HI Douglas,
I get the impression that something like a wiki (knowledge management software) would be better suited for case management than something like a project management software, but I may be wrong.
It can go either way really depending on your needs and size. PM software where you can assign tasks and track progress is nice. There is a bit more granularity in the tuning for what I would want in case management with the PM.
These solutions are open source/free so worth a try if you have the skills to work with and set it up.
Greetings,
There are features that I look for in a case management solution that are hard to find or implement properly in a project management solution. These include
1) Write once, read many records. Ie, fields that cannot be altered once data is entered.
2) Really good granularity over access, and really good authentication and auditing.
3) A simple mechanism for entering lots timestamped activity logs.
4) Hashing of attached documents, images, and probably log entries.
There are probably some other desirable features, but those are the ones that come to mind when I look at most PM or wiki solutions.
-David
Just went through a 2 hour demo with the guys at DF Labs to go through their InMan program. It is the evolution from their prior DIM software.
I have to say I am pretty impressed with the program.
Lots of features and they will customize just about anything you want.
MySQL back end and runs through a browser interface so you can deploy inside your firewall and you can create firewall rules to securely access from outside.
It would save tons of time and paperwork when onsite doing collections. All you would have to do is enter everything in (assuming web access) and it would be in your CoC logs, case files, notes etc back in the office. User role assignments - analyst, admins, billing, etc. Really well rounded and thought out product.
Price is comparable to just about any vertical market practice management software. We are hoping to roll out for our office in the coming month.
Greetings,
Can you enter information into some form or application while off the net and then upload it into the server when you're back in the office? I'm often doing collections where Internet access isn't reliable or desirable.
-David
Back when I worked at the police, I was tasked to do training for the implementation of a particular solution for CF case management. After testing it and running a case through it based on notes from an old case, I delivered the training session, but at the conclusion recommended that management scrap it. Funnily enough my recommendation was ignored until a week later when the admin officer (the lowest seniority guy in the place) told the OIC that he couldn't stand it any more so they scrapped it.
After doing that, I came to the conclusion that the best system for a write once, read many system that you can use in the field is still a pen and paper, especially for anything related to your original chain of custody. I've got some really nicely laid out forms for field imaging and CoC that substantially reduce the amount of effort I have to put into documentation in the field. A minimal DB tracking cases so you can quickly find a case based on case number, client, parties to litigation, or exhibit and such is all I've felt the need for thus far.
Greetings,
Can you enter information into some form or application while off the net and then upload it into the server when you're back in the office? I'm often doing collections where Internet access isn't reliable or desirable.
-David
Here is their response
The answer is yes. You might need the Client module, that allows you to do everything offline and then merge automatically once you will connect to your network.We will also release a mobile version of it in Q3.