Understanding Tasks

A task in Kora represents work that needs doing. Feeding animals, checking water troughs, administering medication, recording weights, repairing fences, preparing export documentation. Each task captures what needs doing, when it is due, who is responsible, and how important it is.

Tasks range from simple reminders ("Call vet about Bull #A123") to detailed work instructions ("Prepare 15 cattle for export: health checks, documentation, movement permits, certificate preparation"). Some tasks stand alone. Others link to specific animals, mobs, or locations creating integrated workflows. Some happen once. Others recur daily, weekly, or monthly generating instances automatically.

Understanding task components and how they work together helps you use Kora's task system effectively.

Task Components

Every task consists of several key elements:

Title

What it is: Short, clear description of the work.

Examples:

• "Morning feeding (All animals)"
• "Vaccinate Spring Lambs 2025"
• "Repair fence (East Paddock)"
• "Call Dr. Johnson about Bull #A123's lameness"
• "Monthly weight recording (Breeding stock)"

Best practice: Make titles specific enough to understand the task at a glance without reading the full description. "Feeding" is vague. "Morning feeding (All animals)" is clear.

Description

What it is: Detailed explanation of what needs doing, how to do it, or important context.

Examples:

Title: Vaccinate Spring Lambs 2025
Description: Administer Clostridial 7-in-1 vaccine to all 50 lambs in Spring
Lambs 2025 mob. Use Batch #VAC-2024-12345 from vaccine fridge. Record batch
number and date for each lamb. Vaccination gun should be sterilised before
use. 21-day withdrawal period applies.

Title: Prepare Bull #A123 for export
Description: Export to Australia scheduled for March 15. Required actions:
- Tuberculosis test (complete by March 1)
- Brucellosis test (complete by March 1)
- Export health certificate from government vet
- Movement permit from destination property
- Transport arrangement confirmation
- 7-day pre-export quarantine (March 8-15)

Best practice: Include enough detail that anyone assigned the task understands what to do. For recurring tasks, description becomes the standard operating procedure.

Due Date

What it is: When the task needs completing.

Options:

• Specific date: "2025-03-15" (complete by this date)
• Date and time: "2025-03-15 06:00" (complete at specific time, useful for daily routines)
• No due date: Tasks that need doing but are not time-critical

Why it matters: Due dates create accountability and enable prioritisation. Overdue tasks are flagged prominently preventing forgotten activities. Time-specific due dates help schedule daily routines (06:00 morning feeding, 18:00 evening feeding).

Example scenarios:

• "Morning feeding" due daily at 06:00
• "Monthly weight recording" due first of each month
• "Repair fence" due this week but no specific date
• "Review feed supplier quotes" no due date (when time permits)

Priority

What it is: How important or urgent the task is.

Three levels:

High Priority: Urgent work requiring prompt attention. Examples:

• Emergency fence repair (animals could escape)
• Medication for sick animal (treatment delay harmful)
• Overdue health certificate (export pending)
• Critical biosecurity breach response

Medium Priority: Standard priority for routine work. Examples:

• Daily feeding routines
• Scheduled health checks
• Regular facility maintenance
• Routine record-keeping

Low Priority: Can wait if more urgent work appears. Examples:

• General cleanup tasks
• Optional facility improvements
• Non-urgent documentation updates
• "Nice to have" but not essential activities

Best practice: Use priority to guide daily work organisation. High priority first, medium priority next, low priority when time allows. Do not mark everything high priority. Priority loses meaning if everything is urgent.

Status

What it is: Current work state.

Four statuses:

To Do: Task created but not yet started. Default status for new tasks. The work is identified and scheduled but has not begun.

In Progress: Currently working on the task. Someone has started but has not finished. Useful for tasks taking significant time (complex preparations, multi-step workflows, activities spanning hours or days).

Review: Work completed but awaiting verification. Used when tasks require checking or approval before final closure. Example: "Monthly compliance report completed, awaiting manager review."

Done: Task finished and verified. Work is complete, results are satisfactory, task can be archived.

Status progression: Tasks typically move To Do → In Progress → Done for simple work, or To Do → In Progress → Review → Done when verification is needed.

Example workflow:

Task: Vaccinate 50 lambs in Spring Lambs 2025 mob

08:00 - Status: To Do (task appears, not started yet)
08:15 - Status: In Progress (started vaccinating, 10 lambs done)
10:30 - Status: In Progress (40 lambs done, brief break)
12:00 - Status: Review (all 50 lambs vaccinated, awaiting manager verification)
12:30 - Status: Done (manager verified all lambs recorded correctly)

Assignment

What it is: Who is responsible for completing the task.

Options:

• Assigned to specific person: "John Smith" is responsible
• Unassigned: Anyone can take the task
• Self-assigned: Creator is automatically responsible

Why assignment matters: Clear accountability. John knows which tasks are his responsibility. Sarah knows which are hers. Management knows who is responsible for what. No "I thought someone else was doing that" gaps.

Example assignments:

• Morning feeding → Assigned to farm hand on duty (rotates)
• Veterinary calls → Assigned to farm manager
• Health checks → Assigned to Community Animal Health Worker
• Breeding records → Assigned to breeding programme coordinator

Team coordination: Multiple people working together see assigned tasks creating clear division of labour without constant verbal coordination.

Task Categories

Four categories organise tasks by type:

Daily Care

Purpose: Essential daily animal welfare and care activities.

Examples:

• Water checks (ensure all animals have clean water)
• Feed distribution (morning and evening feeding)
• Basic health observations (quick visual checks for illness)
• Facility security (gates closed, fencing intact)
• Environmental monitoring (shade available, shelter adequate)

Why this category: These are the foundation tasks keeping animals healthy and safe day to day. Daily Care tasks are typically recurring (happen every day) and high-frequency.

Health & Treatment

Purpose: Medical interventions and health monitoring.

Examples:

• Medication administration (antibiotics, pain relief, parasite treatment)
• Vaccination schedules (routine vaccines, disease-specific programmes)
• Injury monitoring (check healing progress, watch for infection)
• Quarantine checks (health assessments for isolated animals)
• Treatment follow-ups (veterinarian-recommended monitoring)

Why this category: Health tasks often require specialised knowledge, precise timing, or veterinary involvement. Separating health tasks from general care helps track medical compliance and treatment protocols.

Management

Purpose: Broader farm operations and compliance activities.

Examples:

• Movement records (document animal relocations)
• Weight recording (growth monitoring, sale preparation)
• Breeding activities (mating records, pregnancy checks, weaning)
• Facility maintenance (repair equipment, maintain infrastructure)
• Record-keeping (update databases, file documents)

Why this category: Management tasks keep operations running smoothly beyond immediate animal care. They are often administrative, compliance-related, or infrastructure-focused.

Biosecurity

Purpose: Biosecurity plan action items and compliance requirements.

Examples:

• Quarantine implementation (isolate new arrivals or exposed animals)
• Access control setup (visitor management, zone restrictions)
• Equipment cleaning (sanitise tools, clean facilities)
• Facility inspections (biosecurity audits, protocol compliance)
• Protocol execution (systematic biosecurity activities from Chapter 11.5)

Why this category: Biosecurity tasks prevent disease introduction and spread. Separating them helps ensure biosecurity protocols are not neglected during busy periods.

Using Categories

Categories are organisational tools: They help filter and find tasks ("Show me all Health & Treatment tasks") but do not restrict what you can do. If a task does not fit neatly into one category, choose the closest match or create a custom category label.

Category flexibility: Categories guide organisation but are not rigid rules. A task like "Prepare animals for vet visit" could be Health & Treatment (veterinary) or Management (preparation logistics). Choose what makes sense for your workflow.

Task Integration Points

Tasks integrate across Kora creating unified workflows:

Animal Integration

Individual animal tasks: Link tasks to specific animals creating integrated animal management.

Example:

Animal: Bull #A123
Tasks:
- Monitor post-surgery recovery (High priority, Daily checks)
- Administer antibiotics 2x daily (Due: 08:00 and 18:00, 7 days)
- Schedule follow-up vet visit (Due: March 15)
- Record daily feed intake (Daily recurring)

When viewing Bull #A123's profile, all related tasks appear together. Create tasks directly from animal page with animal automatically linked. Tasks become part of animal record rather than separate to-do lists.

Mob Integration

Group-level tasks: Link tasks to entire mobs for group management.

Example:

Mob: Spring Lambs 2025 (50 lambs)
Tasks:
- Weekly health checks (Recurring: every Monday)
- Vaccinate all lambs (Due: March 10, High priority)
- Weaning preparation (Due: April 1)
- Monthly weight recording (Recurring: first of month)

Mob tasks appear when viewing mob records. Group activities managed as single tasks rather than 50 individual animal tasks.

Location Integration

Place-based tasks: Associate tasks with specific locations, paddocks, or facilities.

Example:

Location: North Pasture
Tasks:
- Clean water troughs (Weekly recurring)
- Inspect fencing (Monthly recurring)
- Rotate cattle to different subdivision (Due: This week)
- Repair gate latch (High priority, no due date)

Location-based views show all work needed at each property area. Field staff see tasks for the paddock they are in without searching entire task list.

Team Integration

Multi-user collaboration: Tasks create clear accountability across teams.

Example team task distribution:

John (Farm Hand):
- Morning feeding (All animals) (Daily 06:00)
- Water checks (All locations) (Daily 08:00)
- Evening feeding (All animals) (Daily 18:00)

Sarah (Manager):
- Weekly health checks (All animals) (Every Monday)
- Monthly weight recording (Breeding stock) (First of month)
- Coordinate vet visits (As needed)

Michael (Breeding Coordinator):
- Breeding observations (Daily)
- Pregnancy checks (Weekly)
- Weaning management (Seasonal)

Everyone sees their assigned tasks. Management sees team progress. Clear division of labour without constant communication.

General Tasks vs Animal-Specific Tasks

Tasks serve two complementary purposes:

General Tasks

What they are: Tasks not linked to specific animals, mobs, or locations.

Examples:

• "Order more vaccine stock"
• "Review feed supplier contracts"
• "Attend industry conference"
• "Update biosecurity plan"
• "Train new farm hand"

When to use: Administrative work, operational tasks, professional development, facility-level activities not tied to specific animals or locations.

Animal-Specific Tasks

What they are: Tasks linked to individual animals or mobs.

Examples:

• "Monitor Bull #A123's lameness"
• "Vaccinate Spring Lambs 2025 mob"
• "Record weights (Breeding stock mob)"
• "Prepare Cow #B456 for export"

When to use: Any work related to specific animals or groups. Linking tasks to animals creates integrated animal management where tasks appear alongside animal records.

Balanced Approach

Most operations use both:

• General tasks for administrative and operational work
• Animal-specific tasks for animal care and management
• Mix of both creating comprehensive workflow coverage

The task system adapts to how you work. Use general tasks when appropriate, animal-specific tasks when helpful, or mix both as needed.