Overview
Competencies are how Mobaro represents qualifications, training, and certifications held by individual Users. They're the gating mechanism that determines who can complete a Checklist, who can act as an Operator or Attendant in RideOps, and who has the credentials to perform safety-critical work. This article walks through the full lifecycle: the underlying model, creating a Competency, awarding it to Users, requiring it on Schedules and in RideOps, and where qualification data surfaces across Mobaro.
Users must be Super Users or have the following Role to manage Competencies and Certifications:
Competencies: Administrate
Why this matters: Without Competency requirements, anyone with access to a Schedule or Location can complete the work — even if they aren't trained. Tying Competencies to Schedules and RideOps roles gives you an auditable record that only qualified people performed safety-critical tasks.
The Competencies model
Three related concepts work together. Understanding the distinction makes everything that follows clearer.
Object | What it is | Example |
Competency | The qualification itself — a reusable noun applied across Users, Schedules, and RideOps roles. | Coaster Operator – Tier 2 |
Certification | A record linking one User to one Competency, with optional expiration, attachments, and notes. | Maria Lopez holds Coaster Operator – Tier 2, expires 2027-08-15 |
Certification Process | An automated workflow that awards a Competency after a User passes a training Checklist or reviewer validation. | A Loader training course that awards the Loader Competency on completion. |
Note: Competencies persist over time. Certifications come and go — they get awarded, expire, get renewed or revoked. Certification Processes are optional automation: they turn training completions into Certifications without manual entry.
Creating a Competency
Before you can award a Competency or require it on Schedules or in RideOps, the Competency itself needs to exist.
1. Open the Competencies list
In the Mobaro Backend, expand Competencies in the navigation and click Competencies.
2. Start a new Competency
Click + Create.
3. Name and describe it
Enter a clear, unambiguous name (e.g., Coaster Operator – Tier 2) and an optional description explaining what the Competency represents.
4. Save
Click Save.
Best practice: Name Competencies so they're unambiguous to everyone who sees them — operations leadership, training, and frontline staff all read these names. Include version or tier markers when training requirements change over time, so a renamed program doesn't carry old Certifications forward.
Awarding a Competency to a User
A User holds a Competency by having an active Certification for it. Certifications can be created manually for credentials issued outside Mobaro, or automatically via a Certification Process.
Manually creating a Certification
Use this for credentials that come from outside Mobaro (third-party training, regulatory licenses) or for one-off awards.
1. Open the Certifications page
In the Mobaro Backend, expand Competencies in the navigation and click Certifications.
2. Start a new Certification
Click + Create.
3. Add the User
Search for and add a User in the User field.
4. Add the Competency
Search for and add the relevant Competency in the Competency field.
5. Set the expiration
In the Expiration field, choose a specific date, a relative duration, or never.
6. Add evidence
Add any supporting attachments (training certificates, ID cards) or notes.
7. Save
Click Save.
Awarding via a Certification Process
For recurring credentials (annual safety training, periodic re-certifications), build a Certification Process that automates the award and renewal lifecycle. See How to create a Certification Process for the full workflow.
Best practice: For any credential awarded more than once, prefer a Certification Process over manual entry. The process tracks award dates, expiration, and renewal automatically — and removes the risk of someone forgetting to add a Certification when training is complete.
Requiring Competencies on Schedules
When a Schedule has Required Competencies, only Users who hold valid (non-expired) Certifications for those Competencies can act on Checklists started from that Schedule. This gives you an enforceable training requirement at the work-execution layer.
To require Competencies on a Schedule:
1. Open Schedules
Navigate to Schedules in the Mobaro Backend.
2. Pick the Schedule
Select the Schedule you want to gate.
3. Open the editor
Click Edit. For Calendar Schedules, click Settings.
4. Find Required Competencies
Scroll to the Required Competencies field.
5. Add Competencies
Search for and add one or more Competencies.
6. Optionally restrict access
Optionally toggle on Restrict access based on required competencies (see below).
7. Save
Click Save.
Restricted vs. unrestricted Competency requirements
The Restrict access based on required competencies toggle changes how Required Competencies are enforced:
Mode | Behavior |
Restrict access ON | Users without the required Competencies cannot start, resume, or submit a Checklist for this Schedule. The Schedule acts as a hard gate — only qualified Users can perform the work. |
Restrict access OFF | Eligible Assignees can act on the Schedule regardless of whether they hold the required Competencies. The Required Competencies field acts as a recommendation, not a gate. |
Critical: For safety-critical work where regulatory compliance requires that only certified personnel perform inspections, leave Restrict access ON. With it off, the Required Competencies list is descriptive only — untrained Users can still complete the Checklist with no enforcement.
Requiring Competencies in RideOps
In RideOps, Competencies gate two role types per Location:
Operators: Required Competencies apply globally to anyone clocking in as an Operator at the Location.
Attendants: Each Attendant Position (e.g., Loader, Greeter, Unloader) can have its own distinct Competency requirements.
Setting Competency requirements for Operators
1. Open the Location
Navigate to Locations and select the Location.
2. Edit the Location
Click Edit.
3. Open RideOps Settings
Scroll to the RideOps section and click RideOps Settings.
4. Add the Operator Competencies
In the Operators section, search and add Competencies in the Required Competencies field.
5. Save changes
Click Accept Changes, then Save on the Location editor.
Setting Competency requirements for Attendant Positions
1. Open RideOps Settings
Follow steps 1–3 above to reach RideOps Settings.
2. Add a Position
In the Attendants section, click Add Position.
3. Name the Position
Give the Position a name (e.g., Loader, Dispatcher) and an optional description.
4. Add Required Competencies
Search and add Competencies in the Required Competencies field for that Position.
5. Save changes
Click Accept Changes, then Save.
Note: A User can hold multiple Competencies and qualify for multiple Attendant Positions on the same Location. RideOps surfaces every Position the User is qualified to fill when they log in.
The Certification lifecycle
Each Certification a User holds moves through these states:
State | Meaning | Effect on access |
Active | Awarded and not yet expired. | User holds the Competency for all gating checks. |
Expiring soon | Active, but inside a configurable warning window before expiration. | Still counts as held. Surface for renewal planning before the lapse. |
Expired | Past the expiration date. | User no longer holds the Competency. Same effect as never having held it. |
Deleted | Manually deleted or replaced before expiration. | Same as expired — User no longer holds the Competency. |
Best practice: Build a Dashboard widget for Certifications. Reviewing it weekly prevents lapses that take Users out of qualification mid-shift — which is especially disruptive when the Certification gates a Restrict-access-ON Schedule or a RideOps Position.
Where Competency status surfaces
Once Competencies are awarded and required on Schedules or in RideOps, qualification data flows to several places in Mobaro:
Schedule access — When
Restrict accessis ON for a Schedule, only Users who hold the Required Competencies can start, resume, or submit Checklists for it.RideOps Operator and Attendant selectors — Only Users holding the Required Competencies are eligible to clock in as Operator or fill an Attendant Position.
User profiles — Every active Certification appears under the User's profile in the Backend, with award date, expiration, and any attached evidence.
Competency detail page — Opening a Competency lists every active Certification for it across all Users.
Competency Overview widget — Shows a filtered matrix of Users and Competencies.
Reports — Certification status (Active, Expiring soon, Expired) is reportable for renewal planning and compliance review.
Example: certifying a new ride Loader
Scenario
Maria has just been hired as a ride Loader. Before she can act as a Loader on any coaster, she needs to complete the standard Loader training, and her qualification needs to be tracked in Mobaro so the gating works automatically.
Setup
A Loader Competency exists, representing the Loader qualification.
A Loader Training Certification Process is configured: a training Checklist plus reviewer validation that awards the Loader Competency on completion.
On every coaster, the Loader Attendant Position has the Loader Competency in its
Required Competenciesfield.The pre-opening Loader inspection Schedule has the Loader Competency in
Required Competencies, withRestrict accessON.
Result
Maria signs in to the Mobaro app on day one. She tries the pre-opening Loader inspection Checklist and is blocked — she doesn't hold the Loader Competency yet.
Her trainer runs the Loader Training Certification Process with her, with reviewer validation. On completion, the Loader Competency is awarded automatically with a 1-year expiration.
Now Maria can complete the pre-opening Loader inspection. She's also eligible to clock in as a Loader on any coaster that lists Loader as an Attendant Position.
Eleven months later, the Loader Certification approaches expiration. Maria appears on the renewal Dashboard widget. The training team initiates a new Certification Process to renew her credential before it lapses, so she stays qualified without an interruption.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What's the difference between a Competency and a Certification?
A: A Competency is the qualification itself — a reusable noun like Coaster Operator – Tier 2. A Certification is the per-User record that says a specific User holds that Competency, with award date, expiration, and supporting evidence.
Q: What's the difference between a Competency and a Certification Process?
A: A Competency is the qualification. A Certification Process is the workflow that awards that Competency (training Checklist plus reviewer validation). Use Competencies on their own for externally issued credentials; use a Certification Process when Mobaro should track the training and award the credential automatically.
Q: What happens when a User's Certification expires?
A: Expired Certifications immediately stop counting toward Required Competencies. If a Schedule or RideOps role uses that Competency with Restrict access ON, the User loses access until the Certification is renewed.
Q: Can a User have a Certification without it being awarded by Mobaro?
A: Yes. Manually created Certifications are how you record credentials issued outside Mobaro (third-party training, regulatory licenses). Attach the supporting document so reviewers can verify it.
Q: How do I see who's certified in a given Competency?
A: Open the Competency from the Competencies list. The detail page lists every active Certification for that Competency, including the User, expiration date, and attached evidence.
Q: Can the same Competency gate both a Schedule and a RideOps Position?
A: Yes — that's the typical pattern. A single Loader Competency can gate both the pre-opening inspection Schedule (so only Loaders complete it) and the Loader Attendant Position in RideOps (so only Loaders can clock in to fill it). One award, multiple gates.
Q: What happens to historical Results if I revoke a User's Certification?
A: Past Results stay intact and remain attributed to the User who completed them. Revocation only affects future qualification — the User can no longer perform new work that requires the revoked Competency.