Pre‑Start Checklist: How It Works and How to Use It

Pre‑Start Checklist: How It Works and How to Use It

The ClickTime Pre‑Start Checklist is a powerful compliance tool that ensures every worker completes the right safety and operational forms before they start work. No more missed inductions, forgotten checklists, or risky site entries — ClickTime automates it all.

The Pre‑Start Checklist ensures that staff complete required forms before starting work on a site. This feature helps organizations enforce safety, compliance, and operational rules by linking forms to specific actions such as shift acceptance or clock‑in.

What Is the Pre‑Start Checklist?

The Pre‑Start Checklist is a set of rules (policies) that determine when and how staff must complete forms before they can:

  • Accept a shift
  • Clock in for a shift
  • Be scheduled on a site

Each rule is customizable, allowing administrators to enforce compliance across different teams, roles, or individuals.

Before You Begin (Prerequisite)

Before setting up any Pre‑Start Checklist rules, you must first create the digital form that will be used.

  1. Go to the Forms page.

  2. Create a new form (or edit an existing one).

  3. Set the form type to Function Form.

  4. Select Pre‑Start Checklist as the function this form will be used for.

Only after this step is completed will the form appear as an option when configuring your Pre‑Start Checklist rules.


Setting Up a Pre‑Start Checklist

Step 1: Create a Policy

  1. Navigate to Sites > Details > Pre‑Start Checklist.
  2. Click Add New Rule.
  3. A dialog window will appear where you configure the rule.

Step 2: Select the Form

Choose the form that staff must complete (e.g., safety checklist, compliance form).

Step 3: Define the Completion Rule

Decide when the form must be completed. Options include:

  • Before Shift Acceptance: Staff cannot accept a shift until the form is submitted.
  • Before Clock‑In: Staff cannot clock in until the form is submitted.
  • Before Scheduling: Staff must complete the form before being assigned to a shift.
  • All of the Above: The form is required at every stage.

Step 4: Recurring. Set Refill Criteria

Specify how often the form must be resubmitted:

  • Daily
  • Weekly
  • Monthly
  • Yearly

Step 5: Apply the Rule

Choose who the rule applies to:

  • All staff on the site
  • Specific employees
  • Contractors
  • Teams
  • Staff with specific positions

Step 6: Customize the Mobile App Prompt

Write a message that staff will see when they attempt to accept a shift or clock in.
Example: “Please complete the Safety Checklist before starting your shift.”

Step 7: Add Multiple Policies (Optional)

You can create multiple policies, each linked to a different form.

How It Works in Practice

  • Shift Acceptance Validation:
    When an employee tries to accept a shift, the system checks if required forms are completed. If not, an error message lists the missing forms.
  • Clock‑In Validation:
    When an employee tries to clock in, the system checks for required forms. If forms are missing, an error message lists them.

This ensures that compliance is enforced before work begins.

Example Workflow

  1. Admin creates a rule requiring the Safety Checklist before clock‑in.
  2. Employee opens the mobile app to clock in.
  3. The app displays a prompt: “Complete the Safety Checklist before clocking in.”
  4. Employee fills out and submits the form.
  5. Clock‑in is allowed once the form is validated.



    • Related Articles

    • Form Question Types

      ClickTime Australia gives you the flexibility to design forms that capture exactly the information your business needs — from simple yes/no confirmations to detailed photo uploads and location capture. With 17 configurable form question types, you ...

    • ClickTime Form Types

      Introduction ClickTime Australia offers three powerful form types — General Purpose, Scheduled Inspection/Audit, and Functional Forms — each designed to meet specific operational and compliance needs. Whether you’re assigning induction forms to ...

    • How to setup & configure Auto Clock out

      Automating the clock-out process is a simple yet powerful way for Australian businesses to ensure accurate attendance data and reduce the administrative burden on back-office staff. ClickTime's auto clock-out feature is designed to automatically log ...

    • Get Started With ClickTime Digital Forms

      Introduction ClickTime Forms is a dynamic form builder designed to fully digitize organizational paperwork, replacing traditional paper-based forms with customizable digital forms. In ClickTime Australia, the Forms feature replaces paper‑based ...

    • Clock-In Against Scheduled Shifts Using ClickTime Employee App Ver 1.00

      This help article is for the outdated ClickTime Employee App ver 1.0.  Please check the updated help for clocking with ClickTime Ver 2.0  Make sure to follow the below general guidelines Clock in and out when you start and end each your shift. Be ...