Lifecycle of a Report

Once data has been collected using MetaField^®, a user will create a report to consolidate this information and send it to their client. The diagram below describes the various ways that reports can be created and how they flow through the various statuses.

Report Creation

Reports are typically created by the project manager in QC or a lab manager in the LIMS after data is reviewed. When project managers/lab mangers create a report they have three options:

• Create a Draft Report – This option allows the report to go through an additional review cycle before it is cleared for distribution to the client.
• Finalize a Report – This option bypasses the draft report review process and sends the report directly to delivery where is can be sent to a client.
• Finalize Report and Email - This option allows you to email your report to a predefined distribution list set up in project specifications during the finalization process.

Creating draft reports is always optional and depends on the workflow a given company has decided to implement.

Field Reports

There is one exception to the process of project managers creating reports in QC. A Field Report can be created by a field technician in the Field module. These reports can be sent directly to a client via email from the field. In administration you can determine whether a particular type of field report is sent to the Field Report area of QC or sent directly to Delivery. If it is sent to to QC/Field Reports, the report must then be saved as a draft or final report from that area of the software.

Draft Reports

Draft reports are reports that require an additional review before they are finalized and sent to delivery. When they are reviewed in QC, there are two options:

• Finalize – Finalizing the report will approve it and move it to Delivery. You can sign the report at this time.
• Reject – Rejecting a report will mark it as rejected but it will remain in Draft Reports and will not move to Delivery.  Rejected reports can be manually deleted from Draft Reports if necessary.

Delivery

There are three report statues in Delivery:

• Complete – the report has not been digitally signed and has not been delivered. If a report was signed at the time of creation, it will never appear in this status in delivery.
• Final – the report has been digitally signed but not delivered.
• Delivered – the report has gone to the client. Both signed and unsigned reports can have a status of Delivered. You can tell if a Delivered report has been signed by viewing the Signed By column.

A report created outside of MetaField can be uploaded directly to Delivery.