Overview
Question Categories let you tag Checklist questions with shared categories so you can compare scores for the same topic across many Checklists. Once tagged, the categories become filters on Dashboards and Location Overviews — you slice your data by topic instead of by Checklist. This article covers building a Question Category Hierarchy, attaching Categories to Checklist questions, and where the data shows up.
Why this matters: Without Question Categories, comparing similar questions across many Checklists means manually aggregating Results. Categories let you answer questions like "How are we doing on cleaning across all rides?" with a single Dashboard widget.
What you'll do:
Build a Question Category Hierarchy with Groups and Categories.
Tag relevant Checklist questions with one or more Categories.
Filter Dashboards and Location Overviews by Category to compare scores by topic.
The Question Categories model
Question Categories are organized in three layers:
Layer | Purpose | Example |
Question Category Hierarchy | The top-level container that organizes related Categories under one theme. | Train Maintenance |
Question Category Group | A folder for related Categories under a shared sub-theme. Optional. | Vehicles, Theming, Restraints |
Question Category | The specific tag applied to one or more Checklist questions. | Fiberglass, Seatbelts, Locking Mechanisms |
Best practice: Use Groups for broad themes you want to score holistically (e.g., Cleaning) and Categories for the specific items underneath them. Groups roll up multiple Categories into a single aggregated score on Dashboard widgets.
Building a Question Category Hierarchy
1. Open Question Categories
In the Mobaro Backend, navigate to Checklists and click Question Categories.
2. Create the Hierarchy
Click + Create, give the Hierarchy a clear name (e.g., Train Maintenance), and click Save.
3. Add Groups and Categories
Click + Add and choose either Group (a folder for related Categories) or Category (a tag you'll attach to questions). Repeat to build out the structure.
Tagging Checklist questions with Question Categories
After the Hierarchy is built, tag the relevant questions across each Checklist.
1. Open and edit the Checklist
In the Mobaro Backend, open the Checklist you want to tag and click Edit.
2. Open a question's editor
Click into the question or element you want to tag.
3. Select Question Categories
In the question's settings, find the Question Categories section and select one or more Categories from any of your Hierarchies.
4. Save the Checklist
Repeat across other questions and other Checklists where the same Categories apply, then click Save on the Checklist editor.
Note: A single question can be tagged with multiple Categories from different Hierarchies — useful when a question is relevant to several reporting dimensions (e.g., a restraint question relevant to both Train Maintenance and Safety Compliance Hierarchies).
Where Question Categories show up
Once Categories are attached, they automatically become filters across Mobaro:
Dashboard widgets — Filter by Question Category Group or by individual Question Category to show aggregated scores for tagged questions only.
Location Overview filters — Filter the Location Overview by Category to focus on Checklists that include questions in that Category.
Cross-Checklist comparison — Because the same Category can be tagged across many Checklists, one Dashboard widget can compare scores for the same topic across an entire organization.
Reports — Question Categories appear as a reporting dimension, so trend analysis and exports can be sliced by Category instead of (or alongside) by Checklist.
Example: tracking restraint inspections across 12 coasters
Scenario
Your park runs 12 coasters, each with its own pre-opening maintenance Checklist. Leadership wants a single view of how restraint inspections are scoring across all 12 rides — without opening each Checklist.
Setup
Create a Hierarchy named Train Maintenance.
Add a Group called Vehicles.
Inside Vehicles, add Categories: Restraints, Theming, Wheels.
On each of the 12 coaster Checklists, tag every restraint-related question with the Restraints Category.
Build a Dashboard widget filtered by Question Category = Restraints.
Result
A single Dashboard widget shows aggregated restraint inspection scores across all 12 coasters.
Drilling in reveals per-ride breakdown.
Adding more Vehicles Categories lets leadership compare Restraints, Theming, and Wheels side-by-side — surfacing whether one type of issue is more common than another, and where.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can a question be tagged with multiple Question Categories?
A: Yes — a single question can carry as many Category tags as needed, including Categories from different Hierarchies.
Q: Do I have to use Groups, or can I just have Categories?
A: Groups are optional. Categories can sit directly under the Hierarchy. Groups are valuable when you want a single rolled-up score across several related Categories.
Q: What happens to historical Results if I add a Category to an existing question?
A: New tags apply going forward. Existing Results retain whatever categorization they had at completion — they aren't retroactively re-tagged.
Q: Can I delete a Question Category that's already in use?
A: Yes, but doing so removes the tag from any questions referencing it. Historical Results retain the original Category for reporting purposes.
Q: Can the same Category appear in multiple Hierarchies?
A: Each Category belongs to one Hierarchy. If you need the same theme in two contexts, create one Category per Hierarchy and tag the same questions with both — the question appears in both reports independently.
Q: How granular should Categories be?
A: Granular enough that a Dashboard filtered by the Category answers a real question leadership asks. Too broad ("Safety") and the data is too aggregated to act on; too narrow ("Bolt #4 torque") and you have hundreds of single-question Categories. Aim for the level a manager would naturally ask about.