Questionnaires in OnBoard are designed to handle complex, sensitive governance forms, such as detailed Directors’ and Officers’ (D&O) questionnaires, conflict of interest forms, and disclosure questionnaires.

The Questionnaire tool is built inside OnBoard’s Actions area and supports:

• Pre‑filled answers for respondents
• eSignature capture
• Progress tracking and reminders
• Exportable, auditable results

Creating New Questionnaires

How Do I Navigate to Questionnaires?

1. Log in to OnBoard.
2. In the left navigation menu, click Actions.
3. At the top‑right corner of the Actions page, click Create New.

How Do I Choose the Questionnaire Action Type?

1. In the creation panel, select Questionnaire.
2. Click Create Questionnaire.

Setting Questionnaire Details

You can configure the basic Questionnaire details in the Details panel.

Basic Information

Fill in the following fields:

• Title: The name of your Questionnaire (for example, “2025 Director & Officer Questionnaire”).
• Due Date: The date you would like respondents to complete the Questionnaire by.
• Description & Instructions: Any instructions or context for your respondents (for example, legal definitions, how to report conflicts, or who to contact with questions).

How do I add eSignatures and Attachments to Questionnaires?

You can also configure:

• eSignature options: Enable electronic signature capture if you need respondents to sign when submitting their Questionnaire.
• Supporting documentation: Use the upload box at the bottom of the panel to attach any supporting documents. 
  • This is especially helpful for complex D&O questionnaires that include definitions, schedules, or reference documents.
  • Supporting documents can also be added to individual questions.

Managing Questionnaire Permissions

How Do I Manage Questionnaire Permissions?

Permissions determine who can administer and who can answer the Questionnaire.

How Do I Open the Permissions Panel?

1. Scroll down to the Permissions panel.
2. Select Manage.

How Do I Use Groups to Add Participants?

Using Groups to assign Questionnaire permissions is a best practice. Adding Groups instead of individual users makes setup faster and keeps access in sync as people join or leave those Groups.

 

To add a Group:

1. After selecting Manage, select the Groups tab.
2. Find the Group you want to include and click the + icon next to its name.
3. Choose the appropriate permission level for the Group (for example, Respondent), then click Save.

If you need to remove a specific person from a Group’s access, set that individual user’s permission to Exclude.

How Do I Add Individual Participants?

1. Find the members or groups you want to include.
2. Click the + icon to the right of a user or group to add them.
   • This gives them the Respondent permission by default, meaning they can participate in answering the questions in this Questionnaire.

How Do I Adjust Individual Permissions?

1. If a user needs different permissions, click the blue Respondent permission label next to their name.
2. Choose another permission from the list.
3. Click Save when you’re finished making changes.

What are the Different Permission Types for Questionnaires?

• Admin
  • Can change the Questionnaire’s details, questions, permissions, and lifecycle status (Draft/Open/Closed).
  • Cannot answer the Questionnaire questions.
• Respondent
  • Can open the Questionnaire and answer the questions.
  • Cannot change questions, permissions, or status.
• Admin & Respondent
  • Can both manage the Questionnaire and participate in answering questions.
• Exclude
  • Used only when working with Groups.
  • If a group is given access to this Questionnaire, you can set individual members to Exclude to remove their access, even though they are part of the group.

Creating Questionnaire Questions

How Do I Create Questionnaire Questions?

The lower panel of the Questionnaire screen is used to:

• Create and organize questions
• Later, participate in answering (if you are also a Respondent)
• Monitor completion status

How Do I Open the Question Builder?

1. In the lower panel, locate the blue Create Questions button.
2. Click Create Questions.

You’ll now see the interface where you build your Questionnaire.

How Do I Add and Organize Questions?

Within the Question Builder we'll get several options for adding content:

• + Add New Question: create and add new questions to your Questionnaire.
• Move Up/Down buttons: move questions up or down and reorganize the list.
• Delete: remove questions you no longer need.

How Do I Configure Individual Questions?

When you add a new question:

1. A side panel appears on the right.
2. In this panel, configure the details of your question:
   • Question Type – Choose the type of question you want to ask (see the next section for full list).
   • Question Prompt – The actual question you want to ask.
   • Configure Responses – For choice‑based questions, enter the possible response options.

Additional options:

• Require this question – Mark the question as required. Respondents must answer required questions before they can submit their Questionnaire.
• Allow write‑in responses – For many choice types, you can allow respondents to add their own answer in addition to the listed options.

When finished, click Save Changes for that question.

Creating Question Types

What Question Types Can I Create?

Questionnaires support six question types. Use this guide to pick the right one for each disclosure or governance item:

1. True/False
   • Use this when you want a simple, binary confirmation where the respondent must choose True or False.
   • Example: “I have reviewed the organization’s Code of Conduct within the last 12 months.”
2. Yes/No
   • Use this when you want a straightforward Yes or No answer to confirm whether something applies.
   • Example: “Do you currently serve on any other corporate boards?”
3. Radio Buttons (single‑answer multiple choice)
   • Use this when you want respondents to pick only one option from a list of choices.
   • Example: “What is your director status?” with options like “Independent”, “Non‑Independent”, “Executive”.
4. Checkboxes (multi‑answer multiple choice)
   • Use this when more than one option may be correct and respondents should be able to select multiple choices.
   • Example: “Select all types of related‑party transactions you engaged in this year.”
5. Text Response
   • Use this when you need a written, free‑form answer in the respondent’s own words.
   • Best for explanations, details, or descriptions that don’t fit neatly into predefined choices.
   • Example: “Please describe the nature of your outside business interest.”
6. Table
   • What it is: A structured, grid‑style question where respondents can add multiple rows under defined column headers (for example: “Company Name”, “Role”, “Start Date”, “Ownership %”).
   • Why tables are used in D&O‑type questionnaires:
     • Table questions are specifically designed to capture repeatable, structured disclosures, where a director or officer may need to report multiple items of the same type in a consistent format (for example, multiple board seats, multiple security holdings, or multiple related‑party transactions).
     • Tables allow respondents to add as many rows as needed while keeping disclosure data organized under consistent columns, which makes review, comparison, and year‑over‑year tracking significantly easier.

For respondents, table questions work by entering data in the first row and clicking Add Row to add additional items as needed.

Prefilling Respondent Answers

How Do I Prefill Respondent Answers?

Prefilling can make complex directors’ and officers’ style questionnaires much easier for respondents by carrying forward known information (for example, prior disclosures or background data).

How Do I Prefill Answers for a Specific Respondent?

1. Confirm the Questionnaire is still in Draft mode.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the Questionnaire details page to see the list of respondents and their Status column.
3. Click the three‑dot (context) menu next to any person whose answers you want to prefill.
4. Open their Questionnaire and enter answers on their behalf.

When the Questionnaire is later opened:

• Each user will see their prefilled answers.
• They can overwrite any prefilled answer before submitting their response.

How Do I Prefill Answers When Duplicating Questionnaires?

When duplicating a Questionnaire:

• Respondents’ existing answers are copied into the duplicated Questionnaire as prefilled answers.
• While the new Questionnaire is in Draft, Admins can edit these answers as needed.

You’ll learn more about duplicating in the Duplicating a Previous Questionnaire section below.

Opening Questionnaires to Respondents

How Do I Open the Questionnaire for Responses?

After you’ve:

• Created all questions
• Configured permissions
• Set any prefilled answers

…it’s time to open the Questionnaire so respondents can begin.

How Do I Change Status to Open?

1. At the top of the Questionnaire page, locate the Status dropdown menu.
2. Change the status from Draft to Open.

How Do I Confirm Opening and Customize Alerts?

1. A prompt will appear asking you to confirm that you want to make the Questionnaire live. Opening cannot be undone (you can close it later, but not revert to Draft).
2. Confirm that you want to Open the Questionnaire.

3. During this process, you’ll have the option to customize an alert message that is sent to Questionnaire participants.
   • Use this message to highlight due dates, special instructions, or compliance notes.

Monitoring and Reviewing Responses

Once the Questionnaire is Open, Admins can monitor participation and review submissions from the details screen.

How Do I Understanding Status Indicators?

Near the bottom of the Questionnaire details screen, you’ll see each participant’s progress:

• In Progress – The user has started answering questions but has not clicked Submit. This will also show if the Admin has pre-filled answers for the Respondent. 
• Submitted – The user has completed and submitted their answers; they are ready for review.
• Reviewed – An Admin has reviewed the submission.

How Do I Mark Submissions as Reviewed or Returning to In Progress?

Using the three‑dot (context) menu next to any user who has submitted:

• Mark their answers as Reviewed after you’ve examined them.
• Or return their submission to In Progress, which allows the respondent to make changes and resubmit.

Sending Questionnaire Reminders

You can send Questionnaire reminders to help ensure everyone completes their Questionnaire on time.

How Do I Send Questionnaire Reminders to Individuals?

Reminders can be sent to individual respondents only when they are in the In Progress status.

• Select the three-dotted menu next to a Respondent.

How Do I Send Questionnaire Reminders to Multiple Respondents?

1. In the top Questionnaire status panel, click Send Reminder.

2. Choose who should receive the reminder:
   • All participants, or
   • Only those who have not yet submitted their answers
3. Optionally choose whether to send the reminder to respondents only and include a custom message.
4. Send the reminder.

Answering Questionnaire Questions

How Do I Answer Questionnaire Questions?

Anyone with Respondent permission can see and complete the Questionnaire.

Where Do Respondents Find Their Questionnaires?

Respondents can access Questionnaires in several ways:

A. From the Home page (Awaiting Response panel)

1. Go to the Home page (web or mobile app).
2. Find the Awaiting Response panel.
3. Select the Questionnaire you want to open.

B. From email notifications

1. Open the notification email for a new Questionnaire.
2. Click View Questionnaire.
3. Sign in to OnBoard if prompted; you’ll be taken directly to the Questionnaire.

C. From the Actions page

1. Click Actions in the left navigation.
2. Look under Awaiting Your Response to see actions (including Questionnaires) that need attention.
3. Or use the Filter and select Questionnaires to show only Questionnaire items.
4. Click the Questionnaire you need to complete.

How Do Respondents Answer the Questionnaire?

Once the Questionnaire is open:

1. Click Start Questionnaire or Continue Questionnaire.
2. Open each question and review any pre‑filled answers added by an Admin.
3. Update or complete answers as needed.
4. Continue through all required questions.

Respondents do not have to answer every question in one session. They can leave the page and return later to continue while their status remains In Progress.

When ready to submit:

1. Review all responses.
2. Click Submit Response to send in the completed answers.

After submitting, respondents can use Download Responses to save a PDF copy of everything they entered, even after the Questionnaire is closed (from the Closed Actions section).

Closing a Questionnaire

You can close a Questionnaire when you no longer want to accept responses.

How Do I Change Questionnaire Status to Closed?

1. At the top of the Questionnaire screen, open the Status dropdown menu.
2. Change the status from Open to Closed.

How Do I Confirm Closing and Notify Participants?

1. A prompt will ask you to confirm that you want to Close the Questionnaire.

2. If you proceed, you’ll also see an option to notify participants that the Questionnaire is now closed and no more responses can be submitted.

Downloading Questionnaire Results

How Do I Download the Questionnaire Results?

Admins can Download Questionnaire results for record‑keeping, analysis, audits, or regulatory filings.

1. Open the Questionnaire details page.
2. Click Export Submissions.

3. Choose an export format:
   • Aggregated Excel file – All Questionnaire data combined into a spreadsheet.
   • .ZIP file with separate PDFs – A ZIP archive containing individual PDF documents.

Save and store these exports in accordance with your organization’s security and retention policies.

Duplicating a Previous Questionnaire

Duplicating Questionnaires is especially useful for annual or recurring D&O‑style questionnaires and similar complex governance forms.

How Do I Duplicate a Questionnaire?

1. In your Actions list, locate the Questionnaire you want to copy.
2. Click the three‑dot (context) menu to the right of the Questionnaire.
3. Select Duplicate.

A new copy of the Questionnaire is created in Draft status.

What gets copied?

The duplicated Questionnaire includes:

• Questionnaire Title – with “ - Copy” added
• Questionnaire Description
• Questionnaire Permissions
• Questionnaire Questions
• Questionnaire Responses – these appear as prefilled answers in the new copy while it is in Draft mode

How Do I Prepare the New Duplicated Questionnaire?

After duplication:

1. Update the Title, Due Date, and Description & Instructions as needed (for example, update the year).
2. Review and adjust Permissions if your participants have changed.
3. Edit any Questions that must be updated for this cycle.
4. Use the prefill feature (still in Draft) to adjust carried‑over responses as needed.

Once everything looks good, change the status to Open and notify your respondents.

Plan Information

Questionnaires are:

• Included in OnBoard’s Ultimate Plan, or
• Available as an add‑on for other plans.

To add Questionnaires to your organization, contact your OnBoard Account Manager.