A QA checklist is how a firm writes down what "reviewed" means. Used well, it means two reviewers check the same things on the same set and can show what they checked. A checklist that's hard to use tends to get filled out at the end, after the review has already happened.
What goes on your checklists is your call. It depends on your discipline, your standards, and the jurisdictions you submit to, and it should come from the people who stamp the work. How the checklist is organized is more general, and a few practices make most checklists easier to use.
Organize items the way reviewers move through a set
Group items into categories that follow the order a reviewer actually works, such as the cover sheet and general notes first, then plans, then details. A checklist that jumps around makes reviewers skip back and forth, and items get missed.
Write each item as something you can check
An item should describe a condition a reviewer can confirm by looking at the sheet. Vague items like "drawings are complete" tend to get a quick checkmark without a close look.
Separate what must pass from what's advisory
Some items should stop a set from going out until they're fixed. Others are worth noting but shouldn't hold up a submission. Marking which is which tells reviewers where to slow down and makes the review's outcome clear.
Make "not applicable" an answer
Not every item applies to every set. If a reviewer can mark an item not applicable, the checklist records that it was considered. If they can only leave it blank, nobody can tell a skipped item from an irrelevant one.
Keep jurisdiction-specific items separate
Agency requirements change on their own schedule. Keeping them in their own template, alongside your firm-wide standards, means you can update one jurisdiction's items without touching everything else.
Version the checklist
When a checklist changes, record what changed and when. Knowing which version a past review used tells you exactly what it covered.
Review the checklist itself
Once or twice a year, look at which items always pass, which always get marked not applicable, and which keep catching problems. Remove items that no longer help.
How Kineo handles it
Kineo's checklist templates hold items in up to ten categories, and each template keeps a revision history. You can write a template by hand, import one from a CSV file, or describe the submittal type and jurisdiction and have the assistant draft it for you to edit before publishing. With Smart Sync (beta), you enter the web address of a city, county, or DOT checklist, or upload its PDF, and Kineo pulls out candidate items for you to review and publish.
During a review, each item is answered verified, not applicable, or needs revision, and your templates decide which answers block the review. A review can't be accepted until every item has a response.