Obligation Management

Obligation Management Module Documentation

Introduction

The Obligation Management Module is designed to help track and manage various obligations related to clients, cases, or projects. This module ensures timely completion of obligations by sending reminder emails to responsible users as deadlines approach.

The module consists of three main components:

1. Obligation Categories - For classifying different types of obligations. Categories can be related to Projects like various Licensing Authorities which have different obligations that needs to be maintained annually, or it can be related to cases where the categories can be different types of execution cases.
    
   You can learn more about Obligation Categories here.
2. Obligation Masters - For defining standard obligations and their parameters. Once the obligation categories are set, we will add types of obligations, map them with obligation category, so if related to a licensing authority, it can be something like “Trade license renewal” or if related to an execution case, it can be “File execution application”. We will also add the user responsible for each kind of obligation and how many days before the deadline the user should start getting the reminders.
   
   You can learn more about Obligation master here.
    
3. Obligations - For creating and managing actual obligation instances, here we will set the deadline for each obligation. We can also set the status for each obligation and track history.

This documentation provides a step-by-step guide on how to setup and use the Obligation Management Module effectively.

Managing Obligations

After setting up obligation categories and masters, you can create and manage actual obligations.

Accessing the Obligations Page

1. In the left menu, click on the Obligations option

Adding a New Obligation

1. On the Obligations page, click the Plus (+) button in the top right corner
2. A popup form will appear where you can enter the obligation details: 
   • Related To: Select whether the obligation is related to a "Client", "Case", or "Project"
   • Related Entity: Based on the selected relation type, select the specific client, case, or project from the dropdown
   • Obligation Category: Select the appropriate obligation category
   • Obligations: Once a category is selected, the system will display all obligation masters mapped to that category
   • For each displayed obligation: 
     • Responsible Users: Select one or more users who will be responsible (defaults to users selected in obligation master)
     • Deadline: Select the deadline date for the obligation
     • Details: Mention the details like name for visa renewal, or any other relevant data
     • Issue Date: Issue date for the license, visa etc.
3. Click Save to create the new obligations

Filtering Obligations

The Obligations page provides several filtering options to help you find specific obligations:

1. Client/Case/Project Filter: Filter obligations based on a specific client, case, or project
2. Days Left Filter: Filter obligations based on deadline proximity: 
   • Overdue (deadlines that have already passed)
   • Overdue in the last 10 days
   • Overdue in the last 30 days
   • Due in the next 10 days
   • Due in the next 30 days
3. Obligation Filter: Filter by specific obligation types
4. Responsible User Filter: Filter by specific responsible users
5. Status Filter: Filter by Active, Inactive, Not Started, Started, Pending, In Progress, Completed

Managing Existing Obligations

The Obligations page displays all obligations in a tabular format with the following information:

• Related To (Client/Case/Project)
• Obligation - Name and Category
• Issued On - Issue date
• Deadline - Deadline of the obligation
• Days Remaining - Days remaining in deadline and date of next reminder due if any
• Last Update - What was the last update in the obligation, along with the user name who added the update and date of update
• Status - If the obligation is paused or active, also what is the state of the obligation
• Responsible User
• Action buttons (Delete, Pause/Activate, View History, Update Status, Update Deadline)

You can:

• View History by clicking the view history action
• Edit by clicking the edit action, user is allowed to change the issue date, responsible and details
• Delete an obligation by clicking the delete action, only admin can delete.
• Pause/Activate an obligation by clicking the pause/activate action (paused obligations will not send reminder emails)
• Update Deadline by clicking the deadline update action to update the deadline.
• Update Status by clicking the status update action to change the obligation status to Not Started, Started, Pending, In Progress, or Completed

Exporting Obligation Data

You can export the obligation data to an Excel file for further analysis or reporting:

1. On the Obligations page, apply any desired filters
2. Click the Export to Excel button in the top right corner
3. The system will generate an Excel file containing the current filtered obligations data
4. Save the file to your desired location

Managing Obligation Status
 

Obligations progress through various statuses as they are being handled:

1. Available Statuses
   • Not Started: The obligation has been created but work has not begun
   • Started: Work on the obligation has commenced
   • Pending: The obligation is on hold awaiting something
   • In Progress: The obligation is actively being worked on
   • Completed: The obligation has been fulfilled
2. Updating Status
   • On the Obligations page, click the "Update Status" action in the action menu
   • Select the new status from the dropdown menu
   • Add any relevant comments to provide context for the status change
   • Click "Save" to update the status
3. Status Display
   • The status is displayed in the Status column on the Obligations page
     
       

Tracking Obligation History

The system maintains a comprehensive history of all changes made to obligations, allowing for full accountability and tracking:

1. Viewing History
   • On the Obligations page, click the “View History” action in the action menu for an obligation
   • A "View History" popup will display all changes made to the obligation
2. History Information
   • The history view shows the following information for each change: 
     • User Name: The user who made the change
     • Date & Time: When the change occurred
     • Status: The status update applied (if any)
     • Comments: Any comments added and/or details about the change
3. Types of Changes Tracked
   • Obligation Creation: Records who created the obligation and when
   • Status Updates: Records changes from one status to another (e.g., from "Not Started" to "In Progress")
   • Deadline Changes: Records both the old deadline and new deadline when modified
   • Comments: Any additional notes or explanations added by users
4. Initial Status
   • All newly created obligations are automatically assigned a status of "Not Started"

Reminder System

How Reminders Work

The Obligation Management Module includes an automated reminder system that sends emails to responsible users as obligation deadlines approach:

1. When an obligation is created, the system calculates the reminder date based on: 
   • Deadline date
   • Days Before Deadline value from the obligation master
2. For example, if: 
   • The deadline is November 30, 2025
   • Days Before Deadline is set to 10
   • The system will send a reminder email on November 20, 2025 (10 days before the deadline) and the reminder will come every day for an obligation until it is paused, or a new deadline is updated.
3. Reminder emails contain: 
   • Obligation details (name, related entity, etc.)
   • Deadline information
   • Link to access the obligation in the system

Managing Reminders

• Pausing Obligations: If the process is complete or if you need to temporarily stop reminders for an obligation, use the Pause action button on the Obligations page action menu.
• Updating Deadlines: If the renewal is done, go to the obligation to update the deadline to the next renewal date, and the system will recalculate the reminder date.