Evaluations allow administrators to collect structured feedback from board members in a secure and, if required, anonymous way.
Evaluations extend the capabilities of Surveys by providing additional flexibility and configuration options to support the collection and analysis of critical feedback from the board and management.
Using Evaluations, administrators can:
Collect feedback confidentially or anonymously
Create evaluations for the entire board or for single or multiple committees
Direct specific questions to individual users, committees, or appointment types
Configure conditional follow‑up questions based on previous responses
Customize a wide range of question types to meet organizational needs
Attach documents to an evaluation or to specific questions for reference and review
These capabilities make Evaluations well suited for board performance evaluations, D&O questionnaires, surveys, and other feedback‑driven initiatives.
For more information about supported question formats, see Answer Types.
Please note: Creating a Survey or a Vote follows the same setup process as creating an Evaluation, but both are simplified versions with fewer configuration options.
Evaluations also provide additional capabilities, including the ability to restrict access to results to one or more administrators, customize multiple question types, and configure conditional logic. Any evaluation can be copied and edited to efficiently reuse and adapt it for future needs.
Evaluations Main Page
The Evaluations main page is the central location for creating, viewing, and managing evaluations, surveys, votes, and templates.
As shown on the page, the layout is divided into three primary areas: menu buttons, tabs, and a results table.
Menu Buttons
At the top‑right of the page, administrators have access to the following buttons:
New Evaluation
Starts the process of creating a new evaluation.New Evaluation Template
Creates a reusable template that can be used when building future evaluations.
These buttons are always visible and available from the Evaluations page.
Tabs
Evaluations are organized using the following tabs at the top of the page:
Published
Displays evaluations that have been published and are available to respondents.Unpublished
Displays evaluations that have been created but not yet published.Templates
Displays all evaluation templates created by the organization.
Selecting a tab updates the list below to show evaluations belonging to that category.
Evaluation list and information area
Each evaluation displayed in the list includes the following information in separate columns:
Evaluation Title
The name of the evaluation.Date Created
The date the evaluation was created.Number of Responses
Displays how many users have responded compared to the total number invited.Closing Date
The date after which the evaluation is no longer available for responses.View Responses
Opens the summary page showing overall evaluation results.Actions
Provides access to Edit, Delete, and Copy options for the evaluation.
The Actions menu allows administrators to manage evaluations directly from the list without navigating away from the page.
Editing questions
Administrators can edit an existing question at any time by selecting the question title, which appears as a clickable hyperlink. Selecting the question opens it for review and editing.
Please note: Any active (published) evaluation remains available to directors. The evaluation title appears as a clickable hyperlink that directors can select to access and complete the evaluation.
Please note: The Unpublished and Templates tabs do not include a View Responses option, because evaluations in these states do not contain response data.
Edit Evaluation Screen
The Edit Evaluation screen is used after an evaluation or evaluation template has been created. Administrators access this screen to add and manage questions, configure settings, review the evaluation, and control publishing.
This screen is available:
After creating an evaluation or evaluation template
While building and reviewing questions before publishing
After publishing, to review evaluation details and responses
Available Actions
From the Edit Evaluation screen, administrators can perform the following actions:
Delete Evaluation
Permanently removes the evaluation and all associated questions.Publish
Publishes the evaluation and makes it available to the selected recipients. The next time recipients sign in to BoardWorks, the evaluation appears as a task to complete.Re‑Order Questions
Changes the order of questions within the evaluation.
For more information, see Re‑Order Questions.Settings
Configures who receives the evaluation, along with other evaluation‑level options.New Question
Adds additional questions to an unpublished evaluation or evaluation template.Add Document
Attaches a document to the evaluation as a whole for respondents to reference while completing the evaluation.Send Email Notification
Sends an email message to the recipients defined in Settings, notifying them that the evaluation is available.
Please note: The Add Document Button on the edit landing page allows all recipients of the evaluation to see the documentation.
To publish the evaluation, click PUBLISH and a confirmation message will appear.
Once OK is selected the evaluation will be available to all recipients to action.
Important: Once an evaluation has been published, the evaluation content cannot be changed, even if the evaluation is later unpublished. This includes modifying questions, question order, and attached documents.
After publishing, administrators can modify Settings only. To change evaluation content, a new evaluation must be created or an existing evaluation must be copied and edited before publishing.
Creating an Evaluation or Evaluation Template
Creating an evaluation or an evaluation template begins by defining the basic structure of the evaluation in BoardWorks. This includes identifying who should receive the evaluation, when it is due, how it should be labeled, and whether responses should be anonymous.
The first step in the process is creating the evaluation outline.
Starting a new evaluation or template
To begin:
Navigate to the Evaluations main page.
Select one of the following buttons:
New Evaluation to create an evaluation for distribution
New Evaluation Template to create a reusable template
Defining evaluation details
After starting a new evaluation or template, complete the following fields:
Title
Enter the name of the evaluation. This title is visible to administrators and respondents.Description (optional)
Enter a clear description explaining the purpose of the evaluation.Closing Date
Select the date by which recipients must complete the evaluation.Make Results Anonymous
Select the checkbox to collect responses anonymously.Restrict Results From Admin Users
Allows an admin to restrict the Evaluation's results from other Administrators that would normally have access to all results if required.
Anonymous Evaluations
Anonymous evaluations allow administrators to collect feedback without revealing respondent identities.
How anonymous mode works
Note: When anonymous mode is enabled, full results are not available until all recipients have submitted their responses.
When results are exported:
The Answered By field displays Anonymous User instead of individual names.
No respondent identity data is included in the export.
Use anonymous mode when evaluation responses must remain confidential both when viewed in BoardWorks and when exported.
Please note: In anonymous mode, full results will not be available until all recipients have submitted their evaluation responses. Exported results will show Answered By as Anonymous instead of listing the users’ names. Use this option to make all the evaluation answers anonymous when exporting from BoardWorks.
Restricting evaluation results
Administrators can optionally restrict who is allowed to view evaluation results.
Restrict Evaluation Results
When the Restrict Evaluation Results option is selected:
Administrators selected in this section are restricted from viewing the evaluation results.
Administrators who are not selected will continue to have access to the evaluation results.
This option allows administrators to explicitly limit which administrators cannot view the results of a specific evaluation.
Use this setting when evaluation results should be hidden from certain administrators but remain accessible to others.
Creating the evaluation outline
Once all evaluation details are configured:
Select Create Evaluation to save the evaluation outline.
After the outline is created, administrators can proceed to build the evaluation content by adding questions.
Select New Question to add a new question
Adding questions to an evaluation
After creating the evaluation outline, administrators must define the questions that respondents will answer.
For each question, administrators can:
Select the type of question
Choose whether a response is required by selecting Require a Response
Direct the question to:
A specific appointment type
A committee
One or more individual users
Configure the question as a follow‑up question, including:
Selecting which previous question it is linked to
Selecting which answer(s) trigger the follow‑up question
Upload a document to the specific question
Please note: A question can be restricted to a specific appointment, committee, or user and also be configured as a follow‑up question.
This flexibility allows administrators to tailor evaluations precisely to organizational needs and respondent roles.
Please note: A question can be restricted to a specific appointment, committee, or specific user (s) and have a follow-up question.
After configuring a question, administrators can choose one of the following actions:
Add Another Question
Continue building the evaluation by creating additional questions.Add Documentation
Attach reference documents to the evaluation, if needed.Save
Save the evaluation and prepare it for publishing at a later time.Cancel
Cancel the current question only. This action does not remove or affect any other questions already created in the evaluation.
Please note: When a document is attached to a specific question, that document is available only within the context of that question. In addition, only users who are assigned to view that question will be able to view the associated documentation.
When Save is selected, BoardWorks saves the evaluation and returns the administrator to the Edit Evaluation / Summary screen, where they can continue configuring or publish the evaluation.
Re‑Order Questions
Administrators can change the order of questions within an evaluation at any time before publishing.
To re‑order questions:
From the Edit Evaluation screen, select Re‑Order Questions.
A list of all questions in the evaluation is displayed.
Select and drag each question to its desired position in the list.
When you are satisfied with the new order, select Save.
After saving, BoardWorks returns you to the Edit Evaluation screen with the updated question order applied.
Editing an Evaluation Question
Administrators can edit evaluation questions from the Edit Evaluation screen.
To edit a question:
Select the question title, which appears as a clickable hyperlink, or
Use the Actions menu associated with the question and select the edit option.
Once the question is open, update the question details as needed and save your changes.
Important considerations
Please note: Once an evaluation has been published, questions can no longer be edited. Only evaluation Settings remain editable after publishing.
Please note: If a question being edited has one or more follow‑up questions associated with it, a warning message is displayed. This warning indicates that changes to the parent question may affect dependent follow‑up questions.
When the warning message appears:
Select OK to continue editing the question.
Select Cancel to stop editing and return without making changes.
Answer Types
Evaluations support a variety of answer types that allow administrators to collect different kinds of feedback, depending on the question being asked.
The sections that follow provide examples of each answer type and explain any specific behaviors or parameters that apply.
Note: The examples shown are based on Evaluations. When creating a Survey, only the question formatting options are available.
Available answer types
The following answer types can be used when creating evaluation questions:
Single line of text
Allows respondents to enter a short, single‑line response.Multiple lines of text
Allows respondents to enter longer, free‑form responses across multiple lines.Choice (menu to choose from)
Allows respondents to select one option from a predefined list presented as a dropdown menu.Choice (opinion)
Allows respondents to select from a predefined set of opinion‑based choices, often used for ratings or sentiment.Number
Allows respondents to enter a numeric value.Date
Allows respondents to select or enter a date.Yes / No (radio button)
Allows respondents to select a simple yes or no response using radio buttons.
These answer types can be combined with other evaluation features, such as required responses, conditional follow‑up questions, and question targeting, to support a wide range of evaluation scenarios.
Single Line Answer
Allows the respondent to type a short word or sentence on a single line.
Maximum length is 255 characters
Best used for brief responses or short comments
Multiple Line Answer
Provides a multi‑line comment box for longer written responses.
Supports up to 5 lines
Best used for short paragraphs or descriptive feedback
Choice - Select from a Menu
Allows respondents to choose from predefined options.
To configure this answer type:
Enter each choice, pressing Enter after each option
Select how options are displayed:
Dropdown
Radio buttons
Checkboxes
Checkboxes allow respondents to select multiple answers.
Number Answer
Allows respondents to enter a numeric value.
A minimum and maximum value must be defined
Useful for ratings, counts, or numerical input
Date Answer
Used when the response must be a date.
Administrators can choose a default value:
None
Today’s date
Other, which allows selection of a specific date
Yes / No Answer
Provides a simple yes or no choice.
Uses radio buttons
Includes a configurable default value
Making a Follow‑Up Question
Follow‑up questions are displayed based on responses to a previous question.
To create a follow‑up question:
The parent question must use one of the following answer types:
Choice
Yes / No
Number
Select the parent question
Select the answer or answers that trigger the follow‑up question
This allows administrators to create conditional logic so that only relevant questions are shown to respondents.
Note: A follow‑up question can also be restricted to a specific appointment type, committee, or user.
Restricting Access to a Question
Questions can be limited to specific audiences within an evaluation.
To restrict access to a question:
Choose an appointment type, committee, or specific users
Select the checkbox to open the list of available recipients
Select the appropriate committees or users who should see the question
Only the selected recipients will be able to view and respond to the restricted question.
Adding Documents
Documents can be attached to:
The entire evaluation, or
A specific evaluation question
To add documentation:
Select Add Document
Choose the document to attach
Evaluation Results
Once an evaluation is published, administrators can monitor participation and review results.
From the Evaluations main page, administrators can:
See who has responded to an evaluation
View when responses were submitted
Monitor response progress against the total number of recipients
To view results for an evaluation, select View Responses.
Viewing and exporting results
Evaluation results can be:
Displayed visually using a bar chart
Exported to Microsoft Excel for further analysis or reporting
Exports include response data based on the evaluation’s configuration, including anonymity settings.
Anonymous evaluation results
Note: When an evaluation is configured as anonymous, results are not available until all recipients have submitted responses or the closing date has passed, whichever occurs first.
This ensures respondent anonymity is preserved and prevents partial results from being viewed prematurely.
View Evaluation Results
The Evaluation Results screen displays a list of respondents along with the date and time each response was submitted. This allows administrators to track participation and monitor evaluation completion.
From the Evaluation Results screen, administrators can take the following actions:
Send Reminder
Send an email reminder to recipients who have not yet completed the evaluation.Export Responses
Download evaluation results automatically in PDF or CSV format for offline review or reporting.
These options make it easy to follow up on incomplete evaluations and analyze collected feedback outside of BoardWorks.
Note: Selecting Export as PDF exports only the data currently displayed on screen. The exported content will vary depending on whether Tracking, Summary Bar Chart, or Summary Pie Chart view is selected at the time of export
To view in a graphic format, click on Summary.
To view individual responses, select the Total Responses button for the specific question. This displays the responses submitted by each participant for that question.
A Pie Chart view is also available by selecting the Pie Chart option at the top of the Evaluation Summary screen.
Please note: By clicking legend data sets, results can be removed from the pie chart if needed.
