Make daily asset checks part of the booking day

A daily check is most useful when it appears for the equipment staff will actually use. Creating an empty form for every asset every day adds work without improving the operational record.

RTObase can mark a check as due when a covered asset has a booking that day. A completed check records the response and evidence. A failed check can also make the asset unavailable until staff return it to service.

The fictional example

Ironbark Driver Training requires a pre-start check for each training truck on days when that truck has a booking. A failed brake, tyre or light check needs a note and photo, and the truck must leave the booking pool until cleared.

The organisation and values are fictional. The asset activity workflow is from RTObase.

Before you start

Open Scheduling → Assets and make sure each asset has a useful name, identifier, current location and type. Decide:

• which assets need the check;
• who completes it;
• which questions are required;
• when a note or photo is needed;
• which response should make the asset unavailable; and
• who can return the asset to service.

This workflow suits vehicles, machines, simulators, training rooms and equipment. The questions should match the resource and the RTO's actual operating procedure.

1. Create a check template

Open Scheduling → Assets → Activity templates and create a Check template.

Add the questions in the order staff should perform them. Use short prompts that produce a clear response. For the fictional truck check, useful fields might include tyre condition, lights, fluid leaks, visible damage and an odometer reading.

Turn on Required daily when the asset is used.

Choose the template coverage:

Use filtered or selected coverage when the register contains different kinds of equipment. A truck pre-start should not appear for a classroom projector.

2. Check the booking-day signal

On a day when a covered asset has a booking, the booking board shows Check due on that asset's lane. After someone completes the activity, it changes to Check done.

The chip is informational. A missing check does not itself block a booking. Use the signal as part of the team's start-of-day process rather than treating it as an automatic safety clearance.

3. Complete the check and attach evidence

Open the asset activity and complete the required responses. Attach a photo or document when the template or result calls for evidence. Private activity evidence can be up to 20 MB.

Each submitted activity keeps a snapshot of the template version used at the time. Updating the template later changes future checks without rewriting the historical record.

4. Handle a failed result

Configure the failed response to require a note or photo when staff need to explain what was found. Mark the activity Unavailable when the asset must not receive bookings.

An unavailable activity with no end date blocks new bookings until someone selects Return to service. If the new unavailable period overlaps an existing session, that session appears under Needs attention for staff to resolve.

Returning the asset early ends the booking block. It does not delete or replace the failed check, note or evidence.

5. Review the history

Use the asset's Activity tab for the operational record and its Audit Log for database changes. Archive a superseded template so it is no longer offered. Existing activities still retain the template wording and answers that applied when submitted.

Review repeated failures by asset and question. A pattern across several checks may point to maintenance, training or replacement work that one isolated response would not reveal.

Adapt the setup to your RTO

A vehicle fleet may use one daily pre-start filtered by vehicle type. A workshop may use separate checks for forklifts, hoists and training bays. A room-based provider may only require checks for specialist simulation equipment.

Avoid one long template for every resource. Separate checks when the questions, responsible staff or failure response differ.

Common mistakes

• Requiring a daily check for assets that are not being used.
• Applying one equipment checklist to unrelated asset types.
• Writing vague questions that do not show what was inspected.
• Assuming Check due automatically blocks delivery.
• Recording a failure without making the asset unavailable when it should leave service.
• Returning an asset to service without recording who made the decision.
• Editing a template and expecting old submitted records to change.

Final check

Book one covered test asset for a future day and confirm that:

1. Check due appears on the correct date and asset lane.
2. An uncovered asset does not receive the same prompt.
3. The completed response and evidence are retained.
4. A failed result can make the asset unavailable.
5. New booking suggestions exclude the unavailable period.
6. Return to service ends the block without removing the history.

This turns the daily check into a useful part of the booking day and keeps the evidence connected to the asset it concerns.