Learn more about these exciting new capabilities offered with InfraLink v3.5.42:

System Construction and Commissioning

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For unscheduled work, such as proactive maintenance and service orders, InfraLink historically provided two Case Category Types: Problem and Quick Action. Problem-type Case Categories applied all of InfraLink's Issue-Management capabilities, while the Quick Action-type Case Categories employed a pared-down feature set. This two-sizes-fit-all approach became less realistic as the application began supporting a wider variety of work activities. 

InfraLink v3.5.42 introduces the the Issue Management Case Category Type, which supports all Issue-Management fields/features but offers a combination of global and Contract-level configurations to control their presence and behavior in different scenarios. Configurable Issue Mangement fields include, but are not limited to, Case assignment, System Element association, Issue Types, Problem Causes and Resolutions. Employing only the necessary features per Case Category and status unclutters Case creation and update forms and streamlines data entry.To provide an example of how these new global and Contract-level configurations may be applied, let's consider the use of Job Numbers. If an instance does not use Job Numbers at all, the Job Number fields can be hidden globally, across all Case Categories. However, if Job Numbers are used on just one of the five Contracts on an instance, the feature can remain optional across all Case Categories and then hidden at the Contract level where appropriate.. Look for related features and enhanced configurations, associated with this new Case Category Type, in coming releases! 

What You Will See in the User Interface:

• Within the New/Edit Case Category form, the Type drop-down menu now presents Issue Management in place of the former Problem Type.
• When Issue Management is the selected Type, the New/Edit Case Category form presents the Standard Field Default Behaviors section, with behavior selection for most fields.
  • For Description, System Element, Location, Issue Types, Problem Cause, Resolution, Job Number and Estimated Cost fields, administrators can define the global default behavior as Optional, Required or Hidden.
  • For Assigned to and Due Date fields, the global default behavior is automatically set to Optional. The behavior of these two fields can always be configured on a Contract-by-Contract basis.
• The Case Workflows section of the Contract Details panel now offers configuration for Field Behaviors on any Issue Management Case Category.
  • Selecting the Configure link next to an Issue Management Case Category will present Case Fields configuration options.
    • Case Fields with the Optional global default behavior can be edited for status-specific behaviors (i.e., Optional, Hidden, Required or Read Only) on that Contract.
  • Selecting the Configure link next to a non-Issue Management Case Category presents no configuration options.

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Filter Issue Types per Case Category

A single InfraLink instance may support any number of projects, sites or segments of work, resulting in a multitude of Contracts and disparate Case Categories. While a comprehensive dictionary of specific Issue Types offers tremendous value when it comes to work classification and reporting in InfraLink, navigation of a global list can become overwhelming as users search for the right Issue Type for their Case.  

To improve the user experience and help ensure proper dispositioning of Case records, InfraLink now supports the filtering of Issue Types per Case Category.

For example, when a user creates or updates a Case under the ESS Repair Category, the presented Issue Types can now be limited to only those applicable to ESS repair scenarios.

What You Will See in the User Interface:

• The Case Category Details panel now includes an Issue Types section.
• The plus ( + ) icon allows users to add Issue Type associations.
• The trashcan icon allows users to remove the selected Issue Type association(s).
• When creating/updating Cases:
  • The presented Issue Types will be limited to those selected within the Case Category's configuration.
  • If no Issue Type(s) is selected within a Case Category configuration, the entire Issue Type dictionary will be presented for Cases of that Category.

Expanded Conditionality Options for Case Custom Fields

Contract administrators now have more control over what Case Custom Fields are presented and when.

Historically, InfraLink offered limited conditionality options when it came to Case Custom Fields. A Filter By configuration allowed the response options for a choice-type Custom Field to be filtered based on the selection made in another choice field. For example, the value selected in Choice Field A could influence the drop-down response options presented in Choice Field B. These Filter By configurations apply globally (i.e., across every Contract that uses those Case Custom Fields.)

With this release, administrators can now configure Custom Field conditionality at the Contract level. Once Custom Fields are assigned to a Contract's Case Category, the display of various (e.g., date, text, file attachment, etc.) Custom Field can be conditional on the selection made in another choice field. Additionally, Case Custom Fields can now be conditional on the Issue Type ("Issues") selected on a Case.

What You Will See in the User Interface:

•  When configuring Case Custom Fields on a Contract, the Custom Field Settings now include Conditional on options.
• Conditional on Choice Field settings allow you to:
  • select the choice-type Custom Field upon which the Case Custom Field will be conditional; and
  • select which choice field response(s) will display the conditional Custom Field.
• Conditional on Issue Type settings allow you to:
  • select the Issue Type criteria that will display the conditional Case Custom Field; and
  • if the criteria involves specific values, select the desired Issue Type values.
• When the configured criteria are met, the conditional Case Custom Field will be displayed within Case creation and update forms.

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• Case Category Type has now been replaced with the Issue Mangement Case Category Type.
• In the Case Category dictionary, each existing Case Category of the Problem type is now identified as an Issue Management type.

Permission Restricted Case Custom Fields

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Administrators can now restrict the ability to see and update Custom Fields on a user-by-user basis using new Case Custom Field Permissions.

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As the use of InfraLink expands, a broader group of stakeholders access the system for a variety of purposes, including work ticketing, quality assurance, funding approval, and contract reporting. To accommodate a more diverse userbase and support need-to-know data access, permissions can now be applied at the Custom Field level.

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What You Will See in the User Interface:

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General Scalability and Usability

As we continue to enhance the InfraLink application, our team would like to thank you all for your participation and feedback! We are placing much focus on improving the User experience when creating and updating Cases. Stay tuned for more on planned improvements and tentative release dates!