Overview
An Ad Hoc Slot is a one-off slot for one or more Checklists, created on demand rather than from a repeating Schedule. It has its own start, deadline and optional grace period, its own targets and people, and its own compliance settings. Use it for one-time or infrequent work: a pre-season inspection, a contractor sign-off or a special-event opening check.
This article walks through the Configure Ad Hoc Slot dialog step by step. For what Ad Hoc Slots are, when to use them and how they behave, see Ad Hoc Slots — setup and behavior.
At a glance |
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Who can do this | Super Users or a Role with Schedules › Create. To edit or delete a slot: Schedules › Modify (deleting also needs Schedules › Delete), or the user who created it |
Where | Schedules › Ad Hoc Slots › Create |
Works on | Backend (web). Assignees complete the Checklists in the Mobile app. |
Availability | All organizations. Asset targets need Scheduling functionality for assets. |
💡 Why this matters: Not all work fits a recurring Calendar. An Ad Hoc Slot gives a one-time task the same accountability as a Calendar slot — a time window, a Missing Result if it isn't done, and full compliance settings — without a repeating pattern.
Ways an Ad Hoc Slot is created
Manually, in Schedules › Ad Hoc Slots — covered below.
From a Checklist answer, by an Ad Hoc Slot Trigger. See Ad Hoc Slot triggers in Checklists.
By rescheduling a Missing Result. See Approving or rescheduling missed Results.
Through the Public API. See Getting started with the Mobaro API.
However a slot is created, it behaves the same once it exists.
Create an Ad Hoc Slot
1. Open Schedules › Ad Hoc Slots
In the Mobaro Backend, expand Schedules, select Ad Hoc Slots and click Create. The Configure Ad Hoc Slot dialog opens.
2. Set the times in General
Set Starts at — when the slot opens — and Ends at, the deadline. To give Assignees extra time after the deadline, tick Allow grace period and set the End of grace period. You can also add Reminders with Add reminder. Super Users can also enter an External ID.
A Checklist not completed when the slot ends — at the end of the grace period, or at the deadline if there is none — becomes a Missing Result. In the Ad Hoc Slots list, a slot with a grace period shows its deadline under Due and the end of its grace period under End.
3. Choose Checklists in What?
Add the Checklists the slot makes available. At least one is required.
4. Choose targets in Where?
Choose where the Checklists are completed in Applies to (Locations/Location Groups), and carve out specific Locations with Exclusions (Locations/Location Groups). If your organization schedules for Assets, first choose the Target type: Locations or Assets.
5. Add people in Who?
Add the Assignees — Users or User Groups who complete the Checklists. Optionally add Reviewers, who validate Results and handle Missing Results, and Owners, who can manage the slot. Then set:
Results visible to — who, besides Reviewers, can see the Results: Assignees, Performing User or Reviewers Only.
Notify assignees when scheduled checklist(s) becomes available — sends a notification when the slot opens.
Message to the assignee (optional) — shown to the user who opens the Checklist.
⚠️ Heads-up: Assignees only see the slot for Locations they have access to — being listed as an Assignee isn't enough. If you add no Reviewers, only Super Users can validate the Results and handle Missing Results from this slot.
6. Set Compliance and save
Choose the compliance options below, then click Save. The slot appears in the Ad Hoc Slots list and becomes available to its Assignees at its start time.
Compliance options
All options are optional and apply to this slot only. They are the same options a Calendar Schedule has; for details, see Schedule compliance settings.
Allow early start — lets Assignees start up to 28 days before the start time, optionally with a message.
Ignore missing results — no Missing Result is created if a Checklist isn't completed in time.
Mark all results as requiring validation — every Result needs a Reviewer's approval.
Require correct GPS location — Checklists answered too far from the Location are marked as requiring validation.
Require timely answer — Checklists answered too late are marked as requiring validation.
Require maximum score — Checklists that score below the maximum are marked as requiring validation.
Require minimum answer duration — Checklists answered faster than the duration you set are marked as requiring validation.
Require validation on rule deviation — for Water Quality rule deviations; shown only when your organization has Water Quality.
Is critical for operation — Always, When overdue or When missing. See Understanding criticality settings with schedules.
Enable Time Registration — Optional or Required.
Required Competencies, optionally with Restrict access based on required competencies. See Utilizing Competencies.
🛑 Critical: Don't combine Ignore missing results with Is critical for operation — Mobaro warns that this isn't a recommended configuration. No Missing Result is created, so a critical check can go undone without any record.
Ad Hoc Slot statuses
In the Ad Hoc Slots list, each slot shows Future until its start time, then Started. Started means the slot's time window has opened — not that anyone has started the Checklist.
Edit or delete an Ad Hoc Slot
You can edit a slot until it ends. Once it has started, its start time is locked; once its grace period has begun, its deadline is locked.
After a slot has ended it can't be edited, and archived slots can't be deleted.
A slot created by rescheduling a Missing Result keeps its Checklist and target. Deleting it rejects the reschedule of the Missing Result.
To change many slots at once, select them and use Bulk Change Start/Due/End Date, Bulk Change Assignees/Reviewers/Owners, Bulk Change Compliance Settings or Bulk Change Result Visibility.
Best practices
Prefer conditional validation, such as Require maximum score, over Mark all results as requiring validation, so Reviewers focus on Results that need attention.
Use a grace period rather than a later deadline when you want a target time with some slack before the Checklist goes missing.
Always add Reviewers, ideally as User Groups, so validation and Missing Results don't depend on Super Users.
Frequently asked questions
Why can team leads still see results when the slot is set to Reviewers Only?
Results visible to only controls what Assignees and the performing user can see. Anyone whose Role has Results › View can see Results for their Locations regardless of this setting. Remove that permission from their Role to hide the Results.
Why can a user validate scheduled results but not ad hoc ones?
Reviewers are set on each Ad Hoc Slot; being a Reviewer of a Schedule doesn't cover it. Add the user or their User Group to the slot's Reviewers. See Ad Hoc Slots — setup and behavior.
Who gets an ad hoc slot created by a checklist trigger?
The Assignees set on the Ad Hoc Slot Trigger, not the person who answered. The trigger also sets the Checklists, timing and Reviewers. See Ad Hoc Slot triggers in Checklists.
Can an ad hoc slot be created from an assignment or a downtime?
No. Ad Hoc Slots are created manually, by an Ad Hoc Slot Trigger on a Checklist answer, by rescheduling a Missing Result, or through the Public API.
Can an ad hoc slot stop a ride from opening?
Yes, if you tick Is critical for operation on the slot. Even without it, a missed slot turns the Location red once it ends, until the Missing Result is handled, because Red if one or more checklists are missing is on by default. See Understanding criticality settings with schedules.
Can I change a slot's times or settings after it's created?
Yes, until the slot ends. The start time locks once the slot starts, and the deadline locks once its grace period begins. A rescheduled slot keeps its Checklist and target.