The checklist gets done because the job can't close without it.

A checklist only works if it gets filled in. Paper gets left in the truck; a form in an app gets tapped through at the end of the day from memory. TradesWork forms are built to sit inside the visit: they show up at the stage they belong to, ask only the questions that apply, and, when you say so, the job can't close until they're done with the right photos attached.

Building a form

Forms are built in the office, in a builder with a live preview. You add questions in order, group them with section headers, and set what each one needs.

Conditions keep forms short. "Show only if" points at an earlier question: is, is not, is answered, is more than, is less than. Up to five conditions per question, and all must hold. The furnace safety inspection in the library, for example, only asks for a heat exchanger photo when the tech reports a problem.

Internal questions never show on the customer's copy, which is where notes like "customer declined, pushy about price" belong.

Drafts, versions and why they matter

Editing a form changes a draft. Nothing reaches the field until you publish a new version. Triggers and the customer-visible setting apply as soon as you save; questions change only on publish.

Every submission is tied to the version it was filled on, forever. Change your tune-up checklist in March and the October submissions still show October's questions. Each question has a key that stays the same across versions, so answers line up when you compare jobs over time. When a warranty dispute or an insurance question comes in two years later, you can show exactly what the tech was asked.

Triggers: the right form on the right job

A trigger says which jobs get the form and when. Empty fields mean "any".

1. 1

   Which jobs

   Job types, business units, customer type (residential or commercial), priority (emergency or high), and whether it's a membership visit.

2. 2

   When

   On arrival (shown in the Diagnose stage), before completing (in Wrap up), or on demand, where techs can add it to any job.

3. 3

   How strict

   Required blocks completion. Warning only shows as a reminder that won't stop the tech.

When several triggers match a job, the strongest wins: required beats warning, and an arrival form beats one due before completion, because it's needed sooner.

Photo rules and the photo check

Some proof is better as a photo than a checkbox. Photo rules require a number of tagged photos at a stage of the visit (Diagnose, Work or Wrap up): before, after, data plate, completed install or problem found. A photo question on a form can tag its photos too, so they count toward the rule.

There's also an optional AI photo check. Tag a photo, then ask: does it show what the tag says, and is it too blurry or dark to use? The answer comes back as a one-line note for the tech ("Model and serial are readable"). It's advisory only. The rules count tags, never the AI's opinion, so an AI outage can't stop a job from closing.

In the field

On the phone, forms live inside the guided visit: Arrive, Diagnose, Present options, Work, Wrap up. Each form shows its status (required, recommended, in progress, submitted, or submitted and waiting to sync) and "4 of 6 required answered". If a tech tries to finish with something missing, the app says exactly what: "Can't finish yet. Still needed: …".

Forms download with the day's appointments, so they open in a crawlspace. Drafts and submissions save on the phone and upload when there's signal. The office sees them in the forms list as soon as they sync; a photo still on its way shows as "Photo still uploading from the field" instead of a broken image.

In the office

The Form submissions page lists every checklist and inspection filled in the field, filterable by form, status, date range and job number. Each row shows the job, who submitted it and the version it was filled on. Open one to read the answers with photos inline, or print it with the customer, job summary, address and your company name on the header.

The same submission appears on the job page, so a CSR answering "did the tech check my drain line?" can open the job and read it back while the customer is on the phone. If the form is customer-visible, they can also see it themselves in the job recap on their link, without the internal questions.

Use cases by trade

HVAC. A maintenance checklist on every membership visit, required before completing, customer-visible, with a data-plate photo rule. A furnace safety inspection on arrival for no-heat calls, with a "unit red-tagged" question that asks for the customer's signature when the answer is yes. An AC performance test on demand, internal, for diagnostic readings.

Plumbing. A plumbing inspection on demand that recommends a PRV when static pressure is over 80 psi, with leak photos. A water heater install form before completing, with "gas connections leak-tested" and "venting checked, drafting" as yes/no questions.

Electrical. An electrical safety inspection capturing panel make, service size and hazards found (double taps, scorching, aluminum branch circuits), with a description required when hazards are reported.

Commercial refrigeration. Forms are a good place for the walk-through, but refrigerant amounts belong in the refrigerant log on the equipment record, which is built around EPA's recordkeeping rules for appliances.¹ Use warranty and refrigerant for those, and a form for the rest of the PM.

How it compares with ServiceTitan

ServiceTitan's help center describes two kinds of forms, ones built in ServiceTitan and PDFs designed elsewhere and uploaded, plus smart fields that fill in job details automatically and triggers such as a job changing status.² It also says incomplete required forms block job completion and payment collection.³ TradesWork doesn't take uploaded PDFs or auto-fill fields from the job. It does offer warning-only triggers, required photo rules by stage, and submissions locked to their version.

Setting it up well

1. Copy the starter form closest to your work rather than starting blank.
2. Cut it down. A 40-question tune-up gets tapped through; a 12-question one gets done.
3. Make one form required, on one job type, for two weeks. Then add more.
4. Add a data-plate photo rule on maintenance visits. It feeds the equipment record for free.
5. Turn on "Show to the customer" for maintenance checklists. A visible report makes the membership feel worth renewing.