Contract work is managed via Case records in InfraLink. A Case is a well-defined and trackable scope of work. A Case can be created manually by a User or automatically by the application, and it will typically include clearly defined completion criteria. A Case will have a defined workflow and can be assigned to the responsible User. Case features and capabilities rely on comprehensive and well-structured Case Category, Case Status and Case Workflow definitions. An administrator must have adequate global privileges to create, delete, or modify these global definitions.

It is important to note that while the categories, statuses and workflows are defined globally, they are enabled at the Contract level. So, a Contract-level User will only see and act upon the workflows associated with the Contract(s) they support.

This article will provide guidance for the creation and management of Case Categories.

Creating Case Categories

An Instance Administrator can create a dictionary of unlimited Case Categories per Instance, and each category should represent work of a unique nature. It is important to utilize a different Case Category for every major type of work that may be performed under a Contract(s), because the workflow for each will typically vary. Examples of common Case Categories include Corrective Maintenance, Installation, Issue/Service Request, Inspection and Preventative Maintenance. Separating project work into well-defined Case Categories provides for ease of management and reporting. 

  1. From the Configure menu on the Top-Level Navigation toolbar, select Workflows, Etc. from the drop-down options.
  2. From the configuration options along the left side of the screen, click the downward arrow next to Cases and select Case Categories from the drop-down menu. This will open the Case Categories dictionary.
  3. Click the New button at the top of the top of the screen. This will open the New Case Category window.
  4. Name the new Case Category.

  5. Select the InfraLink Case Type from the Type drop-down menu. InfraLink is preconfigured to support six basic InfraLink Case Types: Issue Management, Quick Action, PM, Install, Uninstall and Task. Reference the chart below to select the appropriate Case Type for a new Case Category.  

    Case TypePurpose/Description

    Issue Management

    		(Formerly "Problem") This is the most common Case Type for manually created Cases (e.g., Support Requests, Trouble Tickets, Move/Add/Change, etc.) While this Case Type supports all InfraLink Issue Management capabilities, administrators apply global and Contract-level configurations to employ only the desired capabilities for each Issue Management Case Category created. Applying only the necessary features and fields can unclutter New/Edit Case forms and streamline the end user experience.
    Quick Action(Legacy option) This Case Type tracks very specific tasks/actions that require minimal configuration and very short workflows. Quick Action offered an alternative to the original "Problem" Case Type, in that:
    • Issues, Causes and Resolutions are not supported.
    • Priority Change Widget is not supported.
    • Load Unfinished Metrics (i.e., In Progress metric monitoring) is not supported.
    • SLA-specific Summary Dashboard Charts do not include Quick Action Cases.
    • No Handling Metrics widget/section within the Case Details panel.
      • Note: While InfraLink does not monitor performance times against Contract-configured SLAs for Quick Action Cases, the application will capture performance times if the Quick Action Case workflow statuses are configured for Handling Metrics.

    Note: Selection of this Case Type is no longer advised, as the highly configurable "Issue Management" Case Type offers administrators more configuration options and flexibility.

    InstallUsed to track simple installations of Assets or System Elements. 
    UninstallUsed to track uninstall actions for Assets or System Elements.
    PM

    This Case Type relies on the InfraLink PM Generator to create Cases based on PM Group (Rule) configurations. A PM Case will include an individual PM Task for each System Element that falls within the PM Group's scope of work.  

    These Cases cannot be manually created.  

    Task

    This Case Type relies on the Work Package Generator to create Cases based on Work Package Template, and associated, configurations. These Cases can be viewed via the Work Packages grid view, and the associated Tasks are accessible via the All Tasks grid view.

    These Cases cannot be manually created.


  6. Assign an Order number for purpose of sorting categories within the dictionary. Note: Assigning staggered Order values (e.g., 5-10-15, 10-20-30, etc.) allows for the insertion of future Case Categories which will then sort with similar categories within the Case Categories dictionary.

  7. Enter a Description for the new Case Category. While this is an optional field, entering a concise description is recommended. The Description informs users when making a Case Category selection.

  8. Check the box next to “Allow manual” only if this Case Category is intended to support manual Case creation. See the Case Type table, from the Case Categories section above, for more details.

  9. If you wish to restrict Case creation for the Case Category to only certain Users, select the magnifying glass to the right of the "Restricted by Permission" field to apply a Permission. Otherwise, leave blank.

    1. Selecting the magnifying glass presents the "Select Permissions" window where a User can select/create/edit a Case Create Restriction Permission. Ensure that the Permission Name is unique to this Case Category.

    2. Once configured, the Case Create Restriction Permission is presented within the Permissions section of the New/Edit Role forms. Roles assigned the associated Case Create Restriction Permission will be able to create Cases of that restricted Case Category. (Note: The User must also have the Case Create Permission.)
  10. The Billing Type field must be completed with either "T&M" (Time and Materials) or FFP (Firm Fixed Pricing). This selection is required but inconsequential if not using Service Budget functionality.
  11. The Estimate Type field must be completed with either Direct Entry or Excel File. This selection is required but inconsequential if not using Service Budget functionality.
  12. Check the box next to Require Service Budget Selection if the Case Category is intended for a Contract(s) utilizing Service Budget functionality and a Service Budget selection should be required for the Case to enter a committed status. (See Case Statues, Business Logic.)  
  13. The Enforce Service Budget Funding option is available only when "Require Service Budget Selection" is enabled. If selected, Cases will be restricted from entering a "Committed Work" status if its Estimated Cost exceeds the available funding on the selected Service Budget.
  14. Click the OK button to save the new Case Category. The new Case Category will be listed in the Case Category dictionary.

Editing Case Categories

Once a Case Category is created, it can be edited by an administrative User with the necessary permissions. Case Categories are edited much the same way as they are created.

  1. From the Configure menu on the Top-Level Navigation toolbar, select Workflows, Etc from the drop-down options.
  2. From the configuration options along the left side of the screen, click the downward arrow next to Cases and select Categories from the drop-down menu.  This will open the Case Categories dictionary.
  3. Select the Case Category to be edited.
  4. Click the Edit button at the top of the top of the screen. This will open the Edit Case Category form. 
  5. Make changes as necessary.

Click OK to save your edits.

It is important to keep in mind the impacts of editing Case Categories, which are defined globally and shared between Contracts. Any changes to a Case Category will impact all Contracts that use that Case Category.

Deleting Case Categories

Due to the global nature of Case Categories, they cannot be deleted.