Free License -Managing Checklist Template

The Checklists Template section allows administrators to create and manage master checklist templates. These templates define standardized tasks for financial close processes that can be activated for specific periods to create period-specific checklist instances.

Note: Checklist can be used to track Reconciliation items and other financial processes outside of Account Reconciliations.

To manage checklists Template:

1. Navigate to the Administration module.

2. Click the Checklists tab.

   The Checklists Template tab displays all configured checklist templates for your organization.

3. Use the Search bar to quickly locate specific templates by entering checklist names or keywords.

4. Use the status filter tabs to display templates by status:

   • Select All to view all checklist templates

   • Select Active to show templates currently in use

   • Select Inactive to show disabled templates

5. Review checklist template information in the table:

   Column	Description
   Title	Name of the checklist template with status badge (Active/Inactive)
   Description	Brief description of the checklist template purpose
   Items	Number of checklist items (tasks) defined in the template
   Created	Date when the template was created (MM/DD/YYYY format)
   Activate/deactivate	Toggle switch to activate/deactivate the checklist template
   Edit	Icon to modify template settings and tasks
   Duplicate	Icon to duplicate the template

Creating a Checklist Template

To create a new checklist template:

1. Click Create New Checklist in the top-right corner.

2. Enter the template title that clearly identifies the close process (for example, "Monthly Checklist").

3. Enter an optional description explaining the template purpose.

4. Click Create Checklist to create the template.

The new template appears in the template list and is ready for adding checklist items.

Note: New checklist templates are created in an Inactive state by default. You must activate the template before it becomes available for checklist instances.

Editing Checklist Templates

To edit a checklist template:

1. Locate the template in the template list.

2. Click the Edit icon to open the template editor.

   The template editor displays the checklist title and description at the top, with the total item count. The right sidebar shows a tree outline of the checklist structure for easy navigation.

   

   Checklist templates use a hierarchical structure with two item types:

   Item Type	Description
   Folder	Parent grouping that organizes related tasks. Folders display a folder icon and can contain multiple tasks and subfolders
   Task	Individual work item with assigned responsibilities and due dates. Tasks display a document icon and contain the assignment fields.

   Note: You can drag and drop folders and tasks to reorganize the checklist structure within the hierarchy.

Adding Folders

Folders organize related tasks into logical groupings such as "Operating account reconciliation" or "Review and post accruals."

To add a folder:

1. Click the Add Folder icon on an existing folder to add a sibling folder, or at the template level to add a new top-level folder.

2. Enter the folder name.

3. Optionally enter a folder description.

Adding Tasks

Tasks are the individual work items that users complete during the close process. Tasks must be added within folders.

To add a task:

1. Click the Add Task icon on the parent folder.

2. Enter the task name.

3. Optionally enter a task description.

4. Complete the required task fields:

   Field	Description
   Preparer	User responsible for completing the task. The default assignee is "Anyone," which allows any user to complete the task. You can modify this to assign a specific user.
   Reviewer	User responsible for reviewing the completed task. The default assignee is "Anyone," which allows any user to review. You can modify this to assign a specific user.
   Duration (days)	Estimated number of days required to complete the task.
   Due Day (Period End offset)	Number of working days before or after the period end when the task is due. For example, -5 means five working days before period close, and 5 means five working days after period close.

5. Click Update Checklist to save changes, or click Close to exit without saving.

Note: Preparer and reviewer can be the same person for checklist tasks. This differs from reconciliation workflows where separation of duties may apply.

Note: Tasks are scheduled using relative due dates based on the period close date. The system calculates due dates using working days only, automatically excluding weekends from the calculation. This ensures realistic scheduling that accounts for actual business operating days.

Deleting Items

To delete a folder or task:

1. Click the Delete icon on the item row.

2. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Deleting a folder removes all tasks within that folder.

Note: If you delete an instantiated task from the template, the task remains in existing instances where it was already created. Only future instances or tasks in "Not Started" status are affected by template deletions.

Saving Changes

After making changes to the template:

1. Click Update Checklist to save all changes.

2. Click Close to exit the editor.

Any modification to a checklist template automatically deactivates the template. An administrator must manually reactivate the template for changes to apply to instances.

Template changes affect checklist instances based on task status:

• Tasks in "Not Started" status: Changes from the reactivated template are applied to these tasks.

• Tasks beyond "Not Started" status (In Progress, Review, or Approved): Changes are not applied. These tasks retain their original configuration to preserve work already in progress.

Previously activated instances for closed periods are not affected by template changes.

Duplicating Checklist Templates

To duplicate an existing checklist template:

1. Locate the template in the template list.

2. Click the Duplicate icon in the Actions column.

3. Enter a new name for the duplicated template.

4. Click Save.

The duplicated template contains all tasks from the original template and can be modified independently.

Activating or Deactivating Checklist Templates

Active templates are available for checklist instances in the Checklists module. Inactive templates are not available for new period instances but retain their configuration for future use.

Note: New templates are created in Inactive state by default.

To change checklist template status:

1. Locate the template in the template list.

2. Click the toggle switch in the Actions column to switch between Active and Inactive states.

Activating Checklist Template

When you activate a checklist template, the system creates a checklist instance for the open periods containing all tasks defined in the template. Users can then access this checklist instance from the Checklists module in the left navigation.

Deactivating Checklist Template

When you deactivate a checklist template, the effect on existing instances depends on task status:

• Tasks in "Not Started" status: These tasks are removed from the checklist instance for that period.

• Tasks already started (In Progress, Review, or beyond): These tasks remain in the instance and can still be completed. Started work is preserved regardless of template status.

When you reactivate the template, tasks that were removed (those previously in "Not Started" status) reappear in the instance.

Each period can have one or more active checklists. If your organization requires multiple checklist templates, create separate templates in the Administration module and activate them as needed.