One of the big differences between digital and paper operations is the control you have over who sees what - and when.
Here's a video which goes through how scheduling works!👇
Trail gives tasks start and end dates & times. This prevents everything from being checked off in one go, or starting the wrong task early.
The working day is broken into timeslots which are like start & end shortcuts.
The timings for these timeslots are decided by your business hours. They can be customised for each site - managers and admins are able to set this up from their site and organisation settings.
There are four types of task schedules:
Repeat - Pick from the most common repeat options, or build a custom schedule. Tasks that span several days can be snoozed to the next day.
One-off - Announcements or tasks such as a new product launch, just pick a date for it to appear and when it's due
Adhoc - Tasks that are always available, but only completed when you need them. Tasks that don't have a schedule and are only needed occasionally. Teams can add these tasks from their Complete Tasks page where needed. e.g. Accident Report Forms or Visitor Logs.
Automatic - Triggered by an integration, like Zapier, based on external events.
💡 Note: Automatic tasks are only available on The Standard Plan
Learn more on Zapier and automated tasks here.
Where do I edit a task schedule?
To edit a task schedule head to the 'Manage Tasks' page
Select the task that needs editing, hit 'Edit'
Head to the 'Schedule' tab of the Task Editor
💡 Note: Only admin permission-level users can edit a task.
How do I set up a task to repeat daily?
In the Task Editor, head to the Schedule tab
Select “Repeat”
The default repeating schedule is daily
Select the correct timeslots for the task to appear
Publish changes
How do I get a task to appear twice a day or more?
To get a task to repeat twice a day or more choose the 'Repeat' function
Choose Daily from the scheduling choices
Select the correct timeslots for the task to appear
Hit “Add another schedule”
Select “Repeat”
Choose Daily
Select the correct timeslots for the task to appear
Repeat if the frequency is more than twice a day
Publish changes
💡 Note: Learn more about multiple schedules here.
How do I get a task to appear hourly or at a specific time?
To get a task to repeat hourly or at a specific time choose the 'Repeat' function
Select “Repeat”
Choose “Daily”
Using the specific time tool, select when you’d like the task to begin and finish e.g. 9am - 10am
Hit “Add another schedule”
Select “Repeat”
Choose “Daily”
Using the specific time tool, select when you’d like the task to begin and finish e.g. 10am - 11am
Repeat this pattern for the number of hours needed for the task to repeat.
Publish changes
How do I set up a task that repeats weekly on specific days of the week or month?
To get a task to repeat weekly or on specific days of the week choose the 'Repeat' function
Choose “Week” or “Month” depending on the frequency of the task
Select the day(s) of the week the task needs to appear on or, if monthly, the specific date the task should appear on e.g. The task should be completed on Monday, Wednesday or Friday or the task should be completed on the first of the month.
Select the correct timeslots for the task to appear
Publish changes
How do I set up a task that teams can complete over a range of days in a week or a month?
To get a task to repeat over a range of dates choose the 'Repeat' function
Choose “Week” or “Month” depending on the frequency of the task
Hit “between two days” or “between two dates”
From here select the range of dates the task will need to appear for e.g. teams can fill in the task between Monday & Friday. If the task is not needed that day it can be snoozed. Any items completed on a previous day will be carried over to the current day.
Select the correct timeslots for the task to appear
Publish changes
The task in the above picture will now populate every Monday, and gives teams the chance to complete everything by Friday.
The task in the above picture will now populate every month on the first of the month and gives teams the opportunity to complete everything by the 7th.
How do I set up a task that repeats every few months?
To get a task to repeat every few months choose the 'Repeat' function
Select “Month”
Choose a specific date or range of dates.
💡 Note: It’s best to choose the beginning or the middle of the month, as some months have 30 days and some have 31 which can affect the scheduleUsing the number field next to the frequency buttons, increase this to the desired number of months e.g. Every six months.
Select the correct timeslots for the task to appear
Publish changes
How do I set up a task that repeats yearly?
To get a task to repeat annually choose the 'Repeat' function
Select “Repeat”
Select “Month”
Choose a specific date or range of dates.
💡 Note: It’s best to choose the beginning or the middle of the month, as some months have 30 days and some have 31 which can affect the schedule
Using the number field next to the frequency buttons, increase this to the desired number of months e.g. 12 months
Select the correct Time Slots for the task to appear
Publish changes
How do I set up a task to appear once on a specific date?
To get a task to show up once on a specific date choose the 'One-Off' function
Choose the specific date the task should appear on or the range of dates it should appear for.
Select the correct timeslots for the task to appear
Publish changes
I don’t know what the schedule will be, I need the task on demand - how do I set that up?
For any tasks that will be needed on demand or for those that don't have a schedule e.g. Accident Report Forms or Maintenance Issues
Select “Ad-Hoc”
Publish Changes
This task is now available in the “Add Task” section on the Complete Tasks page
Teams can choose to add this to the day that they need to use it and will have to do this manually
Ad-hoc tasks are available to all sites automatically, there isn’t currently a way to assign ad-hoc tasks to specific sites. Here's more info on ad-hoc tasks.
💡 Note: Ad-hoc tasks must be completed the same day they're raised, ad-hoc tasks which aren't completed the same day they're added will be classed as missed.
Automatic scheduling
These tasks have a slightly different type of schedule. They are triggered by events outside of Trail with integrations. The rules for these triggers are configured in third-party apps, like Zapier.
Examples include tasks triggered based on new calendar events, new starters joining & rainy days.
Read more on setting up Zapier & automated tasks here.