The Administrator is a web-based Records Management System designed to manage, distribute and archive your organisation's information in accordance with the National Archives Act of South Africa.
INTRODUCTION
GETTING STARTED
Logging In
“The Administrator” is Web-based and can be accessed via any web browser, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Edge. Use the address provided to access the Administrator datasets on your intranet (e.g. http://10.1.0.2:8080/Administrator) or the external URL if your version is hosted over the internet.
Log in with the username and password that have been assigned to you. The username must be a valid email account as this will be used when distributing tasks from within “The Administrator”.
Roles
"ROLES" are assigned to each user which grant them permissions to carry out their specific role in your organisation.
These are very flexible so they can be tailored to the suit your organisation's structure.
The staff managing the records department would typically have access to manage the File Plan Structure, to Scan in several types of records, to File these, and to Assign them to other staff members as Tasks.
The staff members who are given access to the system as Users would typically be allowed to view these Tasks and action them by Completing or Re-assigning them. Scanned images of the records that have been assigned to them can be Viewed and/or Downloaded.
Heads of a Department would typically be granted the same access as users, as well as the ability to monitor all tasks assigned to Users who are associated with their department, as well as access to reports that provide information about completed or pending tasks.
Designated staff would have access to view and/or update tables which control the flow and use of information within the system, such as the Department Table etc.
A further level of access, typically given to an IT Administrator will allow access to controls such as internal system email settings.
WEB BROWSER TERMINOLOGY
Mouse Conventions
Click means a single click on the left mouse button.
Right-click means a single click on the right mouse button.
Double-click means two clicks in quick succession on the left mouse button.
TASKS
End-User Overview of Electronic Task Distribution
Electronic Distribution of Records is a natural result of having your Records Office meticulously capture, categorise, and file all your organisation's correspondence and "paperwork". The Administrator makes this easy, and what follows is a practical example of how records can be distributed, actioned and completed, without having to circulate the physical paper of the original document.
An assigned task will appear in the respective user's "Inbox". This initial assignment typically is done by the records office.
The user then carries out the task, providing comments which are recorded against the task.
A task can be re-assigned, or forwarded, with instructions and/or comments for another user to deal with, and this will appear in the first user's "Sent Tasks" Menu Option and in the receiving user's Inbox. Whenever a user re-assigns a task, a new task is created. Tasks may be assigned to more than one user at a time.
An email can be sent to a user, alerting them to the fact that a task has been created for them. The user initiating this email can choose to attach the image of the record to the email, or simply send it as an email alert that a task is waiting in the Administrator.
Once a user is satisfied that they have executed the request satisfactorily, they can set the task to completed, again with appropriate comments, and the task will move to their "Completed" box.
At any time, the user or their designated manager, can access "All" tasks for statistics about outstanding and completed tasks.
Tasks assigned to the person logged in are found in the Inbox menu option of the Tasks Menu, with the heading "Tasks assigned to you".
RECORDS
OVERVIEW
The heart of the Administrator Records Management System is the Records Menu, where records that have been captured electronically through the Scanning Application are processed, allocated to a Record Class (Document, Resolution etc) and to a File in the organisation's Filing Structure. They are then available centrally for searching and retrieving, distributing electronically to staff as Tasks, keeping track of the physical records and volumes, filing and archiving.
This section consists of
"All Records" which includes both edited and unedited records of all Classes, and batches which have not yet been saved as records,
Documents,
Resolutions,
Complaints and
Contracts.
Each of the above classes are discussed in detail in their own help topics.
Resolutions Management
Records>Resolutions
Resolutions are held as a separate class of records, and are generally UPLOADED using the Batch process. They can be edited, viewed and managed on this grid.
The buttons available for Resolutions are:
Search: Find a specific resolution or group of resolution records according to selection criteria which you specify.
Details: Select a specific resolution first, then choose details. A window is displayed where you will be able to add or amend details under the Record Details Tab, add or amend Filing information under the Filing Tab and create New Tasks for this resolution under the Tasks Tab.
View Attachment: Select a specific record first, then choose View Attachment. The image of the selected resolution is displayed in a window to the right of the grid, and navigation tools are provided to view all content for all pages associated with this resolution.
Request Volume: A request can be sent to the Records Department to have a physical volume sent to you.
Control Sheet: Use this print function to generate printed control sheet for this resolution
Complaints Management
Records>Complaints>
The Tabs Available for accessing the record class "Complaints" are as follows:
Tab Description
+ Create: A new complaint can be entered directly into the Administrator by clicking on the + Create button and completing the form that appears.
Search: Find a specific complaint or group of complaints according to selection criteria
which you specify.
Details: Any field except Subject and Record Date can be modified on this window.
Filing, Tasks and a grid of Attachments is also available via this button.
View Attachments: Attachments can be viewed on screen if they are in image form, or
downloaded to view in client's software in other formats e.g. docx, .pdf, .xlsx.
Request Volume: Sends a request to the Records department, requesting that the relevant
physical Volume be distributed to the logged in user by a "Required Date".
Control Sheet: Use this print function to generate a printed control sheet for this complaint.
Note...
"Show All" tick box is only available to specified users such as the records office to access all records.
Overview
The typical flow for a complaint received telephonically would be as follows
Records>Complaints>+ Create
Enter all the known information about the complaint, making use of the dropdown boxes to select predefined fields. In an emergency, you can save the complaint after capturing only the minimum required fields, but ideally at least the fields up to "Reported by" and one of the contact numbers should be entered.
Updating a Complaint:
Any field, except subject, record date, received by and received date can be edited after initial capture. It is possible to manage complaints entirely at record level, setting the complaint to "Complete" once it has been dealt with. However, the full functionality of assigning and monitoring tasks is also available in Administrator, and functions in a comparable way to the Document Module.
Completing a Complaint:
Once the complaint has been handled, the Complaints officer enters a completion date. This date will only be saved if all the following are true:
The problem code field is not null;
If Feedback required=Y, then Feedback sent must be =Y and
There are no Open Tasks associated with this Complaint number.
When a completion date is entered and valid, the status is set to “Completed”.
Contracts Management
Records>Contracts>
The buttons at the top of this window are as follows:
Search: Find a specific document or group of documents according to selection criteria which you specify.
Details: Select a specific document first, then choose details. A window is displayed where you will be able to see details under the Record Details Tab, Add or amend Filing information under the Filing Tab and create New Tasks for this document under the Tasks Tab.
View Attachment(s): Select a specific record first, then choose View Attachment. The image of the selected record is displayed in a window to the right of the grid, and navigation tools are provided to view all content for all pages associated with this record.
Request Volume: Sends a request to the Records department, requesting that the relevant physical Volume be distributed to the logged in user by a "Required Date"
Control Sheet: Use this print function to generate a printed control sheet for this contract.
Note...
"Show All" tick box is only available to specified users such as the records office to access all records.
FILES
The management of a file plan structure is the responsibility of the Records Officer. Within the Administrator, only those functionaries such as the Records Manager or the System Administrator should be assigned a “role” which has rights to add items to the File Plan or modify the wording of existing File Plan entries.
This manual assumes that the reader has a working knowledge of a File Plan Structure as required by National Archives, although a brief overview is given in Video Tutorial I.
A Volume is opened within each file reference, and records are filed within this volume. Once a physical volume is full, it can be marked as closed in Administrator and a new volume opened. The file and volume references are recorded against the record and displayed in Administrator.
Users may request that physical volumes be sent out to them, and this distribution and return process is recorded and managed in The Administrator in File Distribution menu option.
UTILITIES
Utilities consists of 4 options currently,
|
My Details: |
allows the user to update his or her personal details as they are reflected in the Administrator, on condition that they have permission to do so (see Roles). |
|
Download Scanner App: |
This will install onto the user's local PC, the software required to upload electronic records into the Administrator, or to scan in documents from a local or networked scanner. |
|
Help Documentation: |
Yes, you are here! Use the +(expand) and -(collapse) buttons on the right of the index panel to find your way around the Help Document. This document follows the structure of the way Menus are presented to you in the Administrator system. |
|
User Groups: |
This allows a user to maintain groups of users to whom he or she wishes to, for example, re-assign a task. Creating groups simplifies the assignment process. |
My Details
Utilities>My Details
If a user does not have permission to alter his or her own details, then only the "Change Password" button will be displayed on this screen.
REPORTS
Reports>Tasks per User (Complete)
Reports>Tasks per User (Pending)
Records>Tasks per User()>Search
Click on the “Search” Button to access the search facility.
A Search can be done on any combination of the following data:
|
Record ID: |
The unique barcode associated with this document. |
|
Assigned To: |
Person responsible for actioning the tasks. |
|
Department Code: |
Use the dropdown box to choose a department for the search. |
|
Activation Date: |
The date on which the tasks were first assigned. Using the Calendar Date Picker buttons select a FROM and TO date range. |
|
Target Date: |
The date by which the tasks should be actioned. Using the Calendar Date Picker buttons select a FROM and TO date range. |
|
Completion Date: |
The date on which the tasks were marked as completed. Using the Calendar Date Picker buttons select a FROM and TO date range. |
Records>Tasks per User()>Details
Same as Tasks>Inbox>Details
Records>Tasks per User()>View Image
Same as Tasks>Inbox>View Image
Reporting
Before you start…
To produce reports on tasks, each user must have a department connected to their user profile.
See Administration Menu.
(Administration>Users>select user> Modify button then use dropdown box to edit their department.)
Any user assigned permission in his/her ROLE to “View Reports” can create reports for all Tasks assigned to users within his/her department(s).
Note...
The department code on a document is NOT the criterion here, the Tasks report is based on the dept of the person to which the tasks are assigned).
incomplete
Distribution Report
Reports>Distribution Report
Typically, this report would be drawn by the records manager, and would list all records where the physical file has been sent out to a staff member. The records office keeps track of when these are returned.
Unfiled Records Report
Reports>Unfiled Records
This is used primarily by the Records Office. Contact your Records office with any queries.
ADMINISTRATION
Tables and Dropdown Boxes
Throughout The Administrator some fields are presented with a grey box to the right of the field containing a down-arrow. Clicking on this “dropdown box” will display the permissible options for that field from which you need to choose. This both simplifies the input process and ensures data consistency. These input alternatives are maintained in tables which can be updated in the “Administration” menu.
These are maintained by the Records office. Contact your Records office with any queries.
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Notes on Compliance with National Archives Requirements
The requirements for using a Records Management System are available on the NATIONAL ARCHIVES website, dated April 2006:
Archives Policies and principles for managing Electronic Records 2006
and this was what we carefully considered in all upgrades.
At each point in the above-mentioned document, National Archives makes it clear that if a municipality does not have, or cannot afford, for example, a fully integrated RMS, there are perfectly acceptable ways that National Archives allows the Records Department and/or Heads of Department to apply sound records management principles to ensure compliance. We refer you to examples such as:
6.2.4.2.4... However, the National Archives and Records Service realizes that not all governmental bodies can afford to procure an Integrated Document and Records Management System and that they still have a need to manage their .... The National Archives and Records Service also allows the following approaches... provided that they are implemented within the broader framework of the National Archives and Records Service Act...
In each of these cases Quidity provides the necessary Electronic Acquisition, Storage, File Plan maintenance, Record Retrieval, and Archiving and Disposal functionality that will ensure that a well-run and well-managed Records Department complies with all the requirements specified by National Archives.