Eccentex’s flagship solution, Dynamic Case Management (DCM) is a robust, scalable Application and Case Management solution that is broadly deployed within many government and private sector environments around the world.
Customers implementing a Dynamic Case Management system often require functions such as: Data and content management, workflow management and execution,correspondence generation, and business rule execution and management. The AppBase platform provides these capabilities in a tightly-integrated fashion.
Process of a Dynamic Case Management System
A typical dynamic case management process might follow the following scenario:
Creating the Case
A person wants to file a complaint about a particular business. The person would begin by contacting the business through one or more communication methods. This could be
accomplished by:
In AppBase, these methods are referred to as capture channels. A case management scenario typically starts with information coming through a capture channel. In addition to the basic information about the complaint, there might be a number of documents that support the complaint. If submitting through an online form, the personfiling the complaint may attach these documents to the complaint form.
Receiving Case Information
The case management system would then receive and collect all related information about the complaint and create a case within the system. Then, after the complaint originator submits the information, the system creates data within the system, and a typical workflow is created.
Workflow
After case information and related documents are received, a workflow is created. The case is routed to different examiners and other business users who process the case.
Collecting Additional Information
Oftentimes, the information that a case originator submits is insufficient. Therefore, the case processor must solicit additional information. This might require that the case processor send an email, letter, or phone call to solicit for more information. When all of the required information has been collected, a case processor verifies all required information is present, and the case is sent to next processor according to the workflow.
Closing the Case
From a dynamic case management point of view, there must be some defined criteria which determine when a case is considered closed. It is also possible for a case to be reopened
if more information is required.
The result of the workflow process can be varied. The final conclusion of a case might result in some form of communication, a decision, a settlement, or a court date. The criterion that determines when a case is finished must be determined and programmed into the system. Although once a case is considered closed, it may be possible to reopen it.
Dynamic Case Management Users
Users of Dynamic Case Management systems typically fall into two categories: Business Analysts and Knowledge Workers.
Business Analysts
Business Analysts typically improve business processes through analysis and execution of initiatives, set out by either a department managing a line of business or by an information technology group. Business Analysts have a blend of business and technical savvy, which allows them to be very effective in executing business process improvements.
Knowledge Workers
Knowledge Workers are business users that provide value to one or more business processes through the application of his or her specialized knowledge in the process. For example, actuaries and underwriters are key knowledge workers in the insurance industry because they use their specialized knowledge to facilitate the underwriting of insurance policies that will benefit both the insurance carrier and the insured.
Categories of Business Data
The AppBase system typically stores two types of information: Structured and Unstructured.
Structured Data
Structured data is relevant for business entities with a predefined set of properties. For example, a Customer business entity might contain the following Attributes: Last Name, First Name, SSN, Date of Birth, etc. Each of these Attributes is then further defined by their relevant set of properties that include Name, Data Type, Max Length etc. These properties constitute business entity metadata. Metadata contains common characteristics for each business entity.
Unstructured Data
Unstructured data refers to electronic documents in a specific format, such as Word or PDF. This format is meaningful only for the relevant viewer or editor that is specific for that format. All common operations for these types of documents such as upload, download, store, and retrieve have no effect on the document's content or its format. Also, these operations usually work with any electronic document in a unified fashion. In Appbase, these types of documents are interpreted as content.
Each case in DCM consists of a set of tasks that have to be accomplished to resolve the case. DCM Task subsystem supports:
