What Are Tasks?

Tasks are how Kora helps you track work that needs to be done. They are simple to-do items that can be assigned to yourself or team members, linked to specific animals, and tracked through completion.

Tasks ensure nothing gets forgotten. Daily health checks, scheduled treatments, routine maintenance, follow-up appointments, and administrative work all become trackable tasks.

Why Use Tasks?

Prevent forgotten responsibilities: What you write down gets done. What you rely on memory for gets missed.

Coordinate team work: Assign tasks to the right people. Everyone knows what they are responsible for.

Track completion: See what is done, what is in progress, and what is overdue at a glance.

Link to animals: Tasks connected to specific animals keep care organised and visible.

Schedule ahead: Create tasks for future work, ensuring routine care happens on time.

Build accountability: Task history shows who did what and when.

Creating Tasks

Basic task creation:

Step 1: Navigate to Tasks

• Desktop: Click "Tasks" in side navigation
• Mobile: Tap "Tasks" in bottom navigation

Step 2: Create New Task

• Click or tap "Create Task" or + button
• Task form opens

Step 3: Enter Task Details

• Title: Short description of what needs to be done (e.g., "Health check - North Paddock cattle")
• Description (optional): Additional details or instructions
• Due Date: When the task should be completed
• Priority: Low, Medium, or High

Step 4: Link to Animal (Optional)

• Search for animal by name or ID
• Task becomes visible in animal's record
• Useful for animal-specific tasks (treatments, observations, veterinary appointments)

Step 5: Assign to Team Member

• Select person from your team (if assigning to someone else)
• Leave unassigned if it is your own task
• Person receives notification (if enabled)

Step 6: Save Task

• Click or tap "Save"
• Task appears in task list

Time required: 30 to 60 seconds

Task Assignment

Kora supports both individual task management (tasks you create for yourself) and team collaboration (assigning tasks to colleagues).

Assigning to yourself:

• Create task without selecting assigned person
• Task appears in your personal task list
• You are responsible for completion

Assigning to team members:

1. Click "Assign to" dropdown
2. Select person from team directory
3. Person sees task in their task list
4. Task shows who assigned it and who is responsible

Who can be assigned tasks?

• Anyone in your People directory (managed in People section of Kora)
• People are team members, staff, or colleagues with defined roles and responsibilities
• Add people to your directory before you can assign tasks to them

Team task scenarios:

• Farm manager assigns daily health check to farmhand
• Veterinarian assigns follow-up observation to veterinary technician
• Zoo keeper assigns enrichment setup to colleague
• Wildlife manager assigns GPS collar check to field technician

Task Status

Tasks move through four status levels:

To Do - Task created but not yet started (default status for new tasks)

In Progress - Task is being worked on right now

Review - Task completed but awaiting review or verification (optional step)

Done - Task completed and verified

Updating status:

• Click or tap task to open details
• Change status dropdown
• Save

Why status matters: Quickly see what stage tasks are at. "To Do" tasks need attention. "In Progress" tasks are being handled. "Done" tasks are complete.

Task Priority

Three priority levels help you organise work:

Low - Non-urgent tasks, can be done when time permits

Medium - Standard priority, complete by due date (default)

High - Urgent tasks requiring prompt attention

Using priority effectively:

• Do not mark everything High. Priority loses meaning
• High priority for urgent veterinary follow-ups, critical health checks, emergency repairs
• Medium for routine daily tasks
• Low for planning, administrative work, optional improvements

Setting Due Dates

Due dates tell you when tasks should be completed.

How to set due dates:

• Choose date from calendar picker
• Tasks appear in chronological order by due date
• Overdue tasks are highlighted

Due date strategies:

• Same-day tasks: Due today for immediate work
• Scheduled tasks: Due specific future date (veterinary appointment next week)
• Routine tasks: Daily, weekly, monthly recurring due dates
• No due date: For ongoing tasks without specific deadline (rare)

Overdue tasks:

• Automatically flagged when due date passes without completion
• Visible in overdue task view
• Prompt action or reschedule

Recurring Tasks for Routine Care

Recurring tasks automatically generate new task instances on a schedule. Perfect for routine animal care.

Common recurring tasks:

• Daily health checks
• Weekly paddock inspections
• Monthly weight measurements
• Quarterly vaccinations
• Annual veterinary examinations

Setting up recurring tasks (high-level):

1. Create task as normal
2. Enable "Recurring" option
3. Choose frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Custom)
4. Set start date
5. Save

How it works:

• Kora automatically creates new task instances based on schedule
• Each instance appears as separate task with appropriate due date
• Complete each instance individually
• Original recurring rule continues generating future tasks

Example - Daily Health Check:

• Task: "Morning health check - Dairy herd"
• Frequency: Daily
• Time: 6:00 AM
• Assigned to: Farm staff
• Result: New task created automatically each morning

Example - Weekly Enrichment:

• Task: "Prepare enrichment items - Primate exhibit"
• Frequency: Weekly (every Monday)
• Assigned to: Zoo keeper
• Result: Task appears every Monday morning

Completing Tasks

Mark task complete:

1. Open task from task list
2. Update status to "Done"
3. Add completion notes (optional but recommended)
4. Save

Task completion notes:

• Briefly describe what was done
• Note any issues or observations
• Useful for team communication and record-keeping

What happens when task is completed:

• Task moves to "Done" status
• Completion date and time recorded
• If linked to animal, completion visible in animal's timeline
• Task removed from active task list (still accessible in completed tasks view)

Task Views and Organisation

List View - Chronological list of tasks by due date (default)

Calendar View - Tasks displayed on calendar by due date

Animal View - Tasks filtered by specific animal

Assigned to Me - Only tasks assigned to you

Assigned to Others - Tasks you have assigned to team members

Overdue - Tasks past due date, need attention

Completed - Archive of finished tasks

Switching views:

• Click view option (list, calendar, animal filter)
• View preference saved automatically

Linking Tasks to Animals and Mobs

Why link tasks to animals:

• See all tasks for specific animal in one place
• Animal record shows task history
• Treatment tasks connect to medical records
• Observation tasks link to health monitoring

How to link:

1. When creating task, search for animal by name or ID
2. Select animal from results
3. Task is now connected to that animal's record
4. View animal record to see linked tasks

Mob tasks:

• Link tasks to animal mobs (groups) instead of individuals
• Useful for herd health checks, mob treatments, group movements
• Same process as individual animals

Task Examples Across Contexts

Example 1: Dairy Farm - Daily Health Check

• Title: "Morning health check - North Paddock"
• Description: "Visual check of all 30 cattle, note any lameness, illness, or behavioural changes"
• Due Date: Today, 6:00 AM
• Priority: Medium
• Assigned to: Farm staff (rotating daily)
• Recurring: Daily
• Linked to: None (general herd task)

Example 2: Zoo - Veterinary Follow-Up

• Title: "Re-examine Tembo's foot injury"
• Description: "Check healing progress on left front foot laceration, change bandage if needed, document with photo"
• Due Date: Tomorrow, 10:00 AM
• Priority: High
• Assigned to: Zoo veterinarian
• Recurring: No
• Linked to: Tembo (African Elephant)

Example 3: Wildlife Reserve - Equipment Maintenance

• Title: "Check GPS collar battery - Juma"
• Description: "Verify GPS collar transmitting correctly, replace battery if signal weak"
• Due Date: Next week Friday
• Priority: Medium
• Assigned to: Field technician
• Recurring: Monthly
• Linked to: Juma (White Rhinoceros)

Example 4: Veterinary Clinic - Post-Surgery Monitoring

• Title: "Post-op check - Whiskers (neuter surgery)"
• Description: "Check incision site, assess pain level, ensure eating and drinking normally, discharge if stable"
• Due Date: Today, 4:00 PM
• Priority: High
• Assigned to: Veterinary nurse
• Recurring: No
• Linked to: Whiskers (Cat-2024-089)

Common Task Workflows

Workflow 1: Observation Creates Task

1. Record observation of limping cow
2. Severity: High
3. Create task: "Veterinary examination - Daisy (limping)"
4. Assign to veterinarian
5. Due: Tomorrow morning
6. Veterinarian completes task, records treatment

Workflow 2: Recurring Daily Routine

1. Set up recurring task: "Morning health check - All animals"
2. Frequency: Daily, 6:00 AM
3. Assigned to: Rotating staff schedule
4. Each morning, staff complete task and note observations
5. Task auto-generates for next day

Workflow 3: Treatment Schedule

1. Veterinarian prescribes 7-day antibiotic treatment
2. Create recurring task: "Administer antibiotic - Daisy"
3. Frequency: Daily for 7 days
4. Assigned to: Farm staff
5. Staff complete each dose, mark task done
6. After 7 days, recurring stops automatically

Workflow 4: Team Coordination

1. Zoo director creates task: "Prepare new exhibit for penguin arrival"
2. Assigned to: Facilities manager
3. Facilities manager creates subtasks for team:
   • "Install pool filtration system" → Maintenance staff
   • "Set up nesting boxes" → Keeper staff
   • "Stock initial food supply" → Nutrition team
4. All subtasks completed, director reviews, marks master task done

Best Practices for Task Management

Be specific in task titles: "Health check - Daisy" is better than "check cow"

Use due dates consistently: Tasks without due dates get forgotten

Assign appropriately: Give tasks to person best qualified to complete them

Update status regularly: Move tasks through To Do → In Progress → Done

Complete tasks promptly: Do not let overdue tasks accumulate

Use priority sparingly: If everything is High priority, nothing is

Link to animals when relevant: Makes task context clear and connects to animal records

Add completion notes: Brief summary of what was done helps team communication

Review completed tasks: Learn from task history, improve processes

Task Notifications and Reminders

When tasks are assigned to you:

• Notification appears (if enabled in settings)
• Task visible in your task list
• Reminder on due date (if notifications enabled)

When you assign tasks to others:

• Team member receives notification
• You can track completion status
• Notification when task is marked done

Overdue reminders:

• Automatic notification for overdue tasks
• Prompt rescheduling or completion