Closure Categories

Closure categories provide information about how the request achieved the 'Closed' status. These sub-options of the 'Closed' status are implemented as status extensions and are fully customizable.

Status extensions function as subcategories of object statuses. They are used generally (i.e. not only as 'Closure categories') to provide additional information to a status.

The fulfillment progress of requesting is tracked with precision by the combination of request status and status extension.

For example, although a completed Request Fulfillment process ordinarily ends with the Request object having status 'Closed', there are several ways of achieving this status:

• successful fulfillment of the request is confirmed by the end user
• request is considered fulfilled because no reaction has been provided by the end user within a specified time-out period
• fulfillment of the request has been declined or disputed but
  • the objections have been resolved by the responsible technical personnel
  • it has been agreed that the objections will be handled separately (e.g. as another request)
  • it has been agreed that the objections require external support (e.g. directly from the manufacturer) and the request as such can be closed

These situations are registered by selecting a corresponding closure category when the object is being sent to the 'Closed' status.

Administration of Closure Categories (Status Extensions)

• In the same fashion as status values, individual status extensions are maintained as values of a corresponding value set.

  For example, statuses of the Request object are values of the 'Reqstatus' value set.

  

  Untranslated values in the status value set (column 'Value') are used for assignment of status extensions to statuses. For example, value 'IF' identifies status 'In Fulfillment', value 'CL' is used for status 'Closed'.

• Status extensions for request statuses are values of the 'ReqStatusExtension' value set.

  

  Only status extensions whose value starts with the particular status value are offered for selection when the object is in the corresponding status. For example, if a request is in status 'Closed' (value 'CL'), only status extensions whose value starts with 'CL' are offered.

  The only exception to this principle are status extensions whose value does not start with a known status value. These status extensions are always offered. For example, of the status extensions in the image above, 'Seeking external support' will be available regardless of the currently selected status.