Overview
The Critical for operation (criticality) setting links a Checklist's completion to whether a Location shows as Ready for operation (green) or Not ready (red) on the dashboard. Choosing the right mode makes readiness a trustworthy signal — so essential safety and operational checks gate operation, while routine ones don't create false alarms.
Users must be Super Users, a Schedule Owner, or have the following Role to set criticality:
Schedules: Create or Modify
Why this matters: A red Location should mean "don't operate yet." If everything is marked critical, red loses meaning; if nothing is, you lose the safety gate. Matching the mode to the check keeps the dashboard honest. This is one of the Schedule compliance settings.
Always
The Location turns red as soon as the scheduled Checklist becomes active, and stays red until every Always Checklist is completed and submitted — then returns to green if nothing else critical is pending.
Best practice: Use for pre-opening safety and operational checks that must be done before the Location runs — daily equipment inspections, opening safety checks.
When overdue
The Location stays green through the scheduled time and a configured grace period, turning red only if the grace period ends without completion. (Enable Allow Grace Period in the Schedule.)
Best practice: Use for tasks that can briefly wait without immediate safety risk — secondary equipment checks, for example.
When missing
The Location stays green for the whole scheduled period and turns red only if the Checklist is still incomplete at the deadline (when the Result goes Missing).
Best practice: Use for periodic tasks that must happen regularly but not the moment they're due — weekly/monthly inspections, periodic audits.
Heads-up: If a Schedule has both Ignore missing results enabled and criticality set to When missing, the Location's status is unaffected — it won't turn red even if the Checklist isn't completed.
Quick comparison
Mode | Location turns red | Ideal for |
Always | Immediately on activation, until complete | Essential daily / operational checks |
When overdue | After the grace period, if incomplete | Tasks with an allowable delay |
When missing | After the scheduled end, if missing | Regular periodic compliance tasks |
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I change criticality after applying it?
A: Yes — changes take effect immediately and apply to future schedule slots.
Q: What happens if an "Always" critical Checklist isn't completed?
A: The Location stays Not ready (red) and operationally restricted until the Checklist is completed and submitted, or the related Missing Result is mitigated.
Q: Does criticality require validation?
A: No — criticality drives readiness, not approval. Pair it with a validation setting if you also need a Reviewer to sign off. See Schedule compliance settings.