Create an Observation with Quick Capture (iOS)

Objective

How to create an observation to send to a responsible party in the Observations tool using the Quick Capture feature on an iOS mobile device.

Things to Consider

• Required User Permissions:
  • 'Standard' or 'Admin' permissions on the project's Observations tool.
    Notes: 'Standard' level users can only assign observations to 'Admin' level users unless the 'Can Assign Standard Users to Observations' granular permission is enabled on their permission templates.
    When sending out notifications for observations, keep the following permissions in mind:
    • If you have 'Standard' level permissions, an email digest for only the observations you created will be sent.
    • If you have 'Admin' level permissions, an email digest for ALL observations will be sent.
• Additional Information:
  • When you create an observation, you will receive email notifications any time another user comments or changes the status of an Observation. 
  • Fields marked as 'required' on a fieldset template are only applicable to the fields available on your mobile device. 
  • Quick Capture does not require an internet connection when you are recording the Quick Capture. You will only need a mobile or Wi-fi network connection in order to create the observation.
  • While recording a video, you can verbally describe what you are seeing and the audio will be transcribed to automatically populate the observation’s Title, Description and Type fields.

Steps

You can perform this action from the Quick Action menu on the app's Dashboard or landing page. Tap the + icon and tap Create Observation. 

1. Navigate to the Observations tool on an iOS mobile device.
2. Tap the create  icon and then tap Quick Capture: Observation.

    Tip

   The in-app user guide will load automatically the first time you use Quick Capture. After this, tap the information  icon to review the in-app user guide again as needed.
3. Select from the list of observation templates or tap + Create Without a Template.
4. Optional: Tap the Location  icon for the observation you want to create with Quick Capture and then tap Save. You can change this selection later if necessary when reviewing the observation.
   Note: Location and Drawing selections persist for all Quick Capture Observations in the session. You can update the Location and Drawing at any time. After you close Quick Capture, Location and Drawing settings reset.
5. Optional: On supported devices, tap the flashlight  icon to turn on your device's flashlight for the duration of your recording.
6. Tap the record observation  button to begin recording the observation.
   Note: Each recording can be a maximum of 60 seconds long.
7. While recording, describe the observation out loud.
8. Tap the record observation   button again to stop recording.
9. Repeat steps 3-7 for each observation you want to create using Quick Capture.
10. When you are done recording observations, tap Review [#].
11. In the Quick Capture Items menu, tap the observation you want to create.
12. Select a Type for the observation.
    Notes:
    • The Type is automatically populated if it's detected in the audio recording.
    • The type will help you filter and report based on the type of observation. It will not have any affect on which fields will appear when creating an observation. See What are the default Observation types used for?
13. Tap into the following fields to enter the relevant information:
    Note: The fields for your observations will reflect the field sets you have configured for each type, including custom fields and changes to required and visible fields. See Create a Project Level Observation Template and Which fields in the observation tool can be configured as required, optional or hidden?
    • Title: The title of the observation.
      Note: The Title of the observation is automatically populated with the item name.
    • ​Camera: Tap to take a new photo to add to the observation.
    • Library: Tap to add photos from your mobile device to the observation
    • Files: Tap to add files from your device to the observation.
    • Status: Set the status of the observation.
      • Initiated: When you create the observation, it will be set to 'Initiated'. This means that the observation has been established in Procore and is awaiting the assignee to respond.
      • Ready for Review: Once the assignee has acted upon the observation (whether by fixing the deficiency, by addressing the safety issue, etc.), they will respond to the observation by changing the status to 'Ready for Review'. This notifies the creator via email that the observation is ready for the creator to review.
      • Not Accepted: Once the creator has reviewed the work, they might mark it as 'Not Accepted'. This means that the creator has deemed the work as not resolved. The observation is put back into the assignee's court. 
      • Closed: Once the creator has reviewed the work, they might mark it as 'Closed'. This means that the creator has deemed the work as resolved and approved and has closed out the item.
    • Assignee: Select the user who will complete the work required from the observation. 
      Note: This user must have 'Standard' or 'Admin' permissions on the Observations tool to respond or be set as an assignee.
    • Distribution: Select the users that you want to notify about the observation.
    • Trade: Select the relevant trade for this observation. It signifies which trade is involved in resolving the observation. Trades are set at the company level admin tab under trade configuration on a computer. See Add or Delete Trades.
      Note: This may be pre-filled from your audio recording.
    • Location: Select the location associated with the observation. To add additional locations to the project, see Add Tiered Locations to a Project.
      Note: You can also set the location when taking the Quick Capture recording.
    • Due Date: Select a date from the calendar for the observation to be due.
      Note: The 'Due Date' field is automatically populated based on the default number of days specified on the Observations tool's Configure Settings page. See Configure Advanced Settings: Observations. The due date also respects which days are set as 'working days' for the project. See Set Project Working Days.
    • Private: Tap the toggle switch to ON, to mark the observation as 'Private'.
    • Hazard: Select a hazard associated with the observation. 
    • Contributing Condition: Select a contributing condition associated with the observation. 
    • Contributing Behaviour: Select a contributing behaviour associated with the observation. 
    • Description: Add a description for the observation detailing relevant information needed to report on or complete the work.
      Note: The description is automatically populated based on audio in the recording.
14. Tap Create.
    Note: Notifications are not automatically sent to the assignee and distribution list members.
15. When you are ready to notify users about the observation, navigate back to the Observations tool.
16. Tap the Send  icon.
    Notes: This will send a notification to members on the observation's distribution list and assignees for all of the observations that have yet to be sent. The 'Date Notified' in this message will be set to the date the notification was sent.
    • When sending out notifications of observations, keep the following permissions in mind:
      • If you have 'Admin' level permissions, an email digest for ALL observations will be sent.
      • If you have 'Standard' level permissions, an email digest for only the observations you created will be sent.

See Also

• What are the default observation types used for?
• How do I disable Quick Capture for iOS?