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Understanding validation warnings and failures for water quality checks

Learn what happens when water quality readings fall outside the configured rule range.

Logan Bowlby avatar
Written by Logan Bowlby
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Heads up: Water Quality is in early access. Expect changes and new features as we continue to improve the module.

Overview

When staff record water quality readings in the mobile app, each entry is validated against the ruleset thresholds (minimum and maximum values). If a value is outside of the allowed range, Mobaro flags it.

Depending on your checklist and schedule setup, an out-of-range reading can lead to different outcomes.


What happens with out-of-range values

1. Validation warning only

  • Staff see a warning (high or low) when entering a value that’s below or above the configured range.

  • They can still submit the checklist, unless additional compliance settings are in place.


2. Triggering an assignment

  • You can configure trigger questions so that if a parameter is outside the range, an assignment is automatically created.

  • This assignment can require staff to provide more details (e.g. corrective action, photo evidence).

Tip: Use triggers for parameters where immediate corrective action is required, like chlorine or pH.


3. No additional action

  • If no trigger is set, and the schedule does not require validation on rule deviation, the checklist may simply record the out-of-range value without creating an assignment or escalation.


4. Validation required on rule deviation

  • In Schedule Compliance Settings, you can toggle Require validation on rule deviation.

  • If enabled, any checklist with an out-of-range value will be marked as requiring approval/validation before it is considered complete.

Warning: This setting can affect workflows significantly. Make sure approvers are trained to handle validation queues if this is enabled. Ensure you have properly setup reviewers on activated schedules.


Best practices

  • Decide which parameters need triggers for corrective actions vs. those that only need warnings.

  • Use “Require validation on rule deviation” carefully — it adds accountability but may slow down processing if deviations are frequent.

  • Train staff to always respond to warnings appropriately, even if no assignment is triggered.


Frequently asked questions

Q: Can staff ignore a validation warning?
A: Yes, unless an assignment is triggered or the schedule requires validation.

Q: What’s the difference between a trigger and a validation requirement?
A: A trigger creates an assignment for corrective action. Validation requires a manager/approver to confirm the checklist.

Q: Do out-of-range results still appear in dashboards and exports?
A: Yes, all values are recorded and included in reporting.

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