Since physical entities cannot be seen online, you need
to arrange to have the items sent to you. This process, called charge
out, also launches the Physical Records Management (PRM) workflow
that keeps track of where the entities are at each step. You can charge
out individual records (one at a time) or any of the containers that
hold physical items.
The PRM workflow spans the entire cycle of reserving, receiving,
and releasing the entity to the next user. The workflow also tracks
delays in receiving or releasing the entity. In addition, it tracks
entities lost in transit or by the user who is currently listed as
being in possession of the entity. Of course, keeping track of an
entity via the PRM workflow requires that all participants accurately
note where an entity is at all times by responding to tasks in their
inboxes in a timely manner.
You can charge out physical entities through Application Engine, Workplace XT, or IBM® Enterprise
Records. If you do this from Workplace,
navigate to the FPOS and open the Records Management folder.
Then open the file plan folder and navigate to the object in the appropriate
file plan location.
For information on the charge-out status of an entity, select its
Get Info icon and select the Detail page. In
the Physical section of this page, you can see the entity's location,
home location, its charge-out status, and who has it charged out.
If the entity has a barcode, you can also check its charge-out status
using Scan Physical Items in the Physical tab.
See Scanning a physical entity. Finally, you
can select the Status button in the PRM workflow
step to get status via the Tracker application.
Inboxes used
by the PRM workflow
As the entity travels and users receive
and release it, work items are generated. Some of these appear in
a user's inbox and some appear in public inboxes. User and group security
settings determine who can see the public inboxes, open a workflow
step, and see the charge-out status of an entity using Scan Physical
Items. The PRM workflow can populate the following public inboxes
with work items.
Charge out procedure
Charging out an entity
begins with selecting
Launch / Charge out from
its context menu. Thereafter, work items show up in the personal inboxes
of participants or work items go to the public inboxes. When an entity
is first charged out, the system shows that the requesting user has
charged it out to the specified location. However, the keeper must
release the item before the requesting user actually has it.
- When an item is already charged out, other requesting users set
a Reservation Date. The reservation date is used to prioritize multiple
requests. The entity is passed on other users based on the earliest
reservation date, as shown by work items in the PhysicalEntitiesReserveQueue.
The system does not wait for the reservation date to arrive to generate
new work items.
- If the keeper or other current entity holder requests a delivery
service instead of manual delivery, then the delivery queue gets a
work item. The delivery service either delivers the item or indicates
that it is lost. When the keeper or the delivery service indicates
that the item is delivered, the requesting user gets a Receive work
item. If the delivery service indicates that the item is lost, a work
item goes to the Find Lost queue.
- When the requesting user completes the Receive work item by indicating
that the item has been received, a Release work item replaces the
Receive work item in the personal inbox. If the requesting user indicates
that the item has not been received, this sends a work item to the
Find Lost queue.
- The Find Lost group either finds and delivers the item or indicates
that it is permanently lost. Finding and delivering the item generates
a Receive work item in the user's inbox. Indicating that the item
is lost sends messages to affected participants (users in the Wait
and Reserve queues) and all remaining work items are terminated. Indicating
that an item is permanently lost should be done only if you are sure
that the entity will not be found in the future. There is no way to
indicate later that a lost entity has been found. All users who attempt
to charge out the entity in the future will receive a message about
the lost status.
- When the current entity holder is done using the item, he or she
completes the Release work item and delivers the entity to the next
person or to the keeper, who then completes the Receive work item.
- If you try to charge out an entity whose parent container is charged
out, you will get a message and your only option is to close the Launch
step window. You can either charge out the parent container, which
puts you in the queue with others who may be waiting, or you can try
charging out the child entity at a later time.
- Similarly, if you try to charge out a container when one or more
of its content items are charged out, you will get a message that
there is a Child Charge Out. You will need to try again later.
Launch Workflow
To charge
out a physical object:
- From Application Engine, Workplace XT, or IBM Enterprise
Records, right-click the name
of the physical entity and select Launch / Charge Out.
- Click Launch under the name of the workflow
subscription you want to use. A default subscription is supplied for
each physical entity type.
- Complete the rest of the Launch / Charge Out step.
- After completing the Launch / Charge Out step,
close the window that lists the workflow subscriptions.
The various steps of the workflow share some common items.
Table 1. Workflow stepsWorkflow Step Items |
Description |
Instructions |
At the top of the window, there should be instructions
for completing the step. These are written by the workflow designer.
If you do not see the instructions, click the arrowhead beside the
word Instructions. |
Entity name |
If the entity is a container, you can
click the name to open the container and see what it contains. If
the entity is a single physical record, it has no content, so you
will get a message to that effect. |
Comments |
You can enter comments directly in
the Comments box, or you can click the yellow icon at the bottom of
the text box for a larger window in which to write or to read longer
comments without scrolling. |
Action menu |
Items in the menu vary with the step.
See information below for each type of step. Also, the instructions
at the top of the workflow window should offer guidance on what to
select. |
Location |
Click Location to
see a list of locations. Click Select beneath
the location where you want an entity delivered. |
Reservation date |
Click the calendar icon to select the
date you want to reserve an entity. If the entity is not currently
charged out, you must select today's date. If the entity is charged
out, you can select today or a future date, but the system doesn't
necessarily display the date you select. The system determines reservation
dates as the entity moves from one location to another. |
Information columns |
Different steps might show who had
the item, where it is located, the reservation and request dates,
and who should receive it next. |
Apply and Close buttons |
You can change information, Apply it,
and then Close the window without taking any
further action. The work item remains in the same inbox. This is useful
when you want to declare that an item is currently lost, but you think
you can find it. This avoids taking the more permanent action that
would be generated by using the Complete button. |
Reassign button |
This opens a window where you select
another user to perform the step. Enter the first few characters of
the name and click Search. Select the user
and click Continue. |
Status button |
This opens the Tracker application. |
Complete button |
The Complete button
completes the workflow step and is the usual choice. |
Launch step
To complete the Launch step:
- Click Location to select the location where
the entity should be delivered.
- Click the calendar icon to set a Reservation Date. If the entity
is not charged out, you must select today's date. If the entity is
charged out, you can select today or a future date. The reservation
date is used to prioritize multiple requests.
- Click Launch to initiate the workflow or Close to
close the window without launching.
Receive step
A Receive step is listed as an
Approve step in your inbox, but when you open it, the page title is
Receive
Step. You get the Receive step when the previous user (or
keeper) releases the item and you are next in line to receive it.
If you have not received it yet, you can see who will be delivering
it, where it was last located and how it will be delivered. If you
do not receive the item after waiting a reasonable amount of time,
you can indicate that you have not received it. This generates a work
item for the Find Lost queue. If you are the keeper, you get a Receive
step when the last user releases the item. To complete the Receive
step:
- Select the appropriate action. If you have received the entity,
select Received; otherwise, select Not
Received.
- Finish the step by selecting the appropriate button. See the options
in Launch Workflow.
Attention: It is possible that you have not received
the entity because of a delay caused by the delivery service or the
user who has currently charged out the entity. It is also possible
that the entity is lost in transit. In such a situation, you will
receive a work item that displays a message notifying you of the status
of the entity.
Release step
A Release step
is listed as an Approve step in your inbox, but when you open it,
the page title is
Release Step. The Release step
must be completed by the current entity holder, which can be either
the keeper or a user who charged out the item. You indicate the method
of delivery, if there is any delay in the delivery, or if the item
is lost. Deliver the item to the requesting user at the charged out
location. To complete the Release step:
- If appropriate, enter the Delay Time in
hours to indicate the extent of a delay in releasing the entity.
- Enter any appropriate comments, such as an explanation for a delay.
- Select the appropriate option from the Action list.
- Deliver Manually means that you are going
to manually deliver the entity to the user who is next in line.
- Select Lost, if you don't know where the
entity is. A work item is sent to the PhysicalEntitiesFindLostQueue
public inbox.
- Select Delivery Service if you wish to
use a delivery service. A work item is sent to the PhysicalEntitiesDeliveryQueue
public inbox.
- Select Delay if you entered a delay time.
A delay notification will be sent to all the users who are waiting
in queue.
- Finish the step by selecting the appropriate button. See the options
in Launch Workflow.
Wait Queue step
When a
user reserves an entity and is next in line to receive it, the work
item in the Wait queue shows that user name as the requesting user.
Users authorized to access this queue can view information, but there
is nothing to complete. To view the Wait Queue step:
- Click the work item in the PhysicalEntitiesWaitQueue public queue.
- After reviewing the work item, click Close.
Reserve Queue step
The
PhysicalEntitiesReserveQueue public inbox contains work items for
each user who is waiting for delivery. Authorized users can open each
work item to see who has requested the entity, their request dates
and the requested locations. You can modify the reservation dates
to change the priorities of users. To complete the Reserve Queue step:
- Click the work item in the PhysicalEntitiesReserveQueue public
inbox.
- Optionally modify the Reservation Date to
change the priority of users waiting for the item.
- Click Apply and Close.
Find Lost Item step
When an entity is declared
as Lost, the system sends a work item to the PhysicalEntitiesFindLostQueue
public inbox. If you are authorized to access this inbox, you can
click the work item to view the
Find Lost Step page
and update the status. Either you will find and deliver the entity
or you will declare it as permanently lost. This notifies all affected
users and terminates all PRM workflows launched for that entity. In
addition, when a user attempts to launch a workflow for that entity,
the system immediately sends a notification about the lost status
of the entity. To complete the Find Lost Item step:
- Enter your comments.
- From Action menu, select Lost if
you want to declare that the entity is permanently lost. Select Delivered if
you have found the entity and delivered it to the user whose name
appears in the Requested By field.
- Finish the step by selecting the appropriate button. See the options
in Launch Workflow.
Once an entity is marked as permanently lost, there is no way
to indicate that it has been found at a later date. Anyone who attempts
to charge out the entity in the future will receive the message that
the entity is lost. If the lost item is a container that was found
later, its contents cannot be charged out. Anyone attempting to charge
out items from a previously lost container will get a message that
the parent is charged out.
Delivery Service step
When a user selects the
delivery service to send a physical entity, the system sends a work
item to the PhysicalEntitiesDeliveryQueue public inbox. If you are
authorized to access this public inbox, you can click the work item
to complete the
Delivery Step page. To complete
the Delivery step:
- Enter any appropriate Comments.
- From the Action list, select Lost if
you cannot find and deliver the entity. This sends a work item to
the PhysicalEntitiesFindLostQueue public inbox. If necessary, that
group will indicate that the entity is permanently lost. Select Delivered if
you have delivered the entity to the user who requested it.
- Finish the step by selecting the appropriate button. See the options
in Launch Workflow.
Message step
The Message
Step page notifies you of the status of the physical entity for which
you have launched the PRM workflow. This page is sent as a work item
to your inbox. You will receive it in any of the following situations:
- The current entity holder has delayed release of the entity.
- The entity has been lost by the delivery service or the current
entity holder.
- There has been an error in the PRM workflow.
- The parent or child entity of the requested entity has already
been charged out and no work item was sent to any queue. (The Wait
and Reserve queues are used only when the entities match.)
- The entity for which you launched the workflow is not a physical
entity.
To complete the Message step, click
Complete.