Overview
Assignment Definitions let you replace Mobaro's standard assignment flow with your own workflows — your own states, categories, priorities and deadline rules, plus who can create, be assigned and resolve each type of work. You build a definition across four tabs: Configuration, States, Categories and Priorities.
When someone creates an Assignment, they pick the definition first; the Assignment then uses that definition's states, categories and priorities.
At a glance |
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Who can do this | Super Users, or a Role with Organization › Administrate |
Where | Configuration › Assignments › Assignment Definitions |
Works on | Backend (web). Assignments that use a definition work in the Backend, Mobile app and Public API. |
Availability | Add-on — must be enabled for your organization by Mobaro (Assignment Definition functionality). Ask your CSM. |
💡 Why this matters: A single Created → Started → Finished flow doesn't fit every kind of work. Definitions let a parts request, a winter project and a simple work order each follow their own lifecycle — with the right people, states, documentation, priorities and deadlines.
Standard vs. custom assignments
A standard Assignment has the statuses Created, Started and Finished, a High priority checkbox, and your organization's Assignment Categories. An Assignment Definition lets you customize all of these per definition.
Above the list of definitions, Disable default assignment definition "limits users to only create assignments from the definitions below". Use it when every new Assignment must follow one of your workflows.
Create a definition
1. Open the Assignment Definitions list
Go to Configuration, open the Assignments tab, and click the + icon (Create) in the Assignment Definitions section. If the section isn't there, the feature isn't enabled for your organization.
2. Name it and fill in the tabs
Enter a Name, then work through the four tabs below and click Save.
The Configuration tab
The Configuration tab controls who can use the definition:
Who can create — only these User Groups can create this type of Assignment. Leave it empty to allow everyone.
Who can be assigned — limits assignees to these User Groups. Leave it empty to allow all.
Limit type of assignee to — Users and User Groups, Only Users, or Only User Groups.
Allow assigning — Multiple users and/or user groups, or One user or user group.
The States tab
The States tab defines the workflow. At the top, Who can resolve limits which User Groups can move an Assignment into a Final state. Leave it empty to allow everyone who can edit the Assignment. Super Users are never blocked.
Add states with Add State. Each has a Type:
Initial — the starting state. Exactly one is required. It counts as Created in filters and reports.
Step — optional in-between states. They count as Started.
Final — end states; you need at least one and can have several (e.g. Completed and Rejected). They count as Finished.
A Final state can Require documentation: the user must add a description before the Assignment can move into it. Only Final states can require documentation.
Example flows: a work order with Open (Initial) → Awaiting Approval, In Progress (Steps) → Finalized, Rejected (Final); a parts request with Request Submitted → Supplier Coordination, Receiving → Part Delivered.
The Categories tab
On the Categories tab, add the definition's own categories with Add Category and choose a Selection type: Single Choice or Multiple Choice. Tick Disable assignment categories to hide your organization's standard Assignment Categories on this definition.
ℹ️ Note: Organization categories and a definition's own categories are always separate, even with identical names — an organization Mechanical and a definition Mechanical are filtered and reported separately.
The Priorities tab
At the top of the Priorities tab, the Deadline delay policy sets the pre-filled deadline for every Assignment of this definition:
Default — the deadline defaults to 1 week after creation time.
Relative — Delay deadline by an amount relative to the start time: Hour(s), Day(s), Week(s), Month(s), End of day, End of next day, End of week, End of month or End of year. Optionally and fix time at a time of day, e.g. 8:59 PM.
Add priorities with Add Priority. Each has:
Default — exactly one priority must be the default.
Critical for operation — Assignments at this priority count as high priority.
Time frame policy — Disabled (start and deadline fields are cleared and hidden), Optional, or Required (both must be filled before saving).
🛑 Critical: If your organization has Red if one or more active high priority assignments exist turned on, an open Assignment at a Critical for operation priority turns its Location red (not ready) on the dashboard. You can't change Critical for operation on an existing priority — create a new priority and delete the old one.
⚠️ Heads-up: When you delete a state, category or priority that's in use, Mobaro asks you to map it to one that has already been saved. Deleting a whole definition that's in use asks you to map its Assignments, Checklists, note types and downtime settings to another definition.
Best practices
Match the deadline policy to how the work really runs — e.g. End of next day for urgent repairs, End of week for routine jobs.
Turn on Require documentation for Final states where you need a record, such as a resolution or a rejection reason.
Use Who can resolve to build an approval step: let the team move work into a Step such as Awaiting Approval, and let only approvers close it.
Keep Critical for operation for work that genuinely must stop operation.
Frequently asked questions
The user group I need doesn't appear in the assignee list. Why?
Most often the definition's Who can be assigned or Limit type of assignee to excludes it. The list also only shows people with access to the Assignment's Location. See How to create and delegate an assignment.
How do I change the default deadline on new assignments?
Set the definition's Deadline delay policy on the Priorities tab. For Assignments raised by a Checklist trigger, the trigger's Set deadline to overrides the policy. See Assignment triggers in Checklists.
The group is assigned, but they can't move the assignment to the final state. Why?
The definition's Who can resolve (on the States tab) doesn't include one of their User Groups. Only those groups — and Super Users — can move an Assignment into a Final state. Add the group or leave the field empty.
Can assignments go through an approval step?
Yes. Add a Step state such as Awaiting Approval and set Who can resolve to your approvers' User Group. Others can move the work to that step; only approvers can close it.
What happens if I disable the default assignment definition?
Users can then only create Assignments from your custom definitions. If every definition's Who can create excludes a user's User Groups, that user can't create Assignments.
How do I get Assignment Definitions?
Mobaro enables them for your organization (Assignment Definition functionality). Ask your CSM. Once enabled, the Assignment Definitions section appears under Configuration › Assignments.