---
title: "Checklist Framework for Tasks and Work Items | Orangescrum"
description: "Reusable checklist templates that attach to work automatically, with a completion rule that can stop a task closing until the required items are ticked."
canonical: https://www.orangescrum.com/checklists
---

# Checklist Framework for Tasks and Work Items | Orangescrum

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.orangescrum.com/llms.txt).

[Home](/) / [Features](/features) / Checklists

Checklist framework

# Checklists That _Cannot Be Skipped_

Define the steps your process requires once, have them attach to the right work automatically, and stop items being marked complete while required boxes are still unticked.

Available in[Cloud](/pricing "Cloud - included")[Self-Hosted](/self-hosted "Self-Hosted - included")Open Source

[Start Free Trial →](/sign-up?utm_source=website&utm_medium=feature&utm_content=checklists)[Book a Demo](https://calendly.com/orangescrum)

Free forever plan · No credit card required · Set up in minutes

## What is the checklist framework?

The Orangescrum checklist framework is more than a list of ticks on a task. You define checklist groups, such as Acceptance Criteria or Definition of Done, fill them with reusable templates, and map each group to the work item types it applies to. Every new epic, story, task, defect, or test case then arrives with the right steps already on it. A completion rule can then hold an item open until the required boxes are ticked, and every override is recorded with the reason the person gave.

The problem

## Why quality _drifts_

Done means different things

Every reviewer applies their own standard, so the bar moves week to week.

✓ Named groups that appear on every item of that type.

The same steps get retyped

People copy a checklist off an old task and miss half of it.

✓ Templates that attach themselves to new work.

Work closes early

An item is marked complete with the review step still untouched.

✓ A completion rule that refuses the status change.

What you get

## A checklist with _a rule behind it_

Grouped the way the framework is set up: the groups and templates, what happens on the work item, the completion rule, and the reporting behind it.

01Framework

-   ### Grouped, not one flat list
    
    Items sit in named groups such as Acceptance Criteria and Definition of Done, alongside any group you create yourself.
    
-   ### Reusable templates
    
    Save a group of steps once, clone it to make a variant, and manage the lot centrally for the whole organisation.
    
-   ### Attach by itself
    
    Mark a template auto attach and it lands on every new item of the types you pick, so nobody has to remember it.
    
-   ### Ten work item types
    
    Epics, features, stories, tasks, defects, test scenarios, test cases, test defects, projects, and programmes can all carry checklists.
    
-   ### Mark a group required
    
    Say which groups are required for each work item type, which is what the completion rule then enforces.
    
-   ### Preview before you create
    
    See exactly which checklists a new item of a given type will arrive with, before you create it.
    

02Work item

-   ### Tick and track progress
    
    Every group shows how many of its items are done, so the state of the work is visible without opening each group.
    
-   ### Add, edit, and reorder
    
    Change the items on a single work item and drag them into the order the work actually happens. Cloud edition only.
    
-   ### Add or create a group
    
    Pull an existing group onto one item, or create a custom group just for it, if your admin allows it. Cloud edition only.
    
-   ### Rename or hide a group
    
    Rename a group on one item, or suppress one that does not apply, without changing it for everyone else. Cloud edition only.
    
-   ### Give an item an owner
    
    Assign a single checklist item to a person, so a step inside a task has a name against it. Cloud edition only.
    
-   ### Copy a checklist across
    
    Copy a checklist from one item to another rather than retyping the same steps.
    
-   ### AI drafted items
    
    Ask AI to draft acceptance criteria from the item's own title and description, or to review what is already there. Cloud edition only.
    

03Gate

-   ### Three levels to choose from
    
    Per work item type, pick no gate, the Definition of Done group only, or every group marked required.
    
-   ### It says what is missing
    
    The status change is refused and the outstanding items are listed, rather than failing with a vague message.
    
-   ### Who may override it
    
    Overrides can be switched off entirely, limited to the company owner, limited to named roles, or open to anyone with the bypass permission.
    
-   ### A written reason every time
    
    An override always requires a reason, and the reason is stored with the items that were still open.
    
-   ### Who may tick an item
    
    A grant matrix decides which roles can complete checklist items on which work item types.
    

04Reporting

-   ### Compliance seven ways
    
    See how often required checklists were finished, by project, assignee, team, project member, team member, role, or role group.
    
-   ### A full audit trail
    
    Every checklist event is recorded with who did it and when, and Cloud also stores the before and after values.
    
-   ### Retention you set
    
    Keep audit history for anything from 24 to 120 months, with a scheduled job that purges what is past it.
    
-   ### Export the audit
    
    Download the audit trail as CSV when compliance, a customer, or an auditor asks for it.
    
-   ### On the task timeline
    
    Checklist activity appears in the task's own activity feed, next to comments and field changes. Cloud edition only.
    

05Admin

-   ### Eight separate permissions
    
    Create, edit, and delete checklists, create, edit, and delete groups, complete items, and bypass enforcement are all controlled separately.
    

How it works

## How to _set it up_

1

Turn it on

An admin enables the checklist framework for the organisation in settings.

2

Build groups and templates

Create the groups you need and fill them with the steps you repeat.

3

Choose where they attach

Map each group to the work item types it applies to, and mark which are required.

4

Set the completion rule

Pick the level of gate, then decide who may override it and on what condition.

Who it's for

## Checklists for _different kinds of work_

Software teams

A Definition of Done that has to be met before a story can close.

[Learn more →](/agile-project-management)

QA teams

Acceptance criteria carried on test cases and defects, not in a separate document.

[Learn more →](/test-case-management)

Teams using AI assistants

Twenty of the MCP server's tools cover checklists, so a connected AI client can read and tick them.

[Learn more →](/mcp)

Availability

## Which edition includes _what_

Orangescrum runs as managed cloud, self-hosted on your own servers, or as the open-source Community Edition. Here is exactly what each one includes.

Checklists are the one part of Orangescrum where Cloud is ahead of Self-Hosted. Both share the framework, the templates, the completion rule, and the reporting.

| Capability | CloudManaged SaaS | Self-HostedOn-premise / private cloud | Open SourceCommunity Edition |

| Simple checklist on a task | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Checklist groups and reusable templates | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto attach templates by work item type | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Checklists on all ten work item types | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Required groups per work item type | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Preview what a new item will get | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Three level completion rule | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Override policy and mandatory reason | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Who may complete items, by role and type | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Compliance report across seven dimensions | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Audit trail, retention, and CSV export | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Eight checklist permissions | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Completion blocked until required items are done | ✓ | Scrum board only | ✗ |
| Add, edit, and reorder items on a work item | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Add or create a group on a single work item | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Rename or hide a group on one work item | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Assign a checklist item to a person | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Audit trail with before and after values | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Checklist activity on the task timeline | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| AI suggested checklist items | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Checklist tools over the MCP server | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |

Frequently asked questions

## Checklist _FAQ_

### What is a checklist in Orangescrum?

A checklist is a group of small steps carried on a work item, such as acceptance criteria on a story or a Definition of Done on a task. The groups and their items come from templates you define once for the organisation, so the same steps appear on the same kinds of work every time.

### Which kinds of work can carry a checklist?

Ten types: epics, features, stories, tasks, defects, test scenarios, test cases, test defects, projects, and programmes. You map each group to the types it applies to, so a QA checklist can land on test cases without cluttering every task.

### How is a checklist item different from a subtask?

A checklist item is a tick box, not a piece of work. It has no due date, it cannot be time logged, it has no comments of its own, and it never appears on the Kanban board or in your task reports. If a step needs an owner, a date, and tracking, make it a subtask instead. In the Cloud edition a checklist item can be assigned to a person, but it still carries none of the rest.

### Can a checklist stop a task being marked complete?

Yes. An admin sets a rule per work item type: no gate, only the Definition of Done group, or every required group. When the rule is not met the status change is refused and the outstanding items are listed. Cloud applies the gate on every path that closes work, including the task itself, the Kanban board, the Scrum board, and project completion. Self-Hosted applies it on the Scrum board and backlog today, and marks the required groups everywhere else.

### Can someone override the gate?

Only if you allow it. Overrides can be switched off entirely, limited to the company owner, limited to named roles, or open to anyone holding the bypass permission. A written reason is always required, and every override is recorded in the audit trail with that reason and the items that were still open.

### Can I control who ticks an item?

Yes. A grant matrix decides which roles are allowed to complete checklist items on which work item types, so a step that means sign off is only tickable by the people who can sign off.

### Can I reuse a checklist?

Yes. Save it as a template and attach it to any work item. Mark the template auto attach and it lands on every new item of the types you chose. You can clone a template to make a variant, and you can preview exactly what a new item of a given type will arrive with.

### Are templates set up per project or per organisation?

Per organisation. Checklist groups and templates belong to the company, and you control where they land by mapping each group to work item types rather than to individual projects.

### What reporting is there?

A compliance report shows how often required checklists were actually finished, broken down by project, assignee, team, project member, team member, role, or role group. Alongside it, every checklist event is written to an audit trail you can keep for 24 to 120 months, export as CSV, and have purged automatically once it ages out.

### Can AI write the checklist for me?

In the Cloud edition, yes. AI reads the work item's own title and description and proposes acceptance criteria or Definition of Done items. If the group already has items it reviews those instead and points out what is missing or duplicated. Nothing is saved until you confirm which suggestions to keep, and the applied items are tagged as coming from AI. This is a Cloud only feature.

### Which editions include the checklist framework?

Cloud and Self-Hosted both include the groups, templates, auto attach, required groups, completion rules, the override policy, compliance reporting, and the audit trail. Cloud goes further: it applies the completion gate on every path that closes work, lets you add, edit, and reorder items on a single work item, add or create a group on one item, rename or hide a group there, assign checklist items to a person, keeps before and after values in the audit, mirrors checklist activity into the task timeline, offers AI suggestions, and exposes checklists over the MCP server. The open source Community Edition has a simple checklist on a task and none of the framework.

## Make your standard part of the work

The checklist framework is included in Cloud and Self-Hosted. Every plan includes unlimited users.

[Start Free Trial →](/sign-up?utm_source=website&utm_medium=feature&utm_content=checklists_cta)[Book a Demo](https://calendly.com/orangescrum)

## Related capabilities

[Task managementWhere checklists live](/task-management)[Custom status workflowThe statuses a gate protects](/custom-status-workflow)[Test case managementCriteria on tests and defects](/test-case-management)[MCP serverDrive checklists from an AI client](/mcp)