The Physical Record Management (PRM) workflow manages and
tracks the status of all physical entities. Each time you need to
access a physical entity, the PRM workflow is launched.
End users can then charge out, charge in, and reserve
entities, without the intervention of any authority. Therefore, the
current record holder decides the duration for keeping the entity
(even if there is a delay). The record holder is only required to
notify the system of the period for which the entity will be charged
out; the system informs other users in queue about the availability
of the entity.
The PRM workflow is manually launched by end
users, when they need to charge out or reserve a physical entity.
The workflow lasts the entire cycle of reserving, receiving, and releasing
the entity to the next user. If there is a delay in releasing the
entity or if the current holder has lost the entity, the workflow
informs all of the end users associated with the entity, including
the keeper of the entity.
After the PRM workflow is launched,
it is associated with the following general step processors and component
steps:
- Release Item
- Is a general step processor wherein the current record holder
releases the entity to the user who is next in queue to use the entity.
The record holder can choose to:
- Release the entity
- The current record holder can choose to manually deliver the entity
or use a delivery service to send the entity to the user who is next
in queue.
- Request delay
- The current record holder can choose to delay the release of the
entity, and is required to notify the system about the delay. The
system then notifies other users in queue of the delay in releasing
the entity.
- Notify loss of the entity
- It is possible that the record holder has lost the entity. In
such a situation, the record holder is required to notify the system
that the entity is lost. The system then notifies other users in queue
of the loss of the entity.
- Wait for Delivery Item
- In this step, the end user is awaiting for the delivery of the
entity. In such a situation, the end user can either receive the item,
or be notified of a delay in receiving the entity, or that the entity
is lost.
- Receive Item
- Is a general step processor, wherein the end user waiting in queue
makes a request to release the entity, and if the item is released,
it is sent to the recipient's inbox as soon as the previous record
holder releases the entity.