PLATEFORME - Customization (Windows) (EN) > Customizing Assessments > Assessment Templates > Definition of an Assessment Template > Managing Assessed Characteristics
Managing Assessed Characteristics
*An assessed characteristic defines what the assessment seeks to assess. It can be associated with a MetaClass, and more specifically with one of its MetaAttributes, for example: Risk MetaClass, MetaAttribute: Criticality.
An assessed characteristic relates to a characteristic of an object type.
You can for example create a "Risk Impact" assessed characteristic relating to the Risk MetaClass and the Impact MetaAttribute.
To create an assessed characteristic you need to specify:
• an object type
• a characteristic
• how to update the object characteristic (via a macro for example)
The exact procedure is detailed hereafter.
Creating an assessed characteristic
To create an assessed characteristic:
2. In the properties page of an assessment template, select Assessment Template Definition > Assessed Characteristics.
*Login as GRC Functional Administrator, select Assessment > Preparation > Assessed Characteristics.
3. Click New.
4. Specify the object type corresponding to the object you want to assess.
5. Specify the characteristic you want to assess.
*An assessed characteristic can be used in several assessment templates or sessions.
6. Specify how the object charateristic shall be updated.
*This means how to use questionnaire answers to automatically update the characteristic of your assessed object.
When the assessment session is closed, the quotation rules are applied to calculate the value of the assessed characteristic.
HOPEX updates the characteristic of the assessed object and defines how to perform this update at the time of deployment or aggregation (if there are more than one context objects).
How to update the characteristic
In the assessed characteristic creation page (see Creating an assessed characteristic), you need to specify how to update the characteristic.
Average if multiple values 
This calculates the average of the assessed characteristic values
Copy value from one assessed value 
This copies the value of the assessed characteristic.
This option is valid if only one person answers the questions, for example, within the context of a direct assessment: a single characteristic value is obtained and copied to the MetaAttribute concerned.
Specific macro 
Select the macro you want to implement.
The function must include the following parameters:
• Assessment session
• Assessment node
• Assessed object
• Value of the assessed characteristic.
• Metaattribute
*An assessed characteristic can be used in several assessment templates. The macro is the same irrespective of the assessment template used.