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Managing Jobs

Jobs are the core entity in CHAOTICA representing discrete pieces of work for clients. This guide covers creating, managing, and working with jobs throughout their lifecycle.

What is a Job?

A job represents a discrete piece of work for a client, typically tied to a specific engagement or assessment. For example: - Client wants their e-commerce system tested - 6 months later, they want their internal office network tested

These would be two separate jobs as they are discrete pieces of work.

Job Structure

Each job contains: - Basic Information: Title, client, description - Classification: Security classification level - Phases: Individual service deliverables within the job - Timeline: Start/end dates and milestones - Team Assignment: Project leads, account managers, participants - Financial Information: Budget, rates, framework agreements

Creating a New Job

Prerequisites

  • You must have "Add Job" permissions in your organizational unit
  • A client must exist in the system
  • Services must be defined for the phases you want to create

Step-by-Step Process

  1. Navigate to Jobs
  2. Go to the main dashboard
  3. Click "Jobs" in the navigation menu

  4. Click "Add New Job"

  5. Basic Information 

    Job Title: Clear, descriptive title
Client: Select from existing clients
Organizational Unit: Your team/unit
Classification: Select appropriate security level

  6. Job Details

  7. Description: Detailed description of the work
  8. Background: Context and background information
  9. Scope: High-level scope of work

  10. Objectives: What the job aims to achieve

  11. Financial Information

  12. Framework Agreement: Link to existing agreement (if applicable)
  13. Budget: Total budget for the job

  14. Currency: Currency for financial calculations

  15. Assignment

  16. Account Manager: Primary client contact
  17. Deputy Account Manager: Backup contact (optional)
  18. Project Lead: Technical lead for the job

Job Status Workflow

Jobs follow a strict status workflow with defined transitions:

graph TD
    Draft --> PendingScope["Pending Scoping"]
    PendingScope --> Scoping
    Scoping --> AdditionalScope["Additional Scoping Required"]
    Scoping --> PendingScopeSignoff["Pending Scope Signoff"]
    AdditionalScope --> PendingScopeSignoff
    PendingScopeSignoff --> ScopeComplete["Scoping Complete"]
    ScopeComplete --> PendingStart["Pending Start"]
    ScopeComplete --> InProgress["In Progress"]
    PendingStart --> InProgress
    InProgress --> Completed
    Completed --> Archived

    Draft --> Lost
    PendingScope --> Lost
    Scoping --> Lost
    AdditionalScope --> Lost
    ScopeComplete --> Lost
    PendingStart --> Lost

    Draft --> Deleted
    PendingScope --> Deleted
    Scoping --> Deleted
    AdditionalScope --> Deleted
    PendingScopeSignoff --> Deleted
    ScopeComplete --> Deleted
    PendingStart --> Deleted
    InProgress --> Deleted
    Completed --> Deleted
    Lost --> Deleted
    Archived --> Deleted

Status Descriptions

  • Draft: Initial creation, job details being defined
  • Pending Scoping: Ready for scoping to begin
  • Scoping: Active scoping work in progress
  • Additional Scoping Required: More scoping work needed
  • Pending Scope Signoff: Scoping complete, awaiting approval
  • Scoping Complete: Scoping approved, ready for scheduling
  • Pending Start: Scheduled but not yet started
  • In Progress: Active work being performed
  • Completed: All work finished
  • Lost: Job not won or cancelled
  • Archived: Completed job moved to archive
  • Deleted: Job marked for deletion

Status Transitions

Only certain status transitions are allowed:

From To Required Permission
Draft Pending Scoping Job editor
Pending Scoping Scoping Scoper role
Scoping Pending Scope Signoff Scoper role
Pending Scope Signoff Scoping Complete Manager role
Scoping Complete In Progress Manager role
In Progress Completed Manager role

Working with Existing Jobs

Finding Jobs

Search and Filters: - Use the search bar to find jobs by title or ID - Filter by status, client, or organizational unit - Sort by creation date, status, or deadline

My Jobs View: - Jobs you're scheduled on - Jobs you're leading or authoring - Jobs you've scoped - Jobs you're account manager for

Editing Jobs

  1. Access Control: You can edit a job if you have:
  2. Edit permissions in the organizational unit
  3. Are assigned as account manager
  4. Are assigned as project lead

  5. Have object-level permissions

  6. Editable Fields: Depending on job status, different fields can be modified:

  7. Draft/Scoping: All fields editable
  8. In Progress: Limited to non-structural changes
  9. Completed: Read-only except for notes

Job Information Sections

Overview Tab: - Basic job information - Status and timeline - Client and team assignments

Phases Tab: - Individual service phases - Phase scheduling and assignments - Phase status tracking

Timeline Tab: - Key milestones and dates - Phase schedules - Deadline tracking

Financial Tab: - Budget information - Framework agreement details - Cost tracking

Files Tab: - Job-related documents - Reports and deliverables - Client communications

Notes Tab: - Internal notes and comments - Status change history - Team communications

Job Scheduling

Phase Scheduling

Each job consists of one or more phases that need to be scheduled:

  1. Create Phases: Define the services to be delivered
  2. Resource Planning: Identify required skills and team members
  3. Time Allocation: Assign time slots to team members
  4. Deadline Management: Set and track key dates

Scheduling Considerations

  • Team Availability: Check team member schedules
  • Skill Requirements: Ensure appropriate expertise is assigned
  • Dependencies: Consider phase dependencies and sequencing
  • Buffer Time: Allow time for reviews and revisions

Framework Agreements

Framework agreements allow linking multiple jobs under a single contract:

Benefits

  • Centralized Tracking: Monitor progress across all jobs in the framework
  • Budget Management: Track total spend against framework budget
  • Reporting: Generate consolidated reports across the framework

Usage

  1. Create a framework agreement in the client section
  2. When creating jobs, link them to the appropriate framework
  3. Monitor framework utilization in the reporting section

Best Practices

Job Creation

  • Use clear, descriptive titles that include client name and service type
  • Complete all required fields before changing status
  • Add detailed descriptions to help team members understand context
  • Set realistic timelines with appropriate buffer

Status Management

  • Only advance status when work is genuinely complete
  • Use notes to document reasons for status changes
  • Involve appropriate stakeholders in status transitions
  • Keep clients informed of status changes

Team Communication

  • Use the notes section for internal team communications
  • @ mention team members in notes for notifications
  • Document important decisions and changes
  • Keep a clear audit trail of job progression

Quality Assurance

  • Follow the defined TQA (Technical Quality Assurance) process
  • Ensure PQA (Peer Quality Assurance) reviews are completed
  • Document any deviations from standard procedures
  • Maintain quality standards throughout the job lifecycle

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Cannot Change Job Status: - Check you have the required permissions - Ensure all prerequisite conditions are met - Verify the status transition is allowed

Missing Jobs in My View: - Check you're assigned to the job in some capacity - Verify the job status is in active statuses - Ensure your organizational unit permissions are correct

Unable to Edit Job: - Confirm you have edit permissions - Check if the job status allows editing - Verify you're not trying to edit read-only fields

Scheduling Conflicts: - Use the scheduling view to check team availability - Consider adjusting timelines or reassigning resources - Check for leave requests or other commitments

Getting Help

If you encounter issues: 1. Check this documentation for guidance 2. Contact your organizational unit manager 3. Reach out to system administrators 4. Use the built-in help system (if available)