Advanced Checklists

Description

Advanced Checklists is a Redmine plugin that adds checklist management directly to issues. The plugin allows breaking down complex tasks into concrete, verifiable steps, tracking progress, and ensuring quality control.

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Key Features

• Unlimited items in checklists
• One-click editing — quick entry and modification of items
• Reordering items via drag-and-drop
• Full change history for all checklist edits
• Assign performers to each checklist item
• Set deadlines for any checkbox
• Send notifications to the assigned user
• Status support for each checklist item
• Comments under each item for clarifications and discussion
• Flexible checklist templates for repeated processes
• Automatic checklist creation from templates
• Visual progress tracking of checklist completion
• Color-coded statuses for items
• Personal checklists (Visa)

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Intended for

• Development teams — to control quality and verify completion criteria
• Testers — to create test cases and verification checklists
• Project managers — to standardize processes and monitor completion
• Operations teams — for routine procedures and checks

The plugin is ideal for teams that want to improve work quality, standardize processes, and provide transparency by decomposing tasks into verifiable elements.

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Compatibility

Redmine: 5.0 - 6.0

Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge

Databases: MySQL 5.7, MySQL 8.0, PostgreSQL 14–16, SQLite

Plugins: redmine_kanban, advanced_workflow, advanced_charts, appearance_custom, module_manager, periodic_reminder, user_group_editor, queries_perfect, selectbox_autocompiler, cost_calculator.

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Installation and Update

1. Remove the old plugin version from Redmine if it exists:

cd redmine/plugins
rm -r redmine_advanced_checklists

2. Copy the new redmine_advanced_checklists plugin folder into redmine/plugins/.
3. Run migrations from the Redmine root folder:

bundle exec rake redmine:plugins:migrate RAILS_ENV=production NAME=redmine_advanced_checklists

4. Stop and start Redmine. (On some Redmine installations — for example, Docker — it is important to stop and then start the server rather than performing a restart.)

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Removal

1. Run the uninstall migration from Redmine root:

bundle exec rake redmine:plugins:migrate RAILS_ENV=production NAME=redmine_advanced_checklist VERSION=0

2. Remove the plugin folder from redmine/plugins/:

rm -r redmine_advanced_checklist

3. Stop and start Redmine.

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Configuration

1. Configure user roles at Administration → Roles and permissions.
2. Enable the Checklists module for projects in project settings.
3. Check and adjust plugin settings at Administration → Modules → Advanced Checklists or Administration → Checklists.

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Administration

Modules section

You can access plugin settings in two ways:

1. Administration → Modules → Advanced Checklists
2. Administration → Checklists

"General" tab

Here you can configure parameters for your use case: templates, categories, and statuses.

"Checklist Templates" tab

Go to the Checklist Templates tab to create and configure templates.

Main parameters

• Template name — a clear name for identification
• Category — group templates by topic or department
• Template type — defines scope of application
• Project — bind to a specific project (optional)
• Tracker — assign to specific issue types (optional)

After setting the main parameters, fill the template:

• Add items in the desired order
• Write clear, verifiable checklist items
• Mark items as required when needed

"Checklist Template Categories" tab

In this section you can create and manage categories for grouping templates.

"Checklist Statuses" tab

Creating statuses

• Configure color palette according to your project needs
• If a status has "Checklist item completed?" enabled, then setting this status marks the item as completed automatically
• When an item is completed, the first status from the "Checklist item completed?" list is applied

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Roles and permissions section

To manage access rights for checklists, enable the necessary permissions in the Checklists section.

Available permissions include:

• View checklists
• Edit checklists
• Manage global checklist templates
• Manage project checklist templates
• Manage global personal checklist templates
• Manage project personal checklist templates
• Edit any personal checklist

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Project Settings

"Checklists" tab

On this tab you can configure:

• Project checklist templates
• Automatic checklist creation rules
• Categories and statuses for checklist items

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Usage

Adding checklists to issues

Checklists are attached directly to Redmine issues. To start using checklists:

1. Open the issue view.
2. Locate the Checklist field.
3. Start typing the first item, or use "Add from template" to apply an existing template.

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Advanced capabilities

1. Unlimited items. Create detailed checklists of any complexity.

2. Flexible structure:

   • Drag handle next to each item
   • Instant save of the new order

3. Visual progress tracking:

   • Progress bar for quick status overview

4. Inline editing of titles:

   1. Click the checklist or item title — the text becomes editable.
   2. Make changes and click Save to apply, or Cancel to discard.
   3. Changes apply immediately without reloading the page.

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Comment system

• Leave detailed comments under each checklist item
• Add clarifications, instructions, or additional requirements
• Comment history is retained for auditing

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Full change history

Track all modifications with detailed auditing. The system records:

• Who changed each item and when
• Status changes of completion
• Adjustments to deadlines and assignees

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Deadlines for any checkbox

Assign individual due dates to checklist items. The system provides:

• A date picker calendar
• Reminders for approaching deadlines
• Visual highlighting of overdue items

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Assigning performers

Assigning a performer for the whole checklist

• Select one user responsible for the entire checklist — suitable for small tasks or single ownership.

Assigning performers per item

• Assign different users to individual checklist items
• Distribute workload among team members
• Clear division of responsibility for complex tasks

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Quick addition from a template

1. Open the issue in Redmine.
2. Find the checklist section and click "Add from template".
3. Choose a suitable template from the available list.

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Personal checklists (Visa)

Personal checklists are checklists editable by a limited set of users:

Who can edit personal checklists:

• Checklist author — the user who created the checklist, including items added by other users
• Issue assignee — the user assigned to the issue
• Users with the "Edit any personal checklists" role permission

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Visual status management

• Apply color-coded statuses to each checklist item
• Quick visual identification of completion states
• Flexible labeling system, e.g.: Done, In Progress, Not Started, Needs Review

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Automatic creation

Automatic checklist creation can be configured in Project → Settings → Checklists or Administration → Modules → Advanced Checklists.

Automatic addition when an issue moves to a certain status:

• Example: Add the "ToDo" checklist when the status becomes "To do".

Project and tracker fields will be populated according to the checklist template.

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Checklist item reminders

The "Send reminder" feature sends a personal email notification to the user assigned to a specific checklist item. It helps to draw the assignee's attention to unfinished work and reduce resolution time.

Reminder for a single item

To send a reminder for one item:

1. Find the target item in the issue checklist.
2. In the item's menu (three dots ⋮) choose "Send reminder".
3. The assigned user will receive an email notification immediately. A toast notification confirms successful sending.

This is available when an item has a specific user assigned (not a group).

Reminder for the whole checklist

If a checklist contains multiple items, you can send reminders for multiple items at once.

1. In the checklist menu (top panel) click "Send reminder" (located below the "Assigned" button).
2. A popup will list recipients and the items for which reminders were sent.

Important: In this mode, emails are sent only for items that meet activity conditions (not completed and assigned to a user).

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I allow non-admin users to view and manage checklists?

If non-admin users cannot see or edit checklists on issues, grant them the appropriate permissions.

To configure permissions:

1. Go to Administration.
2. Click Roles and permissions.
3. Select the role you want to modify.
4. Find the Checklists section.
5. Enable the checkboxes for required permissions:
   • View checklists — to display checklists on issues
   • Edit checklists — to manage checklist items
   • Create checklists — to add new checklists
   • Mark as completed — to change item completion status
6. Click Save to apply changes.