Configuring Incident Xpress

Configuring Incident Xpress

Before Incident Xpress (iX) can be deployed to users, the application must be configured by a System Administrator. In this section, we'll look at the configuration tasks which must be performed before Incident Xpress is ready for deployment in their organization.

Administrators, Workgroups, and Users

The top-level user of Incident Xpress is the System Administrator. The System Administrator (SA) is typically the person responsible for configuring Incident Xpress before it is deployed, and then overseeing the application once it is in active use. 

The SA controls access to Incident Xpress by creating workgroups and assigning privileges to each group. Every user account placed into a workgroup will inherit the privileges assigned to that group.

Another Incident Xpress role is the Backup Administrator. The Backup Administrator can perform the functions normally done by the System Administrator if they are unavailable for any reason. 

Here is an example of how users and workgroups can be used to control access to Incident Xpress: 
  1. The top-level workgroup is Administration. Users in this group might be the senior-most Security Manager, the System Administrator, and perhaps a Backup Administrator. 
NOTE: All the users in this workgroup have the same privileges, so the senior-most Security Manager could also be the Backup Administrator.

  1. Below the Administration workgroup, a workgroup called Security Supervisors could be created for users who supervise other users. Users in this workgroup would have privileges less than those in the Administration group, and greater than the users who report to them.
  2. Below the Security Supervisor workgroup could be a workgroup called Security Officers. Users in this workgroup would have privileges less than their supervisor. For example, they might be restricted to being able to only access "My Incidents".

Lookup Lists

Incident Reporting requires consistency in terminology to be effective. Incident Xpress makes this consistency possible through the use of lookup lists. Lookup lists contain the descriptors users enter into the application. Use of lookup lists enable more consistent data collection, providing a better experience when searching, performing analysis and generating reports.

Configuration Tasks

Getting Incident Xpress ready for deployment is as simple as 1-2-3:

  1. When signing up, select the industry vertical that best describes your organization.
    1. Corporate: Is for general businesses.
    2. Education: Is for post-secondary institutions but can be easily adapted to schools including Childcare and K-12.
    3. Healthcare: Is for hospitals but can easily be adapted to clinics, long term care and retirement homes.
    4. Hospitality: Is for hotels/motels/resorts but can easily be adapted to recreation orientated organizations.
  2. Review the three preconfigured workgroup privilege sets and edit or add new workgroups if necessary.
  3. Review the default lookup lists located and edit them as required. 
NOTE:The default labels for Incident Class and Location can be edited to reflect names that more appropriately reflect your organization.

Select an Industry Vertical

When a new customer signs up for Incident Xpress, they are asked to select one of the following industry verticals:
  1. Corporate
  2. Education
  3. Healthcare
  4. Hospitality

NOTE: You are unable to change verticals down the road so it's important to start with the vertical that's appropriate for your organization. 

Review the Workgroup Privileges

As discussed in the Administrators, Workgroups, and Users section of this manual, Incident Xpress uses a workgroup system to determine what a user can and can't do in the application. The user has the same privileges as the workgroup they belong to. 

The System Administrator can view and edit the privileges assigned to a workgroup by using the Administration menu. For more information, see the chapter on Administration later in this manual. 

Review the Lookup Lists

In Incident Xpress, each industry vertical comes with a default set of lookup lists. Many organizations will be able to use these lookup lists without making substantial edits. 

The text items entered in the lookup lists are called descriptors. Each descriptor is the text the user selects when entering information into the application.  

The lookup types for all verticals in Incident Xpress are:
  1. CORRECTIVE ACTION TYPE
  2. DEPARTMENT
  3. GENDER TYPE
  4. INCIDENT CLASS
  5. LOCATION
  6. PERSON TYPE
  7. REFERRED AGENCY
  8. ROOT CAUSE
  9. VEHICLE INVOLVEMENT
It is important to remember that the Incident Class and Location lookup lists are hierarchical. For example, when a user selects an incident CLASS, the application displays the related CATEGORY choices. Selecting a CATEGORY shows the related SUB-CATEGORY choices, and choosing a SUB-CATEGORY displays the related TYPE of incidents. 

Let's use the example of an incident involving the theft of property valued at over $1000. When entering this incident, a user will select the following items (in order) from the application's configured lookup list:
  1. CLASS: Security
  2. CATEGORY: Crime
  3. SUB-CATEGORY: Theft
  4. TYPE: Over $1000
The System Administrator can export the data from the default lookup lists into an excel spreadsheet. The spreadsheet contains the structure and descriptors of the application's default lookup lists. 

The System Administrator can save/print and review this excel file to note any changes to be made, if any. Descriptors can be changed to better reflect an organization's terminology; also, new descriptors can be added, or existing descriptors can be deleted.

Edits to the default lookup lists are made in the Incident Xpress Administration screen. For more information, see the chapter on the Administration screen later in this manual.

NOTE: It's important to get the lookup lists configured as desired before deploying Incident Xpress. Once a lookup list descriptor has been entered and saved in an incident, it cannot be edited or deleted, it can only be deactivated. 


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