipment › Configuration › Checklist Templates and look for a template whose Checklist Type matches the inspection you're configuring: Run Up, Rental Return or Equipment Transfer. A template of any other type will not be offered on the class or model.

The Checklist Templates screen filtered to Run Up, with the task count for each template

If there isn't one, create it from Options › Create New Checklist. Set the Checklist Type first, give the checklist a name, then add a row per task with its Group, Task Summary and Task Description. Tick Photo Required on any task the inspector must photograph.

Checklist Type - required, and it is what makes the template selectable on a class or model.
Checklist Name - required, and must be unique within the type.
Default Response - optional. Leave it blank and Latner uses the standard Pass / Fail / N/A responses.

Add Checklist Details, where the Checklist Type chosen at the top decides where the template can be used

Step 2 - Open the equipment class

Go to Equipment › Configuration › Classes and click the class you want to configure. The list carries Run Up Inspections, Return Inspections and Equipment Transfer columns, so you can see which classes are already set up before you open anything.

The Classes list, where the inspection tick boxes show as columns so you can spot the gaps

Step 3 - Edit the General Details card

Click any value in the General Details card to put it into edit mode. Cancel and Save appear in the card header. Click the search box beside Run Up Inspections and pick your template. The same pattern applies to Return Inspections and Equipment Transfer Inspections.

The Run Up Checklist search lists only Run Up templates, so a Service or Take 5 checklist can't be attached by mistake

Step 4 - Tick the inspection type and save

Tick the box to the left of the checklist if you want Latner to raise that inspection automatically for this class, then click Save. The card shows the tick box and the checklist name side by side once it is saved.

Run Up Inspections - raises a Run Up inspection when equipment of this class is reserved on a rental contract.
Return Inspections - raises a Return inspection when a rental return is completed for an equipment number.
Equipment Transfer Inspections - raises an inspection when an equipment transfer is received at the destination branch.

The saved class, with each inspection row showing its tick box and the checklist name beside it

Step 5 - Override on a model where you need to

Where one model needs different checks from the rest of its class, go to Equipment › Configuration › Models, open the model and set its checklist the same way. Leave the model's field blank and it keeps using the class's checklist, so you only need to fill in the models that genuinely differ.

The same fields on an Equipment Model, where a checklist set here applies to this model only

Step 6 - Confirm it on a new inspection

The quickest way to prove the setup is to raise one. Go to Inspections › Options › Create Inspection, choose the class and model you configured, set Type to Run Up and save. Equipment Number is optional on a Run Up inspection, so you can test without tying up a machine.

Creating a Run Up inspection against the class and model that were just configured

Open the new inspection and check the Checklists tab. The checklist is there with its tasks waiting to be actioned, and the name tells you whether the class's or the model's checklist was used.

The inspection's Checklists tab, where the model's checklist has won over the class's and its three tasks sit ready to action

After You Save

Every new Run Up, Return or Equipment Transfer inspection for that class or model gets a copy of the checklist, listed on the inspection's Checklists tab.
Inspections raised before you made the change are untouched. The assignment applies from now on.
Inspectors action the tasks from the inspection or from the mobile inspection screen, and each task's response is recorded against that inspection.
If Completed Checklists Required For Inspections is enabled, an inspection cannot be completed while any of its checklist tasks are still outstanding.
If Failed Inspection Checklist Points Require Approval is enabled, completing an inspection that has a failed task moves it to Pending Approval instead of Completed.

Changing the equipment class, model or equipment number on an Open inspection makes Latner work the checklist out again and replace it, and any responses already recorded on the old checklist go with it. Finish and complete the inspection before reassigning equipment, or record the responses again afterwards. On an inspection that is no longer Open the change is blocked outright with Cannot change Equipment on a Completed Inspection.

FAQs

The checklist I want isn't in the Run Up Checklist list. Why?

Each field only offers templates of the matching type: Run Up Checklist shows Run Up templates, Return Checklist shows Rental Return templates and Equipment Transfer Checklist shows Equipment Transfer templates. Open the template in Equipment › Configuration › Checklist Templates and check its Checklist Type.

I assigned a checklist but no inspection is being created. What's missing?

The checklist and the inspection are two separate switches. Check the tick box on the class or model, and check the matching setting under Security › Settings › Equipment. For Run Ups, if the contract line has an equipment model, Latner reads that model's Run Up Inspections tick box and ignores the class; if the line has only a class, it reads the class's. For Returns and Equipment Transfers, a tick on either the model or the class is enough.

My class and my model both have a checklist. Which one is used?

The model's. Latner looks at the equipment model first and only falls back to the class when the model has nothing set for that inspection type. Clear the model's field if you want it back on the class's checklist.

Can I assign an inspection checklist to a single equipment number?

No. Inspection checklists are set at class and model level only, so the finest control you have is a model-level override. A checklist can be attached to a single machine through a service schedule instead - see How to Assign a Service Schedule Checklist to a Class / Model / Equipment.

I edited the checklist template. Do inspections already raised pick up the change?

No. Changing a template's tasks creates a new version of that template, and inspections keep the version they were created from. Only inspections raised after the edit get the new tasks. The same goes for swapping the checklist on a class or model - it applies to new inspections, not existing ones.

How do I get a checklist onto a Manual inspection?

Manual inspections never pick up a checklist from the class or model, because there is no inspection type to match on. Open the inspection and use Options › Add Checklist, which lets you pick any template. It needs the Add Checklist to Inspection permission, and it is unavailable once the inspection is completed or cancelled.

What about Pre Sale inspections?

Pre Sale is the one inspection type you can't drive from a class or model. Its checklist comes from the Pre Sale Checklist on the Serialized Stock record.

What is the Pre Start Checklist field for?

It sits on the same card but it isn't an inspection checklist. It is the checklist an operator completes before using the machine, and it appears on pre-start checks and operator dockets rather than on inspections.

Watch the Demo

Prefer to watch it? Step through the same flow here.