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How To Use Checklists in WorkZen

All plansBeginnerVideo, 2:13Updated August 7, 2026

Create a checklist template under Checklists (or generate one with AI), then attach it to a job from the job's Checklists section. Your team checks items off on site, and a checklist marked as mandatory must be completed before the job can be closed.

Skipped steps create callbacks, and callbacks eat profit. Checklists lock in your standard procedure for every kind of work, so the right thing gets done the same way every time, by everyone, with proof attached.

Checklists in WorkZen are templates: you build one per procedure ("Furnace maintenance", "Post-install cleanup"), then attach it to any number of jobs. Each job gets its own copy, so checking items off or tweaking steps on one job never affects the template or any other job.

Build a checklist template

  1. Go to Checklists and click New Checklist.
  2. Name it, and optionally add a description so your team knows what it's for.
  3. Click Add Item for each step. Give it a name and, if useful, a description.
  4. Drag items to reorder them.
  5. Click Create Checklist.

Each item has two switches worth knowing:

SettingWhat it does
Required step vs Optional stepRequired items are marked with an asterisk and count toward mandatory completion
Require attachmentThe item needs a file to be considered done, for example "attach a photo of the installed unit". You can describe exactly what to attach.
Tip

Require attachment is the callback killer. "Photo of the finished work" as a required step means the proof exists before the truck leaves the driveway.

Generate one with AI

At the top of the create page, the AI bar offers Try AI Assistant. Describe the task, for example "Create a checklist for HVAC maintenance inspection", click Generate Checklist, and a complete checklist with items appears in the editor. Edit it like anything hand-made; it's a starting point, not a commitment.

Plan availability

The AI Checklist Assistant requires the ZenAI plan. Building checklists manually works on every plan, within your plan's template limit: 3 templates on Zen (free), 10 on ZenGrow, unlimited on ZenAI.

Attach it to a job

  1. Open the job and find the Checklists section.
  2. Click Attach a checklist and pick a template.
  3. Decide whether to Mark as mandatory, then click Attach.

The template's items are copied onto the job. Removing an attached checklist removes only the job's copy; the template is untouched.

Mandatory checklists: the completion gate

A checklist attached as mandatory is a contract: the job cannot be completed while its items are unfinished. WorkZen enforces this on the server, not just in the interface, so there is no way around it from any device.

When someone tries to complete a job with an incomplete mandatory checklist, the Complete Job flow shows a preflight warning with a count of unfinished checklists and a shortcut straight to the job's Checklists tab.

Completing checklists in the field

Your team opens the job on web or in the mobile app, ticks items off as the work happens, and attaches photos where an item requires one. Progress is visible on the job in real time, so a dispatcher can see "7 of 9 done" without calling anyone.

Checking items off requires the Complete Checklists permission (technicians have it by default). Creating and editing templates requires Manage Checklists.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Create a template

    Go to Checklists, click New Checklist, name it, and add your items. Mark steps as required or optional, and add attachment requirements where you need proof.

  2. 2

    Attach it to a job

    On the job's Checklists section, click Attach a checklist, pick the template, and decide whether to mark it as mandatory.

  3. 3

    Complete it on site

    Your team checks off items from the job on web or mobile as the work gets done, attaching photos where required.

See it in action

Frequently Asked Questions

The free Zen plan includes 3 templates, ZenGrow includes 10, and ZenAI is unlimited. When you hit your plan's limit, the New Checklist flow tells you and offers an upgrade.
AI checklist generation requires the ZenAI plan. Building checklists by hand works on every plan.
No. Attaching copies the template's items onto the job, so per-job edits never touch the template, and template edits never rewrite checklists already attached to jobs.
The job cannot be completed while a mandatory checklist has unfinished items. The Complete Job flow warns you and links straight to the job's checklists.
Creating, editing, and attaching checklists requires the Manage Checklists permission. Checking items off requires Complete Checklists, which technicians have by default.

This article answers:

  • How do I add a checklist to a job?
  • Can WorkZen generate checklists with AI?
  • How do I require a photo on a checklist step?
  • How many checklists can I create on my plan?
  • Why can't I complete my job?

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