Overview
An Ad Hoc Slot is a one-off scheduled occurrence of a Checklist — created on demand rather than on a recurring pattern. It carries its own start, deadline, and end, its own assignees, and the widest set of compliance options of any Schedule type. Use it for one-time or infrequent work: a pre-season inspection, a contractor sign-off, a special-event opening check, or a rescheduled miss.
Users must be Super Users or have the following Role to create Ad Hoc Slots:
Schedules: Create
Why this matters: Not all work fits a recurring Calendar. An Ad Hoc Slot gives a one-time task the same time-accountability a Calendar slot has — a scheduled window, a missed-state signal, and full compliance tracking — without committing to a repeating pattern.
What's covered:
How Ad Hoc Slots get created
Ad Hoc Slots can arrive from several sources, not just manual creation:
Manually — built in the Mobaro Backend under
Schedules>Ad Hoc Slots, covered below.From a Checklist trigger — an answer meeting a condition creates a follow-up Slot. See Ad Hoc Slot triggers in Checklists.
From an invalidated Result marked resumable — see Invalidating Results.
From a missed Result that's rescheduled — see Approving or rescheduling missed Results.
Via the Mobaro API — using the Schedule Slot call in the public API.
Note: However a Slot is created, it behaves the same once it exists. For the concept, when-to-use guidance, and how Ad Hoc Slots compare to Calendar and Continuous Schedules, see Ad Hoc Slots — setup and behavior.
Creating an Ad Hoc Slot manually
1. Open Schedules > Ad Hoc Slots
In the Mobaro Backend, expand Schedules and select Ad Hoc Slots, then click Create.
2. Set the timing (General)
An Ad Hoc Slot has three points in time, and getting them right is what gives the Slot its accountability:
Start — when the Slot opens and becomes available to complete.
Due — an optional soft deadline: the point by which the work should be done. Passing it doesn't close the Slot, but it's the target the Slot is measured against.
End — when the window closes. A Slot not completed by its end becomes a missed Result.
Optionally add reminders — push notifications sent to assignees at times you choose while the Slot is open.
Best practice: Set Due earlier than End when you want a target that still leaves a grace window before the work counts as missed — for example due at 10:00 but end at 12:00 gives two hours of slack before a missed Result is recorded.
3. Choose the Checklist (What?)
Add the Checklist (or Checklists) the Slot will run.
4. Set the target (Where?)
Point the Slot at one or more targets — a Location, Asset, or Location Group. You can also set target exclusions to carve specific Locations out of a broader group.
5. Assign people (Who?)
Set the assignees — the Users or User Groups who complete the Slot. Optionally add:
Reviewers — Users who validate the Result where validation is required.
Owners — Users who can manage the Slot.
A message to the completing User, shown when they open the Slot.
Notify when available — push a notification to assignees the moment the Slot opens.
Result visibility — who can see the resulting Result: Assignees, the Creator only, or None.
Heads-up: An assignee must also have access to the target Location, or they won't see the Slot even when they're listed. This is the most common reason a newly created Slot doesn't appear for someone.
6. Set compliance options, then save
Enable any compliance and validation options the Slot should carry (see below), then click Save.
Compliance and validation options
Ad Hoc Slots expose the widest range of compliance controls of any Schedule type. All are optional — enable only what the task warrants.
Competency requirements
Set required Competencies to restrict who can complete the Slot, and enable enforce required Competencies to block Users who don't hold an active Certification for them. See Utilizing Competencies.
Validation requirements
Require a Reviewer to sign off the Result, either always or only under specific conditions:
Require validation — every Result must be validated.
When answered out of bounds — only when an answer falls outside its configured range.
When answered too late — only when the Slot is completed after its window.
When scored below maximum — only when the Checklist's score isn't full marks.
On rule deviation — only when a ruleset (for example, Water Quality) flags a deviation.
Best practice: Prefer a conditional validation option over always-on validation. Requiring sign-off only when scored below maximum or answered out of bounds puts a Reviewer's attention where it's needed without adding a validation step to every clean Result.
Other controls
Allow early start — let assignees begin before the Start time, optionally with an early-start message explaining the conditions.
Required minimum duration — a minimum time the Checklist must take, guarding against a Slot being rushed through.
Ignore missing Results — don't record a missed Result if the Slot's window passes unrun.
Criticality — how the Slot affects operational readiness: Always, only when Overdue, or only when Missing. See Schedule criticality and Location operational status.
Time registration — whether logging time against the Slot is Optional or Required.
For how these options compare across all three Schedule types, see Ad Hoc Slots — setup and behavior.
Ad Hoc Slot statuses
In the Ad Hoc Slots list, each Slot shows one of two statuses:
Future — the Slot's Start time hasn't arrived yet.
Started — the Slot's window has opened.
Note: Started means the Slot's time window has begun — not that a User has started completing the Checklist. It's about the Slot, not the Result.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What's the difference between Due and End?
A: Due is a soft deadline — the target time for completion. End is when the window closes; a Slot not completed by End becomes a missed Result. Setting Due earlier than End gives a target with slack before a miss is recorded.
Q: Can an Ad Hoc Slot be missed?
A: Yes — if its window ends without a completed Result. It then goes through the same approve-or-reschedule flow as any missed Result, unless Ignore missing Results was enabled. See Approving or rescheduling missed Results.
Q: Can I change a Slot's timing or compliance after it's created?
A: Yes. An existing Ad Hoc Slot's dates, stakeholders, compliance, and Result visibility can be adjusted, including in bulk across multiple Slots.
Q: Why can't an assignee see the Slot?
A: Almost always because they don't have access to the target Location. Being listed as an assignee isn't enough on its own — Location access is also required.
Q: Do Ad Hoc Slot Results show up in reporting?
A: Yes. They appear in the Gallery, count on Dashboards, and are available in reporting like any other Schedule type's Results.