Request for Information Business Process
Use the Request for Information (RFI) business process to submit your questions and proposed solutions, and to enter key information with request for clarification for review and approval.
Characteristics
This is a Project-level business process with a workflow, provided in the system template.
Record Statuses
| Status | Resulting State |
|---|---|
| Canceled | terminal |
| Closed | terminal |
| Open | non-terminal |
Workflow
The default workflow for the Request for Information business process is set up in a certain way; however, it may be used differently by your organization. Typically, a user with the necessary permissions can create the record and either move it directly to the end step or send it to others for review or approval. The recipients in the second step can approve or reject the record or send it on to others.
Related Processes
The Request for Information business process might create the following business processes: Change Request, Issue, Risk
The Request for Information business process might be created by the following business processes: Not applicable
Creating a Request for Information Record
Create a Request for Information record by navigating to Field Management / Request for Information on the Project/Shell tab, or from the Tasks log on the Home tab or relevant Project/Shell tab. Act on an existing Request for Information task that has been assigned to you from the Tasks log.
Complete the Request for Information form and attach related documents, if needed. After completing the form, select Send, and select an action in the Workflow Actions list to determine the next step in the workflow. Select Send to route the form to the next assignee.
Note:
You must enter a value in all required fields (*) before you can save the form.- Go to your Project tab, and switch to User mode.
- In the left Navigator, select Field Management, and then select Request for Information.
- On the Request for Information page, select Create. Refer to the tables below to complete the form. You can select Save at any time to save a draft version of the form. Draft versions are stored under Drafts.
- To add attachments, go to the Attachments tab, and select Attach Files
.
- After completing the form, select Send.
- On the Workflow Action Details tab, select who should receive this BP.
- If permitted, you can add users to the CC list. These users will receive a notification about this BP but are not assigned a task.
- If permitted, you can select lists of members in the Contact List section. These members also receive a notification about this BP but are not assigned a task.
- If permitted, you can adjust task due dates for all users, or set individual task due dates for each assignee.
- Select Send.
- In the Notification window, review the content, and select OK.
The record moves to the next step in the workflow.
Completing the Request for Information Form
Key Information
Key information about this RFI is provided in this section.
| Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Required | Enter a title. |
| Response Requested By | Editable | The response request date, for the Architect or Engineer, in the Request for Information (RFI) record. |
| RFI Reason | Required | Indicates the that reason the RFI is submitted |
| RFI Type | Required | RFI type (commonly designated either as Design or Construction) |
| RFI Priority | Required | RFI priority from Low to Urgent |
RFI Information
Track the associated Contract, Primary Discipline, Reference Contract Documents, Area, or Spec Section in this section.
| Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | Editable | The contract that is a reference to this record |
| Reference Document | Editable | The documents, drawings, images, and other files submitted for the Request for Information (RFI) record |
| Discipline | Editable | Select the Discipline specific to this document. |
| Spec Section | Editable | Specification section |
| Area | Editable | The area, from a list of physical areas, related to this project or building |
RFI Question and Proposed Solution
The question and optionally a proposed solution
| Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Required | Clarification request or clarification question |
| Proposed Solution | Editable | The proposed solution for review |
Proposed Cost & Schedule Information
Details about the contractor's proposed cost and schedule impact of this RFI
| Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Proposed Contractor Estimate | Editable | The Proposed Estimate by the contractor |
| Proposed Est. Schedule Impact (Days) | Editable | The proposed schedule impact in days, entered by the contractor |
| Proposed Cost Impact Notes | Editable | If cost is impacted, describe the reason. |
| Proposed Schedule Impact Notes | Editable | If schedule is impacted, describe the reason. |
Cost & Schedule Information
The owner enters the cost and schedule impact of this RFI.
| Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Impact | Required | Indicates whether there is a cost impact |
| Schedule Impact | Required | Indicates whether there is a schedule impact |
| Owner Cost Estimate | Editable | If there is a cost impact, the owner enters the total amount of the impact. |
| Owner Schedule Impact Estimate (Days) | Editable | If there is a schedule impact, the owner enters the total number of days that impact the schedule. |
| Cost Impact Notes | Editable | If there is a cost impact, enter the reason. |
| Schedule Impact Notes | Editable | If there is a schedule impact, enter the reason. |
Reference Processes
Processes created and referenced from this RFI. The Detailed Description is used to auto-populate the created Change Request, Potential Change Order, Risk, or Issue.
| Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Create a Change Request? | Editable | If selected, the system automatically creates a Change Request record after the RFI is approved. |
| Change Request Record | Read-Only | Link to the created Change Request record, after it is created from the RFI record. |
| Create a Potential Change Order? | Editable | If selected, the system automatically creates a Potential Change Order record after the RFI is closed. |
| Potential Change Order Record | Read-Only | Link to the created Potential Change Order record, after it is created from the RFI record. |
| Create a Risk? | Editable | If selected, the system automatically creates a Risk record after the RFI is closed. |
| Risk Record | Read-Only | Link to the created Risk record, after it is created from the RFI record. |
| Create an Issue? | Editable | If selected, the system automatically creates an Issue record after the RFI is closed. |
| Issue Record | Read-Only | Link to the created Issue record, after it is created from the RFI record. |
| Detailed Description | Editable | The detailed information about the short-description field. The field size can be expanded. |
Location
Location of the Request for Information. This can be completed by selecting an Area, by adding your current location (on mobile), or by choosing an area on a map.
| Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Latitude | Editable | The latitude of an area |
| Longitude | Editable | The longitude of an area |
Record Information
System information about this record
| Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Record Number | Read-Only | System-assigned record number |
| Status | Read-Only | Record status for a workflow BP record is based on the workflow action preceding the current workflow step. |
| Creator | Read-Only | Creator of this record |
| Creation Date | Read-Only | Date that the record was created |
| Record Last Update Date | Read-Only | Date that the record was last updated |
| Business Process Record URL | Read-Only | A shareable link to this record, for anyone with the necessary permissions |
| Project Name | Read-Only | Name of the project |
| Project Number | Read-Only | Unique Project Number |
Related Activity/Milestone
Schedule information of the selected activity/milestone
| Field Name | Access | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Activity/Milestone | Editable | Select the activity or milestone that should be used to track the planned and actual dates in this record. |
| Activity Name | Read-Only | The name of the selected activity/milestone from Project Schedule |
| Planned Start | Read-Only | The planned start date from the selected activity/milestone |
| Planned Finish | Read-Only | The planned finish date from the selected activity/milestone |
| Actual Start | Read-Only | The actual start date for the project from the schedule activity/milestone |
| Actual Finish | Read-Only | The actual finish date from the selected activity/milestone |