Running audits in a standalone app or in spreadsheet means follow-through is hard to track. Opus Audits solve this by keeping the entire process — scoring, action items, and sign-off — in one place, in the same app your team already uses for training and tasks.
This article explains what Audits are, how to build and facilitate them, and how to resolve issues that come up along the way.
Table of Contents
What Are Audits?
An Audit is a scored inspection used to make sure your operations are meeting your standards. You walk through a list of multiple-choice questions (like "Is the kitchen clean?" or "Are expiration dates current?"). The audit is set up with scoring, so the audit can automatically give you a score based on your answers.
Admins can set a passing score ahead of time (like 80%). If the final score is lower than that, the Audit fails. If any steps have problems, you can assign someone to fix them and then check their work before closing it out.
Common uses include:
Location Audits: when a field leader evaluates how well the store is up to standard. These could be broken into specific store sections or topics.
Store safety walkthroughs: check that equipment, signage, and procedures are up to standard
Food safety and compliance checks: verify that handling, storage, and labeling meet health requirements
How to Build an Audit
Go to the Audits page
From the menu on the left in your dashboard, select "Forms" then "Audits."
Click the blue "+ New Audit" button in the top right corner to start building.
Name and describe your audit
Give your audit a name and a short description so your team knows what it covers.
Add sections
Sections break the audit into organized parts, making it easier for auditors to navigate.
Add verification steps. Click "+ Add Step" and choose from these step types:
Scored multiple-choice: each answer option is assigned a point value (e.g. "Excellent" = 2 pts, "Mediocre" = 1 pt, "Bad" = 0 pts). These steps calculate the overall Audit score.
Text entry: the auditor types a free-form response.
Customize your steps (optional)
Required: Make steps mandatory to answer before submitting.
Triggers are automatic actions based on how a step is answered:
Flag issues: Highlight problems in reporting.
Needs Remediation: Assign corrective to-dos.
Send messages: Notify the right team members.
Notes: Allow or require the auditor to leave a written note.
Photo upload: Allow or require a photo to be attached.
Media or linked content: Attach reference images or link to relevant Courses or Resources from your Library.
Conditional steps: follow-up steps that only appear based on how a previous step was answered (see below).
Set a passing threshold
Set the minimum score needed to pass (e.g. 80%). If the final score falls below this, the audit is marked as failed.
Publish
When your audit is ready, publish it to make it available for your team.
🤝 To let others edit, comment on, or view the Audit in the dashboard builder, click Contributors in the top right corner and assign access. Only Admins and Managers can be added.
Customizing Your Steps
By clicking on the ellipsis (...) in each step, you can add additional options to your steps:
Required: Make steps mandatory to answer before submitting.
Triggers are automatic actions based on how a step is answered:
Flag issues: Highlight problems in reporting.
Needs Remediation: Assign corrective to-dos.
Send messages: Notify the right team members.
Notes: Allow or require the auditor to leave a written note.
Photo or Video upload: Allow or require a photo to be attached.
Media or linked content: Attach reference images or link to relevant Courses or Resources from your Library.
Conditional steps: follow-up steps that only appear based on how a previous step was answered (see below).
📸 Collect photos and videos in Audits: Any step type in an Audit can be set to include photo or video submissions. Your team is taken straight to their camera app, and multiple uploads are supported per step, giving you a complete, timestamped visual record for every item.
Conditional Steps
Conditional steps only appear based on how an auditor answers a previous step. This keeps Audits focused and makes sure auditors only see the steps that apply to their situation.
To add a conditional step:
Open your Audit in the builder on the dashboard.
Click the three-dot menu (...) on any step and select "Add a conditional step."
Set your condition: Choose when the follow-up step should appear.
Choose your follow-up step: create a new one or select an existing step from the dropdown.
Click "Create condition."
Example: If an auditor answers "Does this location have an ice cream machine?" with "Yes," they will see follow-up steps about the machine. If they answer "No," those steps won't appear.
After Publishing
Team Access
Once an Audit is published, your team members need Library access to see and run it. Admins can manage this from Library Access.
Run audits without the extra steps. EnableQR code access to jump straight into the right audit in Opus. Post them in-store to keep audits consistent and easy to access. Head to the Manage tab > Settings > QR accessible = Yes.
Setting a Schedule (Optional)
You can set a recurring schedule for any Audit so your team knows when it needs to be completed.
Open the Audit in the dashboard and go to the "Manage" tab.
Select a frequency: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually.
Select the locations the schedule applies to.
Click "Create Schedule."
Reporting
To view Audit reporting, open the Audit in the dashboard and head to the "Reporting" tab. From here you can switch between three views:
All Submissions: see a complete list of every Audit submission. You can view who submitted it, when it was completed, the score, and any flagged issues. This view is helpful for tracking individual compliance and Audit quality.
Schedule Completion: see how well the Audit is being completed within its scheduled windows. Quickly identify locations that are missing deadlines or completing Audits late.
Summary: get an overview of trends across all submissions. See how frequently each step is flagged, the average answers to questions, and how many responses each step receives — perfect for spotting areas that may need coaching or follow-up.
💡Learn more about Audit reporting here!
Collaborative Audits Completion
Audits can be completed collaboratively, just like Task Lists. Multiple team members can contribute to the same Audit submission. Collaborative Audit completion can be disabled in the Audit settings in the dashboard builder.
How to Run an Audit
Audits can only be completed in the Opus mobile app.
Open the audit and select a location.
Go through each section and fill in your answers.
Submit the audit. Opus calculates your score automatically.
If any steps triggered a "Needs Remediation" flag, you will be prompted to assign a remediation form before finishing the Audit.
Audit Remediation
When a step is flagged during an Audit, the remediation workflow makes sure the problem gets fixed and reviewed before it is closed out.
Step 1: The auditor assigns the fix
When a user submits an Audit with steps that need remediation, Opus prompts them to assign a remediation form.
This form is made up of all the steps that need attention. The auditor can assign it to a team member, and only users at the submitted Audit's location can be selected.
The auditor can set a due date for completion of the remediation, and add any relevant notes.
Step 2: The assignee completes the remediation form
Remediation forms show up on the assignee's home screen in the Opus Training app. The assignee fills out the form, logging what they did to resolve each issue.
Step 3: The auditor reviews and approves
Once the assignee completes remediation for all affected steps, the form returns to the auditor for review in the Opus Training app.
The auditor can approve individual steps if they are resolved, or reject them if more work is needed.
If a step is rejected, the cycle starts over with a new remediation form and continues until the auditor approves all steps.
Once the assignee submits, the form comes back to the auditor for review in the mobile app. The auditor can approve it if the issue is resolved, or reject it if more work is needed. If rejected, the cycle starts over and continues until the auditor approves.
💡 Every step that needs remediation is tracked from start to finish so nothing falls through the cracks. Learn more about Audit remediation here!
FAQ
What is the difference between a Task List and an Audit?
Audits are scored and Task Lists are not. Audits are built for verification and accountability — they score responses, can fail, and have a full remediation workflow to track and resolve issues. Task Lists are better suited for routine operational checklists where you just need to confirm steps are done.
Who can build and publish Audits?
Admins and Managers with Create Content permissions can create and publish audits from the dashboard.
Who can facilitate an Audit?
Any user who has been granted Library Access can facilitate an Audit.
What happens if an Audit fails?
If a submitted Audit score is below the set passing score, the Audit is marked as failed. If a step includes a remediation workflow, it will kick off so issues can be tracked and resolved.
Can a step be included without a point value?
Yes. Text entry steps are not scored and can be used to capture notes or open-ended information.
Where can I see Audit scores and results?
Any user with access to the Audit can see the results in the Opus Training app and the Opus dashboard.
What if a remediation gets rejected more than once?
Each rejection starts a new cycle. The process continues until the auditor approves the fix.
Who can be added as contributors to the dashboard builder?
Only Admins and Managers can be added as individual contributors. Trainees cannot be added. To add someone, you need edit access to the audit yourself. If you're an admin you can invite admins or managers from across the org; if you're a manager you can invite managers at your location.
These permissions are strictly for the dashboard builder/library, not the mobile app. Being added as a contributor lets someone view, comment on, or edit the audit content in the dashboard. It does not affect whether the audit shows up in a user's mobile app for completion — that's still controlled by publishing, assignments, and role/location rules.