Capability	Description
Matter/Case management	The matter/case management elements of the system are concerned with the registration and maintenance of details and tasks associated with a particular matter. This includes the registration and tracking of files, the allocation of responsibility for a matter and the linking together of related matters through a network of associations. Matters/Cases will be associated with one of a number of states each of which will have associated tasks and external events. In addition cases/matters can also be associated with related documents, emails, reports  etc.
Practice management	The practice management elements are concerned with ensuring the efficient conduct of a large office, the establishment of deadlines and the monitoring of progress plus the tracking of particular important matters or tasks. They include a range of management review, workload management and reporting.
Integrated document management	CASES includes an inbuilt IDMS document management system. It can also integrate to 3rd party systems such as Objective, Trim or Microsoft Sharepoint via an abstracted interface layer.
Integration architecture	CASES has been designed from the ground up to be integrated with other applications and data sources. It includes integration “agents” that are designed for this purpose. Cases agents are autonomous software modules, which encapsulate an interface between CASES and other applications.  Examples of agents include: eMail agent - allows users to send email directly to CASES matters (if their address is authorized). MQSeries Agent - accepts data on an MQseries feed, parses and uploads it into a quarantine area. Microsoft Access Agent - accepts uploaded data from Access databases into the system. In addition, agents for other purposes can be rapidly developed because the building block (class library) CASES architecture allows functions to be plugged together.
Microsoft office integration	Seamless user desktop experience with standard Microsoft Office applications. CASES also makes extensive use of Microsoft Word and Excel for reports and standard form letters.
Highly customisable	CASES provide a high degree of user and administrator level customisation.  Examples include: Code lists, types, etc Menus shortcuts (“Fastrack” menus) Most field labels, column headings,  form tiles  and other system behaviours can be modified and saved in a “personality” file
Customisable workflow	CASES is designed to allow an organisation to change workflows and associated tasks within the system as and when required. The system provides a flexible environment in which these workflows and tasks can be established without the need for any technical skills. Administrators are able to define workflows by associating particular types of matters with States, Tasks and Events.
Task Management	For each matter State there is a list of relevant Tasks. The list of valid Tasks may be varied by the organization when required. These tasks can be compulsory or optional, and the completion of one task can trigger a new set of tasks or tasks can be triggered by an external event.
Contact management	CASES includes a comprehensive Person/Party database for storing contact details. This database is controlled to avoid duplication of details. For example when a new person is added, the system automatically searches to ensure this person is not already known. ‘Soundex’ (sounds like) search can be used to assist the search process. CASES also supports contact logs for a particular person. This feature is used to manage sensitive contact with the relevant people.
Paper capture	CASES provides a mechanism to capture such documents and attach them to the correct Matter, in the process, turning them into a searchable electronic resource.
Extensive and customisable reporting	CASES uses an integrated report-writer that generates ‘Microsoft Word’ documents. This application, named ‘Word Reports’, allows completion of a letter-generating task with a single mouse click. The document can also be automatically stored in the document management system for future reference or search. There is a report-painter that allows end users to add data items to a Word template using a simple user interface. Reports can then be attached to any screen, automatically picking up any context available from that screen, and reducing the need for users to type in report parameters. Cases also generates certain statistical and costing reports as Excel spreadsheets. Industry standard reporting tools may also be used.
Integrated timesheeting and activity costing	CASES has an inbuilt time-sheeting system keeping track of all tasks performed by a user on a given matter. It also provides detailed reporting of time recording against specific matters, average cost of matters by category etc. A template is created in MS Excel where this information can be viewed and then updated. CASES also has an optional Flexi-time module as well as HR system integration.
Extensive and flexible security	System administrators have extensive controls for managing security at two levels : Business function security – allows users to access authorised functions based on their user group or job function Matter security – limits access to matters to a specific group of users, usually the specific owning practice. In addition, CASES has a full online session log, which can be configured to record all levels of access to data, including READ access. This data is held online for easy reporting access, and can be easily archived and retained.
Designed for change	CASES has been designed to be easily adaptable to changing needs. It is highly customisable at a user and administration level (workflows, behaviours, labels, menus etc).  In addition, CASES has a component based application architecture that supports modification  through the re-use/extension of functional components as well as the development of new components that can be plugged together to meet emerging requirements. This architecture is very well suited to agile methodologies.