Overview
A Schedule publishes a Checklist from the Backend to the mobile app: it decides who completes it, at which Locations or Assets, and when. Mobaro offers three ways to schedule a Checklist: a Calendar Schedule, a Continuous Schedule and an Ad Hoc Slot.
The main difference is time accountability. Calendar Schedules and Ad Hoc Slots make a Checklist available in slots with a deadline, and a slot that isn't done becomes a Missing Result. A Continuous Schedule is always available and can't be missed. This article compares the three and helps you choose.
At a glance |
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Who can do this | Super Users or a Role with Schedules › Create |
Where | Schedules › Create › Calendar Schedule or Continuous Schedule; Schedules › Ad Hoc Slots › Create |
Works on | Backend (web) to set up; Mobile app to complete. Ad Hoc Slots can also be created through the Public API. |
Availability | All organizations. Asset targets need Scheduling functionality for assets. |
💡 Why this matters: The type decides whether a skipped check leaves a record and whether it can hold a ride as not ready. Choose the wrong one and you either lose the compliance trail or fill the Missing Results list with checks nobody needed to do at a set time.
The three ways to schedule
Type | When the Checklist is available | If it isn't done |
Calendar | In slots from weekly Patterns, one-off Specifics or inherited master Calendars. Each slot has a start and a deadline, and optionally a grace period. | A Missing Result for each Checklist and target, unless Ignore missing results is on |
Continuous | All the time, with no slots or deadlines. Assignees can complete it as often as they need. | Nothing — it can't be missed |
Ad Hoc | In one slot with its own start, deadline and optional grace period. It isn't part of a Schedule: it has its own targets, people and compliance settings. | A Missing Result, unless Ignore missing results is on |
An Ad Hoc Slot is created by hand, by an Ad Hoc Slot Trigger on a Checklist answer, by rescheduling a Missing Result, or through the Public API. See Ad Hoc Slots — setup and behavior.
What differs between the types
Repeat completions: a Calendar or Ad Hoc slot takes one Result per Checklist per target. After that the app shows "This checklist has been answered already." A Continuous Schedule takes any number of Results.
Readiness: only Calendar Schedules and Ad Hoc Slots can be Is critical for operation or turn a Location red with a Missing Result — see Schedule criticality and Location operational status.
Timing options: grace periods, reminders, Allow early start, Require timely answer and Ignore missing results apply to Calendar Schedules and Ad Hoc Slots only.
Device behavior: only Continuous Schedules have a Behavior section — Automatically advance pages, Restart on completion, Enable timeout and Require password to exit.
In the app: Calendar and Ad Hoc Checklists appear under Planned during their slot; Continuous ones under Continuous.
Owners: on a Calendar or Continuous Schedule, Owners can edit and delete it; on an Ad Hoc Slot the Owners field gives no edit rights — see Adding owners to Schedules.
All three need a Checklist, a target and an assignee — see What you need before you can schedule a Checklist. For every compliance option by type, see Schedule compliance settings.
🛑 Critical: A Continuous Schedule can't be critical for operation and never produces a Missing Result. Don't use one for a pre-opening inspection or any check that must be done before a ride opens — use a Calendar Schedule or an Ad Hoc Slot.
How to choose
Must it happen by a set time, with a miss on record? → Calendar Schedule. See Calendar schedules — setup and behavior.
Should assignees run it whenever needed, as often as needed? → Continuous Schedule. See Continuous schedules — setup and behavior.
Is it a one-off, or triggered by an event such as an incident or a Checklist answer? → Ad Hoc Slot. See How to use Ad Hoc Slots.
Must the ride show as not ready until it's done? → a Calendar Schedule or Ad Hoc Slot with Is critical for operation.
Is it monthly, yearly or less frequent? → a Calendar Schedule with a Specific for each date, or an Ad Hoc Slot when it falls due. Patterns only repeat weekly.
Common choices: a daily pre-opening inspection is a Calendar Schedule, critical for operation. A mid-shift cleanliness check that staff run whenever the queue is short is a Continuous Schedule. A post-incident re-inspection is an Ad Hoc Slot created by a trigger on the incident Checklist.
⚠️ Heads-up: You can't change a Schedule's type after you create it. To switch, create a Schedule of the new type with the same Checklists, targets and people, then delete the old one.
For the steps for each type, see How to schedule a Checklist.
Best practices
Use a Calendar Schedule for anything a regulation or SOP ties to a time of day.
Use a Continuous Schedule for repeatable, on-demand checks, and for shared devices combine Restart on completion with Enable timeout.
Use Ad Hoc Slots, often created by a trigger, for event-driven work instead of a Continuous Schedule nobody is accountable for.
Avoid publishing the same Checklist to the same target on both a Continuous and a Calendar Schedule. Assignees are then asked whether to Start Planned or Start Continuous, and may pick the wrong one.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ad hoc slot, and how is it different from a schedule?
An Ad Hoc Slot is a single, one-off slot with its own Checklists, targets, people and compliance settings. It doesn't belong to a Schedule and doesn't repeat. See Ad Hoc Slots — setup and behavior.
Can users complete a scheduled checklist more than once?
Not in the same slot. A Calendar or Ad Hoc slot takes one Result per Checklist per target. For a check people repeat through the day, use a Continuous Schedule, or add a Pattern for each time on a Calendar Schedule.
A user can't see a continuous checklist in the app. Why?
They must be in Assigned to (Users/User Groups), directly or through a User Group, and a member of a Location the Schedule targets. Then have them refresh the app. See Continuous schedules — setup and behavior.
How do I schedule work every 2, 3 or 5 years?
Patterns only repeat weekly. Add a Specific for each due date on a Calendar Schedule, or create an Ad Hoc Slot when the work falls due. See Specific slots: one-off and multi-day times.
Do ad hoc slots stop a ride from opening?
They can. Tick Is critical for operation on the slot. Even without it, a missed slot turns the Location red by default until its Missing Result is handled. Continuous Schedules never affect readiness.