How to Build a Custom Questionnaire in Whistic

Table of Contents

• Summary
• Steps
• Managing Custom Questionnaires
• Tips for Effective Design
• FAQ

Summary

Create custom security questionnaires tailored to your organization's specific assessment needs. The Custom Questionnaire Builder allows you to design dynamic assessments with conditional logic, import questions from existing sources, and leverage AI assistance for efficient questionnaire creation.

Key Features:

• AI-powered questionnaire import from Excel files
• Conditional logic and branching
• Multiple question types and scoring capabilities
• Integration with Vendor Summary and Whistic AI

Video Demo:

📋 Steps

1. Access the Questionnaire Builder

1. Log in to your Whistic account
2. Navigate to the Questionnaires tab
3. Scroll to Custom Questionnaire Drafts section
4. Click Create New Questionnaire

2. Set Up Basic Information

Required Fields:

• Questionnaire Title: Enter a name (50 characters or less)
• Description: Brief description (50 characters or less) - visible to recipients
• Section Title: Name for your first section

3. Choose Your Creation Method

Option A: AI-Enabled Builder

Perfect for importing from Excel files:

1. Click Import button
2. Upload your file to get started. The AI Questionnaire Importer supports the following file types: XLSX, PDF, CSV, and DOCX.
3. Click Start and let AI process your file

File Setup Requirements:

• Book Title = Questionnaire Name
• Sheet Title(s) = Section Heading(s)
• Question Text = Your questions (AI determines question types)

Option B: Use Existing Questions

Duplicate from published questionnaires:

1. Click Use Existing in the top right
2. Select the questionnaire to duplicate
3. Click Upload
4. Review and modify as needed

Note: Logic and compliant answers must be manually recreated.

Option C: Build From Scratch

Create questions manually using the builder interface.

4. Add Questions and Content

1. Click + to insert a question
2. Type your question text
3. Select question type:
   • Multiple Choice
   • Text Response
   • Boolean (Yes/No)
   • File Upload
4. Set Compliant Answers (one per question, excludes text/file uploads)
5. Toggle Not Applicable option as needed
6. Click Save Draft regularly

Recommendation: Complete all sections, titles, and questions before adding logic. Correct any errors, Save Draft, and then Publish.

Custom Identifiers for Questions

If you want to leverage your own question identifier instead of our traditional formatting (1.1.1), we recommend using the custom identifiers toggle at the top right of the page.

• Once toggled on you will see a custom identifier field next to each question set
• Place your identifier value in each question box to ensure it gets added

5. Add Conditional Logic (Optional)

1. Select a question and click the pencil icon next to Display
2. Change Display setting:
   • Always: Question always visible
   • Conditional: Shows based on specific conditions
   • Never: Question hidden from recipients
3. For conditional questions:
   • Show When: Choose triggering condition
   • Is: Specify the required answer
4. Click Save, then Save Draft

6. Review and Test

1. Review questionnaire for errors (displayed at top if present)
2. Click Save Draft after any changes
3. Click Publish to make live
4. Test using the Self-Assessment option
5. Make adjustments by editing the draft and republishing

7. Manage Questionnaire Versions

Note: Before you archive any version or questionnaire, please check that there are no outstanding requests for the questionnaire or version, as this may impact users' ability to return the questionnaire.

Archive Entire Questionnaire

1. Go to Custom Questionnaire Drafts
2. Click Edit on questionnaire
3. Select Archive at top

Screenshot below (Archiving a Questionnaire from the editor)

⚙️ Managing Custom Questionnaires

Archive Specific Versions

1. Find the questionnaire under Custom Questionnaires
2. Click Self-Assessment
3. Click Archive next to specific versions

Note: If there is only one version published, you will need to use the Archiving a Questionnaire option above.

Screenshot below (Archiving a Version from the Questionnaires Tab)

Recommendation
We recommend that you archive any published questionnaire(s) and/or version(s) that you do not intend to use.

Edit Existing Questionnaires

1. Go to Custom Questionnaire Drafts
2. Click Edit on the desired questionnaire
3. Make changes and Save Draft
4. Publish to create a new version

Special Note for Compliant Answers: When changing question types with existing compliant answers:

1. Clear compliant answer field
2. Save Draft
3. Change question type
4. Save Draft
5. Publish

Changing Question Type that has a Compliant Answer screenshot

Note: Any changes that have been published will create a new version.

💡 Tips for Effective Design

General Best Practices

• Keep questions clear and concise
• Ensure logical flow enhances user experience
• Regularly update questionnaires for compliance changes
• Test questionnaire flow before deployment

For Vendor Summary/Whistic AI Integration

• Test questions against your Knowledge Base using Smart Search
• Avoid specific timeframes (use "regularly" instead of "every 45 days")
• Don't include your organization's name in questions
• Use Yes/No or multiple choice for better AI compatibility
• Focus on questions that can determine compliance definitively

Importing Previously Archived Questionnaires

If you encounter import errors with previously archived questionnaires:

1. Go to Custom Questionnaire Drafts
2. Click Create New Questionnaire
3. Click Manual Import
4. Enter a new questionnaire name (slight variation from archived name)
5. Import following standard formatting guidelines

❓ FAQ

Can I set multiple compliant answers for multiple-choice questions?

Only one compliant answer can be selected per question in the current version.

Which question types support compliant answers?

Only multiple choice and boolean (Yes/No) questions support compliant answers. Text and file upload questions do not.

Why is my Score Builder blank?

This occurs when: 1) Compliant answers aren't set, or 2) The most recent version with compliant answers hasn't been published yet.

My questionnaire won't publish – what's wrong?

Check the top of the questionnaire builder for error messages. Correct any displayed errors and try publishing again.

Why can't I see questions in the conditional logic dropdown?

Click Save Draft at the top of the questionnaire first, then try configuring logic again.

Can I recover an archived questionnaire?

Contact Whistic Support at [e-mail] to unarchive questionnaires or specific versions.

What happens when I edit a published questionnaire?

Any published changes create a new version. Previous versions remain available unless manually archived.

Need help? Contact the Whistic Support team [e-mail].