CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
Action Items, Save, F2
Action Item Improvements, General Explanation

0704 -
0704 -    ..
0705 - Summary/Objective
0706 -
070601 - Follow up ref SDS 14 0000, ref SDS 15 0000.
070602 -
070603 - Now that this block of improvements is complete, this will be a
070604 - summary explanation that ties this work together.
070605 -
070606 -
070608 -  ..
0707 -
0708 -
0709 - Progress
0710 -
071001 - SDS has been changed in three significant ways, for the reasons on
071002 - 951115. ref SDS 4 9765
071003 -
071004 -     1.  Action Items are a formal system to easily identify and track
071005 -         performance on commitments and assignments at a level below
071006 -         the Subject Index (see definition on 950626, ref SDS 3 0976).
071008 -          ..
071009 -     2.  Several other new "visibility" tools have been created to
071010 -         supplement the Action Item system using the highlight and
071011 -         underline features to summarize an SDS record so it is easier
071012 -         to find the part of a record that is needed at any particular
071013 -         time. (These are explained in the next record segment.)
071015 -          ..
071016 -     3.  Data base pointers for current SDS records are now archived
071017 -         with the F2 "save" function, so that reports on Subjects,
071018 -         References and now Action Items include activity on the
071019 -         current date, based on work 951203, ref SDS 11 K5WD, whereas
071020 -         formerly they could not do this, except for the Doc Log
071021 -         system.
071023 -          ..
071024 -         It required changes on 951204 to Schedule functions that set
071025 -         the status of tasks, and to delete tasks, so that archived
071026 -         pointers are maintained in sync with the Schedule, ref SDS 12
071027 -         V62W, ref SDS 12 P68F and ref SDS 12 YE2F
071029 -          ..
071030 -         All changes under point 3 are transparent to the User, except
071031 -         reports now include current date data.
071032 -
071034 -  ..
071035 - Three minor changes have been made:
071036 -
071037 -     Highlight colors were made universal instead of differentiating
071038 -     for SDS records and Contacts, ref SDS 5 line 243.  I may change
071039 -     some of this back, if we have enough memory to do it.
071040 -
071041 -     Eliminated system for maintaining current date Doc Log activity
071042 -     ref SDS 10 line 63, because it is now accomplished under point 3,
071043 -     above, ref SDS 13 line 50.
071045 -      ..
071046 -     Doc Log data entry diagnostics were improved for filling out
071047 -     identification of correspondence and publications to ensure all
071048 -     needed fields are entered correctly, ref SDS 13 line 120.
071050 -      ..
071051 -     Eliminated archiving data base pointers in 04702, ref SDS 11 line
071052 -     145.  It also no longer archives task descriptions in the Schedule
071053 -     for which there are no actual SDS records.
071054 -
071056 -  ..
071057 - Action Items
071058 -
071059 - This system has two main parts:
071060 -
071061 -          1.  Identifying an Action Item.
071062 -          2.  Obtaining lists of Action Items.
071064 -     ..
071065 -    Identifying Action Items
071066 -
071067 -    Alt F10 highlights text describing "Action Items" with respect to
071068 -    who, what, when, where, why, how much, methods, and any authority
071069 -    such as contract provision, CPM activity, company policy, statute,
071070 -    regulation, or case citation, so that Action Items are identified
071071 -    within the context of the work.  This is a lower level of detail
071072 -    than is reflected by the Subject Index, as explained in defiing
071073 -    Action Items on 950626. ref SDS 3 MR2W
071075 -     ..
071076 -    Alt F10 calls macro 132 in 000008, ref SDS 5 line 200.  It is also
071077 -    part of the line numbering scheme under macro 304 in 000000.  Most
071078 -    of this work was done on 951123 to develop a highlinghting scheme.
071079 -    ref SDS 5 0001  Considerations on action items and coding are,
071080 -    also, explained in that record. ref SDS 5 QW3L
071082 -     ..
071083 -    The procedure is simple.  Press Alt F10 to scroll through a series
071084 -    of highlight colors, as follows:
071086 -        ..
071087 -       Alt F10 - Highlighting
071088 -
071089 -       1st highlight "f" flag, is both a "Pending" Action Item, and
071090 -       remains the flag for entering stuff in the Schedule Analysis and
071091 -       Adjustments record.  This way Users have the ability to identify
071092 -       something as both a personal action to follow up and as part of
071093 -       the formal Action Item system.
071095 -        ..
071096 -       2nd highlight "h" flag option is for strictly highlighting.
071098 -        ..
071099 -       3rd highlight "j" flag is for the Headline system described
071100 -       below under "Visibility Tools."
071102 -        ..
071103 -       4th highlight "k" flag is for "Pending" Action Items, making two
071104 -       highlight choices for "Pending" status:  1 and 4.  This let's
071105 -       the User identify an Action Item without having it also included
071106 -       in the Schedule Analysis and Adjustments list, which occurs with
071107 -       the 1st highlight option "f" flag.
071109 -        ..
071110 -       5th highlight "m" flag is for maintaining identification of an
071111 -       Action Item but not having it show up in the Pending Action Item
071112 -       reprot.  It can be considered "Completed" Action Items and
071113 -       typically would show a citation to the record reporting the
071114 -       Action Item was performed.
071116 -        ..
071117 -       "Saving" Posts Special Field - F2
071118 -       ---------------------------------
071119 -       When F2 is called anytime during an "SDS record" session, it now
071120 -       processes highlight flags as part of updating line numbers,
071121 -       macro 304 in 000000, and enters a code for Action Item status in
071122 -       the Special Control Field, ref SDS 7 line 54 and ref SDS 7 line
071123 -       161.  Pending Action Items are posted in the Special field as
071124 -       "010201" and Completed Action Items are posted as 010204, ref
071125 -       SDS 15 line 228.
071127 -        ..
071128 -       Contacts
071129 -
071130 -       Users can supplement the automatic posting of Action Items by
071131 -       appending to the Control Field "Contact" identification, using
071132 -       the regular SDS Contact menu system, ref SDS 9 line 43.  This
071133 -       allows Action Item reports to be assembled based on who is
071134 -       assigned responsibility.  The procedure is to place the cursor
071135 -       in the "Subject/File" field and then use the Contact menu in the
071136 -       regular manner.  To assign multiple contacts to a Control Field
071137 -       line, use F8 to enter a secondary contact in the "From" and, if
071138 -       desired, in the "Response" field.
071140 -        ..
071141 -       This system may not be needed at all, since typically an Action
071142 -       Item shows responsibility in the narrative.  Generally when
071143 -       someone has to do something beyond think about what they want,
071144 -       then the process will fail.  People forget to post Contacts,
071145 -       because at the time they "know" what is needed, so posting seems
071146 -       redundant and time consuming, relative to going home.  What we
071147 -       are after in SDS is to get managers to write down what they
071148 -       "know", to capture it, invest it as intellectual capital.  SDS
071149 -       can then manage that.
071151 -        ..
071152 -       Action Items Associated with Subjects
071153 -
071154 -       A comprehensive system would assign all action items in the
071155 -       Subject Index.  Experience at PG&E where this was tried showed
071156 -       the SI became very big and the Action Items required extensive
071157 -       work to maintain because of the amount of detail, ref SDS 3 line
071158 -       202.  The SDS Action Item system makes it easy to manage a lot
071159 -       detail in a loose or "Fuzzy Logic" scheme, in that SDS Action
071160 -       Items are integrated among a range of subjects.  This seems to
071161 -       make sense because many Action Items arise and are completed
071162 -       within a day or a few weeks.  Since Action Items come and go
071163 -       quickly it seems cost effective to simply tag them for follow
071164 -       up.
071166 -        ..
071167 -       If an Action Item seems to require or otherwise turns out to be
071168 -       a long term issue, it can be assigned a Subject and tracked in
071169 -       that manner.  The issue is mainly one of relative scope and of
071170 -       how long it is expected to take to accomplish.  "Action Items"
071171 -       are the lowest level of detail to implement or accomplish other
071172 -       work scope that is already identified within a Control System,
071173 -       like a CPM activity.
071174 -
071176 -     ..
071177 -    Retrieving Action Items
071178 -
071179 -    We need to be able to find out what has been flagged for action so
071180 -    a determination can be made whether more work is required. This is
071181 -    the "follow up" component of Communication defined at ref SDS 2
071182 -    line 93.  An example of reviewing Action Item status at ref SDS 1
071183 -    line 76.
071185 -     ..
071186 -    There are two ways to get lists of Action Items:
071187 -            ..
071188 -       1.  Action Items in the current SDS record.
071189 -
071190 -           This is done in the "Manage" menu, using macro file 0703. It
071191 -           gets all "f", "k" and "m" highlight lines for the reasons at
071192 -           ref SDS 8 line 55.
071194 -            ..
071195 -       2.  Action Items for a subject and time, i.e., reporting.
071196 -
071197 -           This uses the "Subject" report system, macro file 06112, ref
071198 -           SDS 15 line 61. There is a new "Action Item" option in the
071199 -           Subject Report menu, so users can click or press F1 to
071200 -           immediately get a list of current Action Items for the past
071201 -           month.  The default list is "Pending".  Users can click on
071202 -           "Pending" to change it to "All" or "Complete." ref SDS 15
071203 -           line 178.  The "All" option gets "Pending" and "Complete"
071204 -           Action Items. Selection is based on the value in the
071205 -           "Special" Control Field which is posted based on the
071206 -           highlight flag entered by the User, per explanation above
071207 -           under "Alt F10 - Highlighting."
071208 -
071209 -           "Report" concept options were considered at ref SDS 6 line
071210 -           105 and ref SDS 6 line 115.
071211 -
071212 -
071213 -
071214 -
071215 -
0713 -

SUBJECTS
SDS Concepts, Menu
SDS records, Headlines

1004 -
100501 -  ..
100502 - Visibility - Summarizing the Record
100503 -
100504 - Besides Action Items, the new "Manage" menu has options to assemble
100505 - an SDS record by outline structure and hightlighting, which together
100506 - are called "Headlines," and by forward links, explained at ref SDS 8
100507 - line 41.
100509 -  ..
100510 - Decided to add a "Manage" menu choice in SDS records for the reasons
100511 - at ref SDS 6 line 70.  Changed "Other" to "Tools."
100513 -  ..
100514 - Schedule/Diary Access via Pointer
100515 -
100516 - Added this feature per ref SDS 6 line 213 and ref SDS 6 line 251.  In
100517 - an SDS record, the User can scroll back to the Schedule by clicking on
100518 - "Schedule" in the top right corner of the screen.  You can call the
100519 - automatic Diary for past 15 days by clicking on "Diary" in top right
100520 - corner of screen in an SDS record.
100521 -
100522 -
100523 -
100524 -