Description: Record the work done on an action item, confirm it as an Editor, and put it back to open if the fix didn't hold.
Overview
An action item follows a lifecycle: it is opened during an inspection, closed when the work is done, optionally verified by an Editor as a second pair of eyes, and reopened as needed.
Closing and verifying both end in an electronic signature, so each one is a compliance record rather than a tick. This article covers closing, verifying and reopening. The differences matter, because they have different permissions.
Before You Begin
To close, in ComplianceGo: a role on the site. You don't need to be the inspector who opened the item.
To close, from the notification email: no sign-in needed. The action item notification carries a link straight to the closing form, so anyone who receives that email — or has it forwarded to them — can close the item that way.
To verify: the Editor role on the site, and verification switched on for your organization. Inspectors cannot verify.
To reopen: Editor, Inspector or Backup Inspector on the site — a Viewer cannot — and reopening switched on for your organization. Note this is broader than verifying, which is Editor-only.
Closing is always available. Verifying and reopening are each optional per organization, so if your organization doesn't use them, those options don't appear anywhere.
📝 Verification follows the item's owning organization. On a site shared with an MS4, some items belong to the operator and some to the MS4. Being an Editor for one doesn't let you verify the other's items.
Closing an Action Item
Open the action item — from the inspection it came from, or from Action Items on the site page, which opens All Action Items.
Click Close. The Close Action Item page opens with the item listed under Action Items.
Under Notes, describe the work. The box prompts you with Describe any actions performed. This is the record of the fix.
Under Files, click Add File to upload photos of the completed work.
Under Closing Information, fill in Maintenance Completed By with the name of whoever did the work. This is required.
Set Closed Date. It defaults to today. Optionally click Add Start and End Time and set Start Time and End Time — the end must be after the start, or you'll get The end time must be after the start time.
If your form carries an action item certification statement, it appears above the signature under Electronic Signature Title. The wording is set per form, and many forms have none at all.
Fill in Electronic Signature. If you are signed in, it is prefilled with your name and can't be edited. If you came from the link in a notification email without signing in, it is a required field you fill in yourself. Add your job title in the (Title) field below it.
Switch on I confirm that I signed above, then click Close Action Item.
The button stays disabled until you confirm the statement. While it saves, it reads Closing Action Item...
📝 Some items can't be closed without a photo. If the item was opened with Require Photo On Close switched on, the photo is mandatory, and closing without one tells you Photo Required to close Action Item.
📝 You can't backdate a closure before the item was reported. Closed Date won't go earlier than the date the action item was opened. If it's grayed out entirely, your organization has backdating switched off and the closure is dated today.
💡 On the All Action Items page, use Showing to filter by All, Open, Closed or Verified, and Months to Show to widen the period. It defaults to 12 months, so an older item may be hidden rather than missing.
Closing Several at Once
On All Action Items there's a Multiple Items panel with three switches — Edit, Close and Verify. Flip Close on to enter bulk mode, then pick the items you want. The page title changes to Bulk Close Action Items.
Two things to know:
Items needing a photo are excluded. They're marked Requires photo to close. Not available for bulk closing and must be closed individually.
Every certification statement must be agreed. If the selected items came from different forms with different statements, you have to confirm each. ComplianceGo tells you how many are outstanding.
Verifying a Closed Action Item
Verification is a second pair of eyes: someone closes an item saying the work is done, and an Editor then confirms it.
Open Action Items on the site page to reach All Action Items, then set Showing to Closed. The list shows All by default, so closed items otherwise sit among the open ones.
Open the closed action item and click Verify.
Fill in Electronic Signature, then your job title in the (Title) field.
Switch on I confirm that I signed above, then click Verify Action Item.
📝 A closed-but-unverified item can still count as late. Where an organization has that setting on, an item that has been closed, signed and photographed still counts as outstanding until an Editor verifies it.
Verifying While You Close
If you're the one closing the item and you hold Editor on the site, you don't need two passes. The Close Action Item page offers Also verify these action items — switch it on before you sign and one signature does both.
If you don't see the switch, you don't hold Editor on that site, or verification isn't switched on for your organization.
Verifying Several at Once
On All Action Items, use the Multiple Items panel and flip the Verify switch to enter bulk mode, then pick your items. The page becomes Bulk Verify Action Items.
⚠️ A bulk selection can partly apply. Because verification follows each item's owning organization, a mixed selection shows Will be verified or Won't be verified against each item, with a warning reading Not all action items can be verified. Read those labels before signing — the items marked Won't be verified stay unverified.
Reopening an Action Item
Reopening puts a closed action item back to open. Use it when the work wasn't done, or wasn't done properly.
Open the closed action item and click Reopen.
Write a Reopen Note explaining why. This is required.
Click Reopen, or Reopen and Resend.
💡 With Reopen and Resend, the Reopen Note is sent to the people assigned to the item.
Reopen or Reopen and Resend
Both buttons reopen the item. They differ in whether anyone is notified:
Button | What it does |
Reopen | Puts the item back to open. Nobody is notified. |
Reopen and Resend | Puts it back to open and notifies the people assigned to it. |
Reopen and Resend only appears when somebody is actually assigned to the item.
When Not to Reopen
Reopening ties new work to the original finding and keeps both on one record. Opening a new action item creates a separate record with its own history, due date and reminder cycle.
What Happens Next
After closing:
The item is recorded as closed, with its closed date, and appears on the site's action item list. It also stays visible in the Action Items section on the inspection it came from.
Closing stops the overdue notifications for that item.
If your organization verifies closures, it stays visibly unverified until an Editor signs it off.
After verifying:
The item is recorded as verified, with your signature and the date.
It stops counting as outstanding, if your organization treats unverified items as late.
Verified items can be filtered on All Action Items by setting Showing to Verified.
After reopening:
The item returns to open and appears among the site's open action items again.
It keeps its original priority timeframe, and counts toward due and late against that.
The reopen note is kept on the item, alongside the original closing notes and photos.
With Reopen and Resend, the assigned people are notified.
📝 A reopened item may be immediately late. Reopening an action item maintains its original priority timeframe. If that priority timeframe is passed, it will show as late.
FAQ
Q: I can't close an item — it says a photo is required.
A: The item was opened with Require Photo On Close switched on. Attach a photo under Files, then close it. Items needing a photo also can't be bulk-closed; they have to be done individually.
Q: The Close Action Item button stays grayed out. Why?
A: The certification statement hasn't been confirmed. Switch on I confirm that I signed above. On a bulk close, you have to confirm every statement in the selection.
Q: Closed Date won't go back far enough, or is grayed out entirely.
A: You can't close an item before it was reported, so the picker won't go earlier than the date it was opened. If the field is grayed out completely, your organization has backdating switched off and the closure is dated today.
Q: There's no Verify option anywhere.
A: Verification isn't switched on for your organization. Ask your administrator whether it should be.
Q: There's no Verify on one particular item.
A: Either you're not an Editor on that site, or the item belongs to the other organization on a shared site. Verification follows the item's owning organization, so ask an Editor for that organization.
Q: Can an inspector verify their own work?
A: No. Verification needs the Editor role on the site, and an inspector doesn't hold it by virtue of inspecting.
Q: Some items in a bulk verification weren't verified.
A: They belong to an organization you're not an Editor for. The selection shows Won't be verified against those items before you sign; handle them separately.
Q: A closed item still shows as outstanding on my dashboard.
A: It's closed but not verified, and your organization counts unverified closures as still open. Have an Editor verify it.
Q: I'm told I'm not authorized to reopen action items.
A: The message is You're not authorized to reopen action items. Either reopening isn't enabled for your organization, or you hold Viewer on that site — the only role that can't reopen. Editor, Inspector and Backup Inspector can all reopen, so this is usually the feature rather than your role.
Q: There's no Reopen and Resend button.
A: Nobody is assigned to the item. Assign someone first, or tell them directly after reopening.
Q: I reopened an item and the assigned people didn't know.
A: You used Reopen rather than Reopen and Resend. Reopen it again with Reopen and Resend, or contact them yourself.
Q: A reopened item came back immediately late.
A: Reopening an action item maintains its original priority timeframe. If that priority timeframe is passed, it will show as late. Target Date is a soft date for notification and calendaring; it doesn't decide whether an item is late.
Q: I can't find a closed item.
A: All Action Items shows All items over the last 12 months by default. Set Showing to Closed and widen Months to Show.
Q: I opened an item to close and it says someone already closed it.
A: The message is This action item has already been closed. — somebody got there first. There's nothing to do; reopen it if their fix wasn't good enough.
Related articles
Creating an Action Item
Completing an Inspection
Organization Roles vs Site Roles