Short answer

Use Inspection when the work is "look at it, check condition, pass or fail" — a playground swing check, a defibrillator inspection, a tree pruning review. Use Job when the work is "do something to it, capture data, mark complete" — emptying a bin, cleaning equipment, cutting grass, recording bin fullness. The default at routine creation is Inspection; switch to Job when appropriate.

Detail

The two task types share the same skeleton (asset, due date, assignees, completion record) but differ in intent and downstream behaviour:

Inspection

  • Purpose: assess condition; record a pass/fail/condition reading.
  • Standard outcomes: Passed, Failed, Done.
  • A Failed inspection is the natural origin of a defect — see How does the defect workflow work — from a failed inspection to resolution?.
  • Form templates: condition checklists (Routine Swing Check, Spring Rider, Visual Inspection for Outdoor Asset, Simple Checklist).
  • Examples: weekly playground checks, monthly tree inspections, AGAR-required visual inspections, RoSPA cycles.

Job

  • Purpose: do work; record what was done.
  • Standard outcomes: Done, Cancelled.
  • Form templates often capture quantitative data (bin fullness, cuttings collected, materials used).
  • Examples: daily bin empty, fortnightly grass cut, quarterly clean, weekly litter pick.

When you create a routine, the type defaults to Inspection. For bin rounds, cleaning routines, grass cuts, litter picks — anything operational — switch to Job before saving. For playground checks, tree inspections, fire-extinguisher checks, defibrillator pad expiries — leave as Inspection.

Watch-outs

  • Inspections that always pass are noise. If a council has weekly "inspections" that are really "did the operative visit the asset" without any condition assessment, they're really jobs. Switch the type.
  • Jobs don't fail in the same way inspections do. If the work is "clean the equipment" and the operative finds the equipment broken, that's a defect raised separately — the job itself either gets done or doesn't. Don't try to track defects through the Job/Done outcome.
  • Some routines naturally split. A daily bin round (Job) might co-exist with a weekly bin condition inspection (Inspection) on the same bins. Two routines, two types.
  • Once a routine is created, the type is fixed for that routine. If you set up a Job routine but realise it should be Inspections, the cleanest fix is to create the right one and stop the wrong one.