Product Description - Issues Overview
During the takeoff process, issues arise that need to be resolved later. The Issue Management features allow Pro and Premier users to define issues, and assign drawings and measurements to them. When working with a planroom that supports collaboration, Issues can be sent to other project collaborators as a Request for Information (RFI).
Creating an Issue for a Measurement or Annotation
As an example, let's create an issue for a measurement. Once the measurement (or annotation) is created, right-click on it to display the Context Menu then select "Create an Issue..." from the context menu. The Issue Edit Window will be displayed to add a new issue.
The "Created By" field is filled in automatically. The "Status" field can be set to Open, Critical or Resolved. The "Posted" field is used for collaboration.
The Title field and the Notes field below it should be filled with information about this issue. The Title field is used in lists of Issues. The Notes field is a multi-line field with an extended description of the problem.
To the right of the Notes are the drawing and measurement links for the issue. In this case it shows the drawing and measurement for which we're creating this issue. Later you can associate the issue with other drawings, measurements and annotations.
With all the information entered, we can press the "Save" button and the top of the window and creation of this issue is complete. We'll discuss the other buttons later.
Reviewing Issues with the Issues List
At any time, you can review the project's issues by displaying the Issue List. This can be invoked by selecting "View/Issues Window..." in the Main Menu. or by pressing the Issue button in the Main Toolbar.
Figure 2: Issue List Edit Window
The Issue List Window floats above the main window. You can manipulate the main window while it is displayed. It shows a list of all issues for the project. There are columns to display the issue's status, description, author (Created By), posting status and whether or not it has drawings, annotations or measurements assigned to it. From this window you can add new issues. You can edit, delete or post existing issues. To review or change an issue, just double-click on it in the list and the Issue Edit Window will be displayed for that issue.
By checking the "Audit" button, you can hide all measurements and annotations that are NOT associated with the issue that has focus in the list.
Issue Posting and Collaboration
In a single user environment, there's no need for posting, activities and other advanced issue features. But when several people are involved, more control may be necessary. First lets consider a group of people working on a project via a common server.
One user creates an issue. He wishes to differentiate his original issue from comments that others may make about the issue. To do this, he "Posts" the issue. This freezes the original information. Others can add more information by Adding an "Activity" to the issue. Activities work like comments in an internet blog or discussion thread.
Figure 3: Issue with Added Activity
The activity is added by pressing the "Add Activity" button at the upper right. Then the "Created By" and Notes fields can be filled in just as with the original issue. You can also assign drawings, annotations and measurements to an activity.
Collaboration via the Planroom
eTakeoff has worked with select electronic planrooms to provide more advanced collaboration. In this case the posting does more than just freeze the information. The issue is posted to the planroom as an "RFI". Other companies collaborating on the project are notified of the RFI. They can download the RFI (creating an Issue in their own eTakeoff project). They can then add Activities to the Issue and re-post it back to the planroom. Again, all collaborators are notified and the cycle continues.
When issue information is transferred, it includes the drawings, measurements and annotations assigned to the issue. When measurements are transferred, the scaling information is also transferred.