About this guide
This guide walks a first-time user, click by click, through creating a recurring daily checklist in Washstacks. The example used throughout is an "Opening Checklist" with four opening tasks, but the same flow applies to any daily checklist you build.
By the end of this guide you will be able to:
Navigate from the Dashboard to the Checklists screen.
Fill in every field on the Add New Checklist form (Name, Type, Schedule, Scope, Location, Roles, Notifications).
Add multiple tasks to the checklist using the Tasks editor.
Save the checklist as a draft, or publish it so it appears on the assigned roles' dashboards every day.
Before you begin
Make sure you have the following before starting:
A Washstacks login with permission to manage Checklists (typically Admin, District Manager, or General Manager / Site Manager).
The location you want to assign this checklist to is already set up in Washstacks.
The roles you want to assign (for example, General Manager and Manager) should already exist on your site.
A clear list of the tasks you want included on the checklist (you can also bulk-paste them later).
π‘ Tip: Plan the checklist on paper first. It is much faster to type four already-decided tasks than to invent them in the form.
The example checklist
We will create the following Opening Checklist at a single location:
Field | Value |
Checklist Name | Opening Checklist |
Type | Every Day |
Starting at | 7:00 AM |
Expire after | End of Day |
Scope | Site-specific |
Assigned Location | Cedar Grove |
Assigned Roles | General Manager, Manager |
Completion Notifications | General Manager |
Task 1 | Unlock all building doors |
Task 2 | Turn off alarm |
Task 3 | Power on all computers |
Task 4 | Perform wet down on tunnel equipment |
Substitute your own location, roles, and tasks as needed. The clicks are identical.
Walkthrough
Each step below corresponds to one screen of the workflow. Follow them in order.
Step 1 β Sign in and start at the Dashboard
Sign in to Washstacks at app.washstacks.com. After login you land on the Dashboard. You will see the day-of-week weather strip, "Currently Working", "Upcoming", and "To-Do" panels, plus a Start Something New panel on the right.
Confirm two things at the top of the screen:
The location selector shows the location you intend to manage.
Your initials appear in the avatar at the top right, confirming you are signed into your own account.
Step 2 β Open the Checklists screen
In the dark left navigation rail, click the Operations group to expand it. Then click Checklists. The Checklists screen lists every checklist that already exists at your selected scope.
Once you are on the Checklists screen, look for the +ADD button in the upper right corner of the page. Click it.
π‘ Tip: The blue badges in the Type / Status columns tell you a lot at a glance: PUBLISHED is live, DRAFT is saved but not yet visible to assigned roles.
Step 3 β Open the Add New Checklist form
Clicking +ADD opens the Add New Checklist form. The form starts mostly empty with a few sensible defaults already selected:
Type defaults to Every Day.
Starting at defaults to 12:00 PM.
Expire after defaults to End of Day.
Scope defaults to Site-specific.
Assigned Location defaults to whatever location you currently have selected at the top of the app (Cedar Grove in our example).
The Create button at the bottom is dim/grey because the required fields (Checklist Name and Assigned Roles) have not been filled in yet.
Step 4 β Enter the Checklist Name
Click into the Checklist Name field at the top of the form. Type a short, descriptive name. This is the name that will appear on assigned users' daily to-do list, so make it obvious. For our example, type: Opening Checklist
π‘ Tip: Use the same naming convention across locations β e.g. "Opening Checklist", "Mid-Day Walk", "Closing Checklist". Consistency makes reporting and audits much easier.
Step 5 β Choose the Type and Schedule
Click the Type dropdown. You will see the full list of recurrence options:
Every Hour, Every 2 Hours
Every Day (the default β leave this selected for a daily checklist)
Every Week, Every 2 Weeks
Every Month, Every 3 Months, Every 6 Months, Every Year
Ad hoc (used for one-off checklists triggered manually)
Leave Type set to Every Day for our example. Now set the schedule fields to the right of Type:
Starting at: click the dropdown and choose 7:00 AM (the time the checklist should appear on the assigned users' dashboards each day).
Expire after: leave at End of Day. This means any task not checked off by the end of the operating day will be marked expired and roll up in your reporting.
β οΈ Important: "Starting at" controls visibility, not a deadline. The checklist becomes visible at that time; "Expire after" is what determines when it can no longer be completed.
Step 6 β Set the Scope and Assigned Location
Scope controls who and where this checklist is for. Leave the Scope dropdown set to Site-specific so the checklist applies only to the location you choose next.
Assigned Location should already show the location you had selected at the top of the app. If you need a different site, click the dropdown and pick the correct location.
Step 7 β Assign the Roles
In the Assigned Roles field, click into the input box. Type or select each role that should see this checklist on their dashboard each day:
Click General Manager from the dropdown. A grey chip with an "x" appears in the field.
Click into the field again and select Manager. A second chip appears.
Repeat for any additional roles you want included. To remove a role, click the small "x" inside the chip. Once at least one role is added, the link below the field changes from "Add All" to "Remove All", giving you a quick way to clear every assigned role at once.
β οΈ Important: Only the roles assigned here will be reminded to complete the checklist. Adding the wrong role is the most common reason a checklist "didn't show up" for someone.
Step 8 β Pick Completion Notifications (optional)
The Completion Notifications field is optional. It controls who gets notified when the checklist has been completed for the day or has expired without being completed. In our example, we want the General Manager to be notified either way:
Click into the Completion Notifications field.
Select General Manager from the dropdown.
Leave this field blank if no one needs to be notified β the checklist will still work normally.
Step 9 β Click Create to advance to the Tasks editor
When the form looks right, click the blue Create button at the bottom of the form. This does not yet make your checklist live. It saves the header information and expands the form to reveal a new Tasks section underneath, where you build the actual list of items the user will check off each day.
π‘ Tip: Notice the new Bulk Add button at the top right of the Tasks section. If you already have your tasks in a spreadsheet or document, Bulk Add lets you paste them in all at once instead of adding rows one at a time.
Step 10 β Add the first task
A blank task row is already waiting for you. Click into the Task Name field and type your first task. For our example: Unlock all building doors
To the right of the Task Name field is a Type dropdown that defaults to Checkbox. Leave it as Checkbox β this means the user simply ticks a box to mark the task complete.
The Description field below the task name is Optional. You can leave it blank, or use it to add a short instruction (for example: "Front entrance, side entrance, and bay doors").
Step 11 β Add more tasks using the Add Task link
Below the last task row, click the blue Add Task link. A new empty task row appears beneath the previous one. Type the second task name, then click Add Task again. Repeat until all tasks are entered. For our example, enter the remaining three tasks in this order:
Turn off alarm
Power on all computers
Perform wet down on tunnel equipment
π‘ Tip: Use the small up (Λ) and down (Λ ) arrows on the left edge of each task row to reorder tasks. You can also drag and drop tasks to reorder. Use the blue minus icon on the right to delete a row you no longer need.
Step 12 β Review the completed task list
Scroll up and down through your task list one more time. Confirm:
Every task name reads exactly the way the user should see it (no typos, no abbreviations the user might not recognize).
The order matches the order the user should perform them.
Every task type is set correctly (Checkbox for "did/didn't do it" tasks; other types are available if you need numeric input or photos).
There are no empty task rows. An empty Task Name field will be highlighted in red and will block you from publishing.
Step 13 β Publish the checklist
When everything looks right, click the blue Publish button at the bottom of the form. Publishing makes the checklist live: starting at the next 7:00 AM, every General Manager and Manager assigned to the location will see "Opening Checklist" on their dashboard, and the four tasks will appear under it ready to be checked off.
β οΈ Important: If you click Save as Draft instead of Publish, the checklist is stored under your Checklists list with a grey DRAFT badge but does not appear on anyone's dashboard. Drafts are useful while you are still gathering input from the team.
Step 14 β Confirm the checklist appears as Published
After clicking Publish, Washstacks returns you to the Checklists list. Find your new checklist by name (the list is alphabetical) and confirm:
The TASKS column shows the correct number of tasks (4 for our example).
The TYPE column shows Every Day.
The status badge on the right shows the blue PUBLISHED pill.
Your checklist is now live. The next time the assigned roles open Washstacks at or after 7:00 AM, the Opening Checklist will be waiting for them on their dashboard.
Common questions
I clicked Create but I don't see Tasks. Did I lose my work?
No. The Tasks section appears below the form fields after you click Create. Scroll down on the page; the Save as Draft and Publish buttons are at the very bottom.
I want to assign this checklist to every role at my location.
Use the Add All link directly under the Assigned Roles field. Once roles are added it changes to Remove All, which clears everything you added.
My checklist is published but the team isn't seeing it.
Confirm these things: (1) the assigned roles match what the team members are actually assigned to in Talent; (2) the Assigned Location matches the location they're currently working at; (3) the Starting at time has already passed today β the checklist appears at that hour, not before; (4) the employee has the correct permissions assigned to them for checklists.
How do I edit a checklist after publishing?
On the Checklists list, click the three-dot menu on the right side of the checklist row and choose Edit. You can change task names, add or remove tasks, and adjust roles. Save your changes to push the update live.
How do I duplicate a checklist for another location?
On the Checklists list, click the three-dot menu next to the checklist and choose Copy. The copy lands as a Draft so you can change the Assigned Location, then Publish.
Practice exercise
Complete the following on your own β this is the cleanest way to lock the workflow into memory:
Create a Closing Checklist for your home location, set to Every Day, Starting at 6:00 PM, Expire after End of Day.
Assign it to whichever roles cover end-of-shift duties at your site.
Add at least three real closing tasks (cash drop count, lock doors, set alarm, etc.).
Save it as a Draft first, then go back into the three-dot menu, edit it, and Publish.
Tomorrow morning, ask the team if the checklist appeared on their dashboard at the right time.