Certain fields in the Improvement Log module of Activ may have been customised to suit your organisation’s specific requirements. If so, the field names given below may not exactly match those in your system.
Note also that your organisation’s guidelines on how to complete the free text fields may differ from that given here.
Fields marked * are required and must be manually entered.
Code – automatically generated unique identifier for each new Improvement Log that is raised. Codes are generated sequentially and cannot be changed.
Raised Date – the date on which the Improvement Log was first created. This is automatically generated and cannot be changed.
Raised By – this field is automatically populated with the name of the user who first created the Improvement Log and cannot be changed.
Status – (visible after first save) this shows the current status of the Improvement Log. When a new Improvement Log is first created, it is automatically given the status ‘Raised’. Subsequently, the status can be changed during editing . The status categories are not configurable.
Summary* – enter a summary of the issue that the Improvement Log relates to, e.g. “Widget WDG-2013 failure caused by incorrect tooling”.
Type* – select the category of Improvement Log using the drop-down menu. The categories available are configurable via the Settings tab of the Improvement Log module. See Improvement Log Settings.
Area* – select the area (where or what) that the Improvement Log relates to. The options available in the drop-down menu are configurable via the Settings tab of the Improvement Log module. See Improvement Log Settings.
Priority* – specify the degree of importance of the issue, typically high, medium or low. The categories available in the drop-down menu are configurable via the Settings tab of the Improvement Log module. See Improvement Log Settings.
Source – this field allows you to record how the issue came to attention, for example an email from a customer, piece of equipment, faulty component or simply an observation. This field is free text to allow for a brief but concise description.
Site (Location in some systems) – your Activ system allows you to create a common list of sites for use in forms across the system. Once the list has been created, you have the option to enable the Site field for Improvement Log, offering another useful way to group and analyse Improvement Logs. See Enable / Disable the ‘Sites’ Field in Forms.
Private?* – if you select ‘Yes’ here, the Improvement Log becomes private. Only the person raising the Improvement Log can change its private status or grant others access rights to view it. To those without access rights, private Improvement Logs appear with the words “This is a private improvement log” in the list of Improvement Logs on the Register tab. See Restrict Access to an Improvement Log – Private Improvement Logs.
Cost – this field allows you to assign a cost to the Improvement Log, if applicable.
Company – (only present if you have the Customers & Suppliers module). If the Improvement Log relates to a company in your Activ system, record this here. Select the company by clicking on the magnifying glass to the right of the field and then clicking the radio button next to the relevant company name.
Team – (only present if you have the Teams module). Use this field to select the team to which the Improvement Log is relevant. If no team is selected, the Improvement Log can be viewed by all users who have the appropriate system permissions for the Improvement Log module.
Job – (only present if you have the Asset Manager module). If the Improvement Log was raised against a job in the Asset Manager module this field is automatically populated with the job’s name (Summary).
Asset – (only present if you have the Asset Manager module). If the Improvement Log was raised against a job in the Asset Manager module this field is automatically populated with the Plant Item that the job relates to.
IL Owner* – select the most suitable person to take overall responsibility for the issue. Only users with relevant permissions will appear in the drop-down list. When a person is assigned ownership of an Improvement Log, they will receive an immediate alert via e-mail, provided they have opted-in via My Details – Notifications. See Notifications – Automated Alerts, Notices and Reminders.
Target Review Date* – select the date by which the Improvement Log is to be dealt with using the calendar icon to the right of the field. When an Improvement Log is raised an email including the target review date is automatically generated and sent to the owner. This field may initially be blank, or may be pre-populated if a default rule has been set in the Settings (Default Target Review Period item, see Improvement Log Settings.)
Details Including Containment Action – enter a detailed explanation of the issue and any action taken to contain it. This field is self-expanding and will allow several paragraphs to be entered.
Investigation Results / Root Cause Identified – enter detailed results of any investigation work and the root cause identified. This field is self-expanding and will allow several paragraphs to be entered.
Corrective Action – enter details of the action(s) required to correct any problem/issue and prevent its recurrence. These measures may include the need to raise further Improvement Logs. This field is self-expanding and will allow several paragraphs to be entered.
Outcome – record the outcome here, if different from the corrective action detailed above. This field is self-expanding and will allow several paragraphs to be entered.
Customer Contacted? – if the Improvement Log is associated with a customer, record here whether they have been contacted.
Customer Satisfied? – if the Improvement Log is associated with a customer, record here whether they are satisfied with the outcome.
Supplier Contacted? – if the Improvement Log is associated with a supplier, record here whether they have been contacted.
Approved Date – hidden if not applicable, this field is automatically populated with the date on which the Improvement Log’s status was changed to ‘Approved’.
Approved By – hidden if not applicable, this field is automatically populated with the name of the person who changed the Improvement Log’s status to ‘Approved’.
Cancelled Date – hidden if not applicable, this field is automatically populated with the date on which the Improvement Log’s status was changed to ‘Cancelled’ (if applicable).
Cancelled By – hidden if not applicable, this field is automatically populated with the name of the person who changed the Improvement Log’s status to ‘Cancelled’ (if applicable).
Closed Date – hidden if not applicable, this field is automatically populated with the date on which the Improvement Log’s status was changed to ‘Closed’.
Closed By – hidden if not applicable, this field is automatically populated with the name of the person who changed the Improvement Log’s status to ‘Closed’.
Effectiveness Assessment
The Effectiveness Assessment portion of the form is hidden for open Improvement Logs. When an Improvement Log’s status is changed to ‘Closed’ there is the option to set up a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the action(s) taken. If an Effectiveness Assessment is required, the fields in this portion of the form become available:
Assessed As* – initially defaults to ‘Not Assessed’. Select ‘Effective’, ‘Partially Effective’ or ‘Not Effective’.
Assigned To* – select the name of the person who will be responsible for carrying out the assessment. Only users with relevant permissions will appear in the drop-down list. The assigned person will receive an immediate alert via e-mail to advise them, provided they have opted-in via My Details – Notifications. See Notifications – Automated Alerts, Notices and Reminders.
Due Date* – select the date by which the effectiveness assessment should be completed using the calendar icon to the right of the field. The date in this field defaults to today’s date + n days, with n being set in your system on the Settings tab of the Improvement Log module (Default Assessment Period item).
Guidance Notes – optional free text field allowing you to enter any guidance notes for the assigned assessor. This field is removed after the effectiveness assessment is completed.
Assessor’s Notes – optional free text field for the assessor to record any relevant details of the effectiveness assessment.
Assessed By – automatically populated with the name of the person who completed the effectiveness assessment. Hidden until the Assessed As field has been changed from ‘Not Assessed’.
Assessed Date – automatically populated with the date the effectiveness assessment was completed. Hidden until the Assessed As field has been changed from ‘Not Assessed’.
Assigned By – automatically populated with the name of the person who set up the effectiveness assessment. Hidden after assessment is completed.
Assigned Date – automatically populated with the date the effectiveness assessment was set up. Hidden after assessment is completed.
