Cortex User Group

 

 

 

  

Support Request Procedures for 2000

From the Officers

Website version

The past few years have presented the CUG group with many opportunities for refocusing the Group's efforts. As new users come aboard and we move to an electronic mode of communication, we would like to clarify the Support Request Process.

This procedure was adopted at the 1998 User Group Meeting in Seattle. The CUG adopted this procedure for many reasons.  We needed to improve/maintain control over the efficiency, organization, follow-up with Cortex, and ease the transition for the next year's chairpersons.

In the past, many requests were misplaced, lost to improper follow-up, or approved but lost in the implementation cycle. We also wanted the breakout sessions to become "round-table forums".  And to be a time for users to discuss solutions to workflow issues, find out ways that other users use their systems, brainstorm system enhancement ideas and guide the direction of the software development.  We decided to exclude support request voting in these sessions. 

We felt too, that all users should have an equal voice, via the support request process, and that it was inappropriate for users to be able to decide the fate of the requests, just because they were present at the meeting. The goal of this procedure is to ensure that the committee chairs and the CUG President work together to be certain that the requests are tracked and evaluated in a timely manner, and properly coordinated with Cortex.

This procedure along with some changes needed due to the introduction of Windows products, Cortex's plans for quarterly updates, and the use of the eGroup, appear below. Although somewhat cumbersome at this point, as our electronic communication abilities mature, we'll revise the procedure as needed. Our goal is to provide the best communication and implementation with a minimum of effort.

  1. Submit your request to the CUG President. Use the online form (or the printer friendly form) here on the website,  or fill out the e-form on the eGroup. It is essential for tracking purposes that an official request is made. Discussion of the requests is encouraged in the eGroup forum.

  2. The President logs this request in as a permanent record and maintains both the original requests and committee reports on file in such way that it can be passed on to each successive president.

  3. The request is then forwarded to the appropriate committee chairperson. The committee should meet monthly to process the support requests. They are to approve, set the priority, clarify with Cortex any technical/ time constraints, request more information, or deny the request. The chairs should post the support request on the eGroup forum to allow feedback from all users.

  4. The committee makes their decision on the request within 30 days and returns it and any supporting documentation to the President.

  5. The president notifies the user of the committee's decision. Approved requests are forwarded to the appropriate Cortex Representative for implementation of the change.

  6. Within 30 days, the Cortex Representative notifies the President regarding the timeline for completion of the requests. The president notifies the appropriate committee and sends the completed request to the eGroup for posting.

  7. The committee chair is to prepare a written report summarizing the requests received, the priority assigned, and their status. This report will be available at the annual User Group Meeting and is presented at the module roundtable sessions. Note: In the past the committees chose the top three requests and presented these at the annual meeting as approved changes submitted to Cortex for inclusion in the next upgrade. This part of the procedure is no longer pertinent due the Cortex's current software development process.

  8. Requests not approved are returned to the user submitting the request.

  9. Keep in mind that Cortex relies on the User Group to prioritize the requests. Requests approved by the committee are done free of charge. Cortex is available for custom work at an additional charge.

  10. With the move to the Windows based programs, bugs and other anomalies should be reported to Cortex for their immediate attention via the "Cortex Anomaly report". These reports should be forwarded to Frank Ramage as well, our eGroup moderator, so that all users can be made aware of the issue and avoid duplicate submissions.

 

 

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