Tracking - for the Subsystem Specialist

This section of the user manual provides specialist users such as system administrators and subsystem specialists with the information required to set up and maintain the reference data used by the Tracking subsystem.

An overview of the day to day operation of the subsystem is provided in Understanding Tracking.

Steps in setting up Tracking reference data

There are three main steps in setting up reference data required for the operation of the Tracking subsystem:

• Record institution defined tracking types
• Record institution defined tracking statuses
• Record institution defined tracking note types

Recording Tracking Types

Institution defined tracking types are recorded in the Maintain Tracking Types form (TRKF1100). Each tracking type is mapped to a system tracking type that is recognised for System functionality.

A tracking type must have a number of 'target days' recorded against it. Target days represent the target elapsed time for completion of a tracking item of this type. They are used, by the System, to calculate the Completion Required By date of a tracking item.

Tracking types can be set to use either business days or calendar days in Tracking date calculations.

The process which tracking items of a particular tracking type will go through is defined by tracking type steps. These are assigned to a tracking type in TRKF1100. The steps associated with a tracking type are inherited by tracking items of that type when the items are created in TRKF2100. Each tracking type step has 'action days' recorded against it. These are used to calculate the 'action date' of a tracking item step. Steps can be sequential, forcing the order in which they must be completed, or non-sequential.

Each step can optionally have a recipient recorded against it identifying the person responsible for performing the step. The recipient defaults to any tracking item steps of the same tracking type but can be overridden in TRKF2100. Notes can be recorded against a tracking type step using TRKF1210.

Recording Tracking Statuses

Institution defined tracking statuses are recorded in the Maintain Tracking Status form (TRKF1300). Each tracking status must be mapped to a System Tracking Status which is recognised for System functionality. There are three system tracking statuses:

• ACTIVE - Tracking item has started and is in progress.
• CANCELLED - Tracking item has been completed by item originator before all steps were completed. Any uncompleted steps are set to 'by-passed' by the System.
• COMPLETE - All tracking item steps have been completed or by-passed.

Tracking statuses are applied to both tracking items and tracking groups to indicate their current state of activity.

Recording Tracking Note Types

Institution defined tracking note types are recorded in the Maintain Tracking Note Types form (TRKF1500). The note types are used to categorise notes within the Tracking subsystem and are used for:

• tracking type step notes
• tracking item notes and
• tracking item step notes.

Possible note types include:

• for tracking type steps - PURPOSE - being the purpose of a tracking step
• for tracking item notes - SUPPORT - being information about documentation received in support of a tracking item.
• for tracking item steps - COMMENT - being a comment regarding the performance of that step.