Answering Assessment Questions

Overview
πŸ“‹ Note:Β Some information may not apply to assessments using the simplified workflow. See Understanding the Simplified Assessment Workflow.

If you are assigned as a respondent to any assessment sections, you will receive an email prompting you to log in and answer the assigned questions. The system also automatically creates a task for you in your Tasks list, accessible by clicking Tasks in the main menu.

To begin answering, click Start Assessment Now in the email to go directly to the first page of your survey (you may be prompted to log in). Alternatively, log in to the dashboard, click Tasks in the main menu, and then click the name of the task associated with the assessment.

Answering the Questions

The first page shows all questions in the first section assigned to you.

Survey page showing the section navigation panel and question list

The left panel (1) shows all sections assigned to you. Navigate between sections by clicking their names or using the Next and Back buttons (2) at the bottom of the page.

Questions can be Yes/No, single-select, multi-select, listbox, or open text. Depending on the Question Flow Logic defined in the assessment template, some answers may trigger additional follow-up questions. You must answer all questions in every assigned section.

Your answers are saved automatically. If you leave the survey and return later, your previous answers will be preserved and you can change them at any time before submitting.

Adding Comments and Attachments

If the Comments and Attachments sections are set as mandatory, you must add a comment with an attachment before proceeding to the next section. This is particularly useful if you have a question for the privacy office about how to answer, or if you want to provide additional context with a supporting document. Click Add Comment (3) in the Comments area below the question. To attach a document, click Add Attachment(s) (4) and locate the file on your local drive.

Question showing the Add Comment and Add Attachments buttons in the Comments area

You can delete, edit, or reply to a comment at any time by clicking the corresponding icon (5) next to its header.

Comment showing the Delete, Edit, and Reply icons

You can open or remove any attachment by clicking the View Attachment or Delete Attachment icon (6) to the right of the attachment.

Sending a Comment to a Specific Person

You can send a comment to any person β€” even someone not in the system β€” by placing their email address inside [~ ] at the beginning of the comment. For example:

[~Sharon.Lasher@mail.com] My Comment 1

To tag multiple recipients, list their addresses one after the other before the comment text:

[~Sharon.Lasher@mail.com] [~Elaine.Hanson@mail.com] My Comment 2

The system sends an email to every tagged address containing the assessment name, your comment, and the full question text. Recipients can reply to the email and their responses will appear as new comments in the Comments and Attachments area.

You can leave the survey at any time, wait for a reply to your comment, and return later.

Submitting the Survey

Once you finish answering all questions in every section, click Submit at the very bottom of the last section, or at the lower-right corner of the Epilogue section (7).

Survey page showing the Submit button at the bottom of the last section

The Submit button is only enabled after all questions in every section are answered. If any question in a previous section is unanswered, that section is marked with an incomplete icon (8).

Section navigation showing an incomplete icon on a section with unanswered questions
πŸ“‹ Note:Β Based on Question Flow Logic in the assessment template, some answers dynamically add follow-up questions. You must answer all dynamically added questions before submitting. For example, if Question #4 triggers a follow-up Question #5 and you skip Question #5, the section will be marked as incomplete even though all original questions were answered.
Section showing an incomplete icon after a follow-up question was skipped

If you skip an entire section and return to it later, each unanswered question will display a Response Required label.

Section showing Response Required labels on all unanswered questions

When all questions in a section are answered, the section is marked with a checkmark. Once all sections are complete, scroll to the bottom of the last section's page to find the Submit button (10).

Section navigation showing all sections completed with checkmarks and the Submit button visible

Click Submit, then click Submit again to confirm. Your responses will be marked as submitted and can no longer be changed.

Submit confirmation dialog
⚠ Note: You must submit your responses by the assessment Due Date (if one is set). The system may send periodic reminders. While you may still be able to answer or change responses after the Due Date, you will not be able to submit unless the Assessment Owner extends the Due Date.
TrustArc Β Β·Β  Answering Survey Questions Β Β·Β  support.trustarc.com