Creating a Question-Based Assessment

Learn how to create Question-Based Assessments (QBAs) and templates

A Question-Based Assessment (QBA) is a review conducted to assess various aspects of an organization's operations using a structured set of questions designed to gather specific information.

Table of contents:

1. Starting from scratch
2. Creating an assessment using a template
3. Creating assessment templates
4. Importing QBA questions and/or answers from any Excel/CSV file

Start with navigating to Audits & assessments and clicking on Create assessment.

Select Questionnaire Based.

Starting from scratch

To create a QBA from scratch, go to the Start from scratch tab.

Fill in the following fields:

1. Name: A unique name for the assessment
2. Authority/Control Set: Select an authority or a control set, whose provisions/controls you can link to the questions; you can change this later, and it is optional depending on the kind of questions you want to ask
3. Respondent: Define whether the respondent for the assessment will be internal or external
4. Product: Assign a product for the assessment. This field is optional and is used for grouping assessments.
5. Assessment style: Risk rated or Weighted score.

Click Create and you are now ready to add questions to the assessment.

Creating an assessment using a template

The purpose of a template is that, once published, it can be used to create more assessments with the pre-populated questions and answers. A use case for this may be a monthly or vendor assessment that has a similar structure but may or may not change slightly.

You can also create a QBA based on a template, a previously-run assessment, or a template added from the 6clicks Content Library.

In the Select from template tab, Find the template or previous assessment that you want to base your QBA on by using the search bar or the filters. Click Next to continue.

With the rest of the fields already pre-filled, you can give the assessment a new Name, and define its Respondent and Product.

Click Create and you are now ready to add questions to the assessment.

Creating assessment templates

To create a new assessment template, simply follow the same steps for creating an assessment.

Once you have completed the necessary details, click Save as template instead of Create.

You are now ready to add questions to the assessment template.

If the template is aimed at an internal audience, you can add user groups as respondents to the questions in the template to save time. The groups will not be notified until the assessment is published.

When you are done, this template can then be used to create assessments. When using a template to create assessments, you can add additional questions and make any edits to tailor each assessment to their target audience, e.g. your third-parties/vendors.

You can also customize an assessment or assessment template with an introduction and end page.

Importing QBA questions and/or answers from any Excel/CSV file

The import assessment functionality in 6clicks aims to streamline the process of importing question-based assessments. By allowing users to import existing assessments, whether received from clients or from external platforms, 6clicks enhances efficiency, accuracy, and user experience. This feature offers the flexibility to utilize previously answered assessment data and integrate external assessments seamlessly into the 6clicks platform.

If you have created an assessment using an Excel spreadsheet that contains either just the questions or both questions and answers, you can easily import these QBA items into 6clicks. The platform allows for the importation of questions and/or answers from any Excel (.xlsx or .csv) file with the Import Assessment functionality in the Audits and Assessments module.

Note:

• No specific template is required
• The import will analyse the column and heading details in your file to automatically detect key information
• A cleaner file, with clear column names and minimal formatting will result in the best import accuracy

Navigate to the Audits and Assessments module. Click Import Assessment.

Select the Import type to choose 'New assessments (questions)' or, if your file contains questions and answers (i.e., a previously filled assessment), choose 'Completed assessment (questions & answers).

Drag and drop the file from your computer as directed or click on Browse files to find and select your .xlsx or .csv file.

Click Import.

Once the file has uploaded, you will be presented with a secondary section which the system will pre-fill but you should review and update this, if necessary. Click Import.

If the file only contained questions, you will be prompted whether or not you would like to import this assessment as a template.

You can review the assessment questions, add attachments, or add an assigned user before submitting the assessment.

If the file contained questions and answers, as noted in the displayed status, the assessment will be set to status 'In Progress' for your review and for you to submit, when applicable.

The import assessment functionality in 6clicks significantly enhances the platform's capabilities, offering users a more efficient, accurate, and seamless assessment experience. By enabling the import of assessments from various sources and formats, 6clicks empowers users to streamline their assessment processes and make informed decisions based on comprehensive assessment data.

For more information on question-based assessments, please see our additional articles on the subject here.