Overview
Compliance settings govern how a Schedule's Results are approved and how a Location's readiness is affected. They let you automate approvals, flag Results that don't meet defined conditions, and signal when a Location isn't ready to operate. This article explains each setting — what it does and doesn't do — and which ones are available on each Schedule type.
Users must be Super Users, be listed as an Owner on a Schedule, or have the following Role to manage a Schedule's compliance settings:
Schedules: Create or Modify
Why this matters: Not every check carries the same risk. Compliance settings let you apply the right level of oversight per Schedule — auto-approve routine checks, hold critical ones for a Reviewer, and tie safety-critical checks to a Location's operational status — instead of treating every Result the same.
The compliance settings
Allow early start (AES)
Lets Assignees start a planned Checklist up to 28 days before its defined start date, if certain conditions are met.
All of the following must be true for an early start:
The Schedule has Allow early start enabled.
Any previous slot is both completed and past its defined end time — e.g. if today's slot ran 7am–7pm and is done, the next slot can start from 7:01pm.
The next slot falls within the next 28 days.
The Assignee uses the Calendar tile in the mobile app and selects the next slot's date.
Critical: Don't use Allow early start for checks marked Critical for operation, or where a Checklist must be completed within its defined start and end times.
Ignore missing results (IM)
By default, a Calendar or Ad-hoc slot not completed in time produces a Result in the Missing Results section for someone to handle. Ignore missing results stops missed slots from being logged as missing — useful when testing a Schedule or for non-critical Checklists.
Critical: Don't use Ignore missing results on Schedules that are Critical for operation — there'll be no log of non-completed Results, and no way to approve or reschedule them.
Requires validation (RV)
Moves your Checklist program into a review step. With no compliance settings, a Result is automatically Preapproved. Turning on Requires validation sends every completed Result to Awaiting validation, to be validated by the Schedule's Reviewers, a Super User, or anyone with permission to validate a Result.
Note: Requires validation sends all Results to validation regardless of other settings. Use the conditional settings below instead if you only want to validate Results that meet specific conditions.
Requires correct GPS location (GPS)
Uses a Location's pinpoint and radius to check whether the Assignee is answering within range. Assignees outside the radius get a warning before entering the Checklist; they're still allowed in, and are prompted to give a reason. Out-of-bounds Results are flagged for validation.
Note: GPS accuracy depends on the Assignee's device. On the Results Maps view, a colored radius shows the system's confidence: green (high, 0–15 m), yellow (moderate, 15–50 m), red (low, over 50 m). Treat low-confidence markers with caution.
Requires maximum score (SBM)
Flags any Result scoring below 100% as Awaiting validation.
Note: The Checklist must use scoring. A Checklist without scoring is marked N/A and won't trigger this condition — for example, an element scoring 1 for OK and 0 for NOT OK.
Requires minimum answer duration (MD)
Define a minimum time, per Schedule, that a Checklist should take. Any Result completed faster is flagged as Awaiting validation — e.g. a 30-minute minimum flags anything finished in under 30 minutes.
Note: Duration is the difference between the Result's Started and Answered times. The Received time isn't used — it usually matches Answered but can differ with device signal strength.
Requires specific competencies (RC)
Uses competencies as a precondition for a Checklist. It offers two levels of control:
Allow Assignees without an active Certification for the required competencies to complete the Checklist, but mark the Result Awaiting validation.
Restrict access entirely to Assignees with active Certifications for the required competencies.
Best practice: When you allow uncertified Assignees through, the system prompts them for a reason, which is saved on the Result — useful context for the Reviewer.
Requires timely answers (DUE)
Flags any Result submitted after the slot's defined end time as Awaiting validation.
Note: The defined end time doesn't include the grace period — a Result that arrives between the end time and the end of the grace period is still flagged.
Require validation on rule deviation (RD)
Flags any Result where a Water Quality reading falls outside the acceptable range defined in its ruleset, sending it to Awaiting validation. This is the link between the Water Quality module and the validation workflow.
Note: Only Checklists with a Water Quality Question linked to a ruleset can deviate. See Understanding validation warnings and failures.
Critical for operation (CFO)
Ties a Checklist's completion to a Location's readiness status on the dashboard. While the condition isn't met, the Location shows Not ready for operation (red); once met, it shows Ready for operation (green). CFO affects dashboard readiness — it doesn't require approval unless combined with a validation setting. It has three modes:
Always — the Location stays Not ready for the whole active slot until the Checklist is completed with all preconditions met. In opening/closing workflows, completing the opening Checklist turns it green; it reverts to red when the closing slot begins.
When overdue — the Location stays Ready until the Checklist becomes overdue (past its grace period), then turns Not ready until completed.
When missing — the Location stays Ready until the Result goes Missing, then turns Not ready until the Missing Result is approved or rescheduled.
Readiness by mode, for a single pending Checklist with nothing else affecting the Location:
Mode | Before slot | Slot started | Slot ended / grace | Grace ended |
Always | No status | Not ready | Not ready | Not ready |
When overdue | No status | Ready | Not ready | Not ready |
When missing | No status | Ready | Ready | Not ready |
Choosing a mode that fits the check keeps readiness meaningful. Some rules of thumb:
Checklist | Always | When overdue | When missing |
Daily pre-opening maintenance | Best practice | Not recommended | Not recommended |
Weekly lubrication | Not recommended | Best practice | Best practice |
Weekly, non-critical painting | Not recommended | Not recommended | Not recommended |
Heads-up: These are starting points — tailor CFO modes to your operation. The Always mode in particular drives visible red/green dashboard states, so a misaligned choice can muddy operational clarity.
Availability by schedule type
Each setting can be toggled on the Schedule types shown below. Validation triggers work on all three; the time- and operations-based settings don't apply to Continuous schedules.
Setting | Calendar | Continuous | Ad-hoc |
Allow early start (AES) | Yes | No | Yes |
Ignore missing results (IM) | Yes | No | Yes |
Requires validation (RV) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Requires correct GPS location (GPS) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Requires maximum score (SBM) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Requires minimum answer duration (MD) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Requires specific competencies (RC) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Requires timely answers (DUE) | Yes | No | Yes |
Require validation on rule deviation (RD) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Critical for operation (CFO) | Yes | No | Yes |
Frequently asked questions
Q: Why does my Continuous schedule show fewer options?
A: Continuous schedules don't have defined start/end times or slots, so the time- and operations-based settings (AES, IM, DUE, CFO) don't apply. The validation triggers all still work.
Q: Can I combine settings?
A: Yes. Conditional triggers stack — a Result is flagged if it meets any of them. Requires validation overrides the rest by sending every Result to validation.
Q: How do I apply settings to many schedules at once?
A: Select multiple Schedules, click Edit, and choose Bulk Change Compliance Settings. See Configure deviations to trigger result validations.