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How to schedule a Checklist
How to schedule a Checklist

This article goes over how to get your Checklist published to the mobile app for completion.

Logan Bowlby avatar
Written by Logan Bowlby
Updated over 7 months ago

Overview

Schedules are an important tool for managing the completion of Checklists in your organization. They allow you to control which Users have access to complete a Checklist, which Locations the Checklist is available for, and how often the Checklist should be completed.

Users must be Super Users or have the following Role to schedule Checklists:

  • Schedules: Create


What is Scheduling?

A Schedule in Mobaro is an element that allows you to publish a Checklist built on the backend and make it available for Users to complete via the mobile app.

To create any of the above Schedule types, you will need at least one of each of the following:

  • A Checklist

  • A target (a Location, Asset, or Location Group)

  • An assignee (a User or User Group)


Types of Schedules

Schedules come in three different types:

  • Calendar Schedules

  • Continuous Schedules

  • Ad Hoc Schedules

Each has their respective use cases, detailed below:

Calendar Schedules

A Calendar Schedule is comprised of specific or pattern time slots that dictate a specific start and end time for the applicable Checklist(s). Some examples of times you would utilize the Calendar Schedule are as follows:

  • Planned or repeatable Checklists (i.e., a daily maintenance inspection)

  • When a Checklist should be setup as a precondition for opening a Location

Creating a Calendar Schedule

To create a Calendar Schedule, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Schedules

  2. Click the Create button

  3. Click on Calendar Schedule

  4. When filling out the Configure Schedule section, some fields will be optional, but can improve the quality of the created Schedule. The following fields are required, at minimum, to create your Schedule:

    1. Title

    2. Checklist(s)

    3. Target(s) (e.g. Location(s), Asset(s), or Location Group(s))

    4. Assignee(s)

  5. Optionally enable any applicable Compliance settings

  6. Click Save

Warning: If Assignees do not have access to a Location that a Schedule is set up for, they will not be able to view or complete the Checklist.

Tip: Once you've added the Checklists, Targets, and Assignees, you can use the Schedule Metrics feature to verify that the Schedule and all related permissions are set up correctly.

Take this tour to learn more about the Schedule Metrics feature.

Adding Time Slots Manually to a Calendar Schedule

Now that you have configured your Schedule for the correct Checklists, Targets, and Assignees, you will now be able to add time slots to the Calendar Schedule. One option is to manually add these time slots to allow your Schedule to become active.

There are two types of time slots:

  1. Pattern slots

  2. Specific slots

Using Pattern Slots

Pattern slots allow you to easily configure a rule to have your time slots repeat over a set period of time.

For example, if you want to have a certain Checklist available every Friday from 9am-3pm, you can set up a pattern with these details and the system can automatically create that pattern for you.

Note: Patterns can only be setup to run from any hours between 12:00am (0:00) to 11:59pm (23:59) on the same day. If you need a time slot that may run across multiple days, you will utilize a Specific Slot, as detailed below.

To create a Pattern, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure you are in the calendar view for your Schedule

  2. Click on Patterns

  3. Click on Add Pattern

  4. Add a title

  5. Select which day(s) this pattern should run for

  6. Select a start and end time for each slot

  7. Optionally enable a Grace Period

  8. Optionally enable a Start or Expiration date for this particular Pattern

  9. Optionally add reminder(s)

    1. Reminders will send a push notification to Assignees if any listed Checklist is not completed by the set reminder time

  10. Click Save Changes

Using Specific Slots

Specific slots allow you to create time slots that may not follow a normal pattern or carry over multiple days.

For example, if you want to have a certain Checklist available Monday - Wednesday one week and Thursday - Saturday the next week, you can use specific slots to set this up.

To create a specific slot, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure you are in the calendar view for your Schedule

  2. Click on the beginning date for this slot (i.e., if I want to start the slot on April 1st, I will click on April 1.)

  3. Inside the Configure Specific window, configure the following:

    1. Start date and time

    2. End date and time

    3. Optionally enable a grace period

    4. Optionally add reminder(s)

  4. Click Save Changes

Tip: If you want to use the same values of your created specific slot for another date, use the Use values as preset when creating new specifics option before clicking Save Changes.

Once you click on a new date, the existing values, including any grace periods or reminders, will be copied over so all you will need to do is save the slot.

Using a master Calendar to add time slots to a Calendar Schedule

In addition to being able to manually and individually configure time slots for a Calendar Schedule, you also have the option of inheriting a master Calendar.

Using master Calendars allows for an easier, more streamlined way to manage a group of Schedules that would share the same time slots (e.g., a group of daily, pre-opening Schedules).

Creating a Master Calendar

  1. Under Schedules, click on Calendars

  2. Click the Create button

  3. Give the master Calendar a title and optional description

  4. Click Save

  5. Fill the master Calendar with time slots by utilizing the Pattern and/or specific slots

Inheriting a Master Calendar

A master Calendar is not tied to any Checklists, so to utilize it, you will Inherit that calendar to an already created Schedule. To inherit a master Calendar, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Edit button on a Calendar Schedule

  2. Click the Inheritance button

  3. Click the Add Calendar button

  4. Search for and select the master Calendar you wish to inherit

  5. If this Calendar has specific and/or Pattern slots that have already started and you would like them to be included, optionally check off the applicable settings. Otherwise, if you'd only like this Calendar to activate on the next full slot, leave options unchecked.

Tip: Utilize multiple master Calendars for efficient schedule management across different seasons or operational periods. Create master Calendars like a Spring, Summer, and Fall master Calendar tailored to when specific Locations are operational. Then, apply these Calendars to appropriate Schedules through inheritance. This approach helps maintain clarity and reduces the need for creating multiple similar Calendars for brief or Location-specific operations. It simplifies updates and changes, allowing for an easy overview and better control of scheduling across your organization.

For the tip above, consider a few Locations that may have different operational periods, you can do multiple Calendar inheritances to make it easier for you instead of needing to create a master Calendar for each permutation of the operating calendars:

Location 1

Location 2

Location 3

Spring (Shoulder)

Summer (Main)

Fall (Shoulder)

Winter (Shoulder)

In the example above, you'd inherit the following master Calendar for each Location:

  • Location 1: Spring, Summer, and Fall Calendars

  • Location 2: Summer and Fall Calendars

  • Location 3: Spring, Summer, and Winter Calendars

Continuous Schedules

A Continuous Schedule is a Schedule type that allows a Checklist to be always available for completion. Some examples of times you would utilize the Continuous Schedule are the following:

  • Checklists that should be always accessible no matter how many times it is completed

  • Checklists that should be able to be completed on-demand

Creating a Continuous Schedule

To create a Continuous Schedule, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Schedules

  2. Click the Create button

  3. Click on Continuous Schedule

  4. When filling out the Configure Schedule section, some fields will be optional, but can improve the quality of the created Schedule. The following fields are required at minimum to create your Schedule

    1. Title

    2. Checklist(s)

    3. Target(s) (e.g. Location(s), Asset(s), or Location Group(s))

    4. Assignee(s)

  5. Optionally enable any applicable Behavior and/or Compliance settings

  6. Click Save

Tip: Once you've added the Checklists, Targets, and Assignees, you can use the Schedule Metrics feature to verify that the Schedule and all related permissions are set up correctly.

Take this tour to learn more about the Schedule Metrics feature.

Ad Hoc Schedules

Ad Hoc Schedules (or Ad Hoc Slots) are, as the name implies, a one-off activation of a custom Schedule. These slots can be created in a few different ways, unique to both Continuous and Calendar Schedules; these include:

Ad Hoc Slots are incredible useful when you need some more versatility or customization for non-frequent Checklists.

Creating an Ad Hoc Slot

To create a Ad Hot Slot, follow these steps:

  1. Under Schedules, click on Ad Hoc Slots

  2. Click the Create button

  3. In the General section, fill in the following fields:

    1. Starts at date and time

    2. Ends at date and time

    3. Optionally add in a grace period or reminders

  4. In the What? section, fill in the following fields:

    1. Checklist(s)

  5. In the Where? section, fill in the following fields:

    1. Target(s) (e.g. Location(s), Asset(s), or Location Group(s))

  6. In the Who? section, fill in the following fields:

    1. Assignees (e.g. Users and/or User Groups)

    2. Optionally add in Reviewers, Owners, change Result visibility settings, notify users once the Slot is active, and add a message to the completing user.

  7. Optionally enable any applicable Compliance settings

  8. Click Save


Exclusions

You can add Exclusions to pause your schedule when necessary. For instance, if you have a Calendar Schedule setup that operates daily, there may be specific dates or periods when the Location is closed. During these times, it’s unnecessary to have active Checklists. To prevent Checklists from posting on these dates, simply add Exclusions to your Schedule.

Tip: Exclusions pause active Pattern slots, allowing you to temporarily suspend regular activities at a Location without permanent changes to the schedule. During such downtimes, you can still add specific slots for occasional Checklist activations. This avoids the need for frequent modifications to Exclusion periods or creating Ad Hoc Slots for each instance.

To create an Exclusion, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Edit button on a Calendar Schedule

  2. Click the Exclusions button

  3. Click the Add Exclusion button

  4. Define a reason for the Exclusion

  5. Define a Starts at and Ends at date and time

  6. Optionally enable Exclude Specific Slots which will pause both Pattern and specific slots added to the Calendar Schedule

Note: Exclusion periods are inclusive to the dates and times select. For example, if you have an active slot on January 1 from 4am to 4pm and your Exclusion period starts on January 1 at 1pm, the entirety of the January 1 slot will be paused.

Warning: Exclusion periods cannot cancel a Pattern or specific slot that has already started. Once a slot is active, the slot can only be canceled by either removing the master Calendar from the Schedule and adding it back for a future date or deleting the Calendar Schedule's Pattern or specific slot.

This action will move the Result into Missing Results. You can mitigate this Missing Result by either approving it or rescheduling it for a future date.

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