The Inspection Setup screen enables you to create inspection forms in Synovia that you publish for your drivers to fill out on the mobile data terminals (MDTs) in their vehicles. A form is made up of items that fit into groups, which together create a template:


  • Template: The overall structure of the inspection, such as Pre-Trip Vehicle Inspection, which will also be the name of the inspection form on the MDT.
     
  • Groups: Categories of inspection items, such as Exterior, Under the Hood, and Tires.
     
  • Items: Specific elements to be checked that may need service or repair, such as Tires Properly Inflated, Hoses Appear Okay, and Fire Extinguisher in Cab.
     

On the MDT, an inspection form will appear as a list of items to check, such as this:
 
 

Navigating the Inspection Setup Screen


You access the inspection forms by clicking  >> Inspection Setup.



These are the options along the top right of the screen, which vary slightly among the three tabs (Templates, Groups, and Items):
 

The Templates tab, which lists all your available inspection forms, is displayed first by default; here is an explanation of its grid icon and column headers:


  • : Opens the Edit Template screen, on which you can change the template's name, vehicle type it publishes to, and groups it contains. (See Editing an Inspection Template.) 
      
  • Name: The name of the inspection form as you want it to appear on the MDTs. 
      
  • Vehicle Type: The type of vehicle the template is set to publish to, such as Truck or Bus. 
      
  • # of Groups: The number of groups of items the form has. 
      
  • # of Items: The total number of items the driver needs to check to complete the entire inspection form. 
      
  • # of Forms: The number of times versions of this inspection form have been published to the MDTs. 
      
  • Last Modified By: The user who last made a change to the template. 
      
  • Last Modified Date: The date and time of that last change. 
      

The Groups tab lists all the groupings of items; think of these as categories of things to check, such as Exterior or Brakes.
 
  
Here is an explanation of its grid icon and column headers:


  • : Opens the Edit Group screen, on which you can modify the group's name or included items. (See Changing a Group's Items or Name.) 
      
  • Name: The name of the category of checklist tasks. 
      
  • # of Templates: The number of inspection templates this group is part of. 
    Note: You can use the same group of items in any number of inspection form templates.
  • # of Items: The number of items to check within the group. 
      
  • Last Modified By: The user who last made a change to the group. 
      
  • Last Modified Date: The date and time of that last change. 
      

The Items tab lists all the individual tasks — each element to check — needed to complete the inspection, such as Oil Level.

 
 
Here is an explanation of its grid icon and column headers:


  • : Opens the Edit Item screen, on which you can change the item's properties, such as its name, description, datatype, and severity. (See Editing an Inspection Item.) 
      
  • Name: A short description of the item that will be used as its label on the inspection form. 
      
  • Datatype: The kind of information the item requires the driver to enter on the form, with these options:
     
    • Date: Opens a calendar picker, in which the driver can select a date.
       
    • Drawing: For use when performing inspections using the Synovia app; this allows the driver to draw with a stylus or finger (such as for a Signature field).
       
    • Number: Allows the driver to enter a numerical value, such as for a Quarts of Oil Added item.
       
    • Odometer: Specifically for entering the vehicle's current odometer reading.
       
    • Pass/Fail: The most common datatype on Synovia inspection forms. This is used to specify if the item is in an acceptable condition (Pass) or not (Fail).
       
    • Text: Enables the driver to enter textual data, such as for a Notes field.
       
  • Severity: Delineates whether the vehicle can be driven if the item is failed by the driver. For example, if a Brake item fails, you would set that as Not Driveable, whereas if a P.A. Radio item fails, you would probably mark it as Driveable.
     
  • Customer Code: An optional field for customers who want to export data from the inspection form to another software platform. For example, if you wanted to export failed items to a third-party maintenance software service, you would add codes such as FH001 for a faulty headlight, and that code would mean something in the other software.
     
  • Show in Device: This will almost always have a value of Yes, which means that the item will be displayed on the MDT as something to check during the inspection. This is set to No only if you want to temporarily disable the item.
     
  • Is Required: Determines whether the item must be completed in order for the driver to be able to submit the inspection form. For example, if a Text datatype field has an Is Required value of Yes, the driver has to fill it out. If an item is optional (such as a Notes field), you would set this to No.
     
  • # of Subitems: Items can have subitems under them — for example, the item could be Tires, and it might have four subitems: Front Right, Front Left, Rear Right, and Rear Left. This column shows how many subitems the item has. 
      
  • # of Templates: The number of inspection templates the item is part of. 
    Note: You can use the same item in any number of groups (and subsequently, in as many inspection form templates as you need).
  • Last Modified By: The user who last made a change to the item. 
      
  • Last Modified Date: The date and time of that last change. 
      

Along the bottom of the screen are icons that enable you to navigate through the pages of data. See Paging Options for an explanation of these.


Before you create an inspection template in Synovia, you should have the inspection form already planned out — or if you are re-creating a paper form, have it handy. Make sure that you know each individual item that needs to be inspected and how those items will be grouped. Then go to Creating an Inspection Template for guidance.