Asset



Filtering assets

When you’re inside the Asset interface, you can select different views by filtering out the assets that you want to inspect. There’s a drop-down list with different filtering options at the top of the interface. The assets then appear in a list below, in accordance with the selected filter. The following are descriptions of the filter options available in the Asset module.

All documents

When All documents are selected, you obviously get an overview of all assets in the system, components included. You can control how many documents are shown on the page you’re viewing, via a drop-down list on the top-right side. The options you’re given are 5, 10, 15, 25 or simply all documents.

All assets

With this filter you get an overview of all assets in the system, but note that all components are excluded.

By asset type

If you’re interested in finding a particular type of asset, you can use this filter. When this filter is selected, an additional filter comes into sight on the left side of the document list where you can choose between different asset types that are defined in the system. Along with the default types, such as IT assets, this filter refers to the custom document templates that you create in system settings. The design of Document templates will be covered in more detail in chapter 5.2.

By type

It’s easy to confuse the By type filter with the one above – „By asset type.“ In order to avoid this confusion, it’s important to make the distinction between manufacturer templates and document templates. While the filter “By asset type” refers to document templates, this filter refers to the types that you define in Manufacturer templates. When selecting By type, you get an additional filter on the left, where you can choose between the manufacturer templates that you define in system settings. This will be covered in detail in chapter 5.3.

My assets

When My assets are selected, you get an overview of all assets that you are supervising. Note that IT assets and components are excluded in this filter.

My IT assets

When My IT assets are selected, you get an overview of all IT assets of which you have been appointed „system owner.“


New Asset

When you want to register a new asset, simply click the New document dropdown in the top-right corner of the Asset interface. As you can see in the image below, the dropdown is divided into three sections. In the first section, you can choose from three default templates: Asset, Component, and IT asset. Understandably, these default templates are rather broad in their classification, and when it comes to assets that are specific to your company you are encouraged to create your own customized registration templates. The document templates that you create, subsequently become available in the other two sections in the New document dropdown-list; custom assets in the second section and custom components in the third. How to design custom document templates will be discussed in detail in chapter 5.2.

The default templates for assets and components have three tabs at the top of the interface, namely General, Purchase and Finance. The template for IT assets, however, is slightly different and only includes two tabs, General and Mapping Processes. On the right-hand side of each template, you can see fields that are required before you can save the asset and what information you need to provide to complete the document and start adding maintenance or calibration plans. When all necessary fields have been filled out the asset is saved (without closing) by clicking Save and then you hit Close to close it.

General

In the General tab, the basic information on the asset is registered. The title of the asset should be clear and concise, and even though the title is the only field that’s required, asset managers and administrators are encouraged to categorize their assets to the best of their ability. It’s important to register as much information on each asset as possible, and a detailed description of the asset can be provided in the standard text editor below. Moreover, it’s highly recommended to assign each asset to a supervisor, a person that’s accountable for the asset’s proper maintenance and upkeep.

The template consists of several input fields. The values in Category, Status and Location need to be defined beforehand in system Settings, and Manufacturer and Model are fields that you control in the Manufacturer template. These configurations will be covered in chapter 5.1 and 5.3, respectively. If you change the status of the asset, the date is recorded in the system and it automatically appears in the field Status changed.

Lastly, there are a couple of checkboxes: Should maintain, and Should calibrate. This is where you decide whether the asset in question should have a maintenance plan, or a calibration plan. When you check either of those boxes, a new tab appears at the top of the template. This will be covered in subsequent chapters, see 2.2.4 and 2.2.5.

Purchase

It can be extremely convenient to record the purchasing information on each asset in the CCQ system. That way, you won’t need to go through old receipts or look up details in the company’s accounting, in order to find details about the purchase.

The template consists of various fields, and you can store information on the seller, service provider, purchase price, and purchase date. You can determine the approximate depreciation of the asset (per year), and thus calculate the real price of the asset according to its current age. In case the asset carries manufacturer warranty, you’re able to note down details on the warranty period, and when it expires. If you decide to sell the asset, you can list the selling price and the date of the sale.

Finance

If financing was needed to purchase the asset, the relevant information can be stored in the Finance tab. You have fields for the financing type – whether it was a lease purchase or a loan – and you can identify the company employee that’s responsible for the contract. In order to avoid any confusion, it can be useful to state the contract number and the finance period, and at the bottom of the template the terms of the contract can be articulated.

Maintenance

If you mark the Should maintain checkbox in the General tab, the Maintenance tab appears at the top of the template, right next to the Finance tab. This is where you specify the details of the maintenance plan you want to put into practice for the asset in question.

You assign the person responsible for the maintenance of the asset and declare whether there’s a special maintenance contract. The template provides input fields for the contract details, where you can spell out the cost and the contract expiration date. If you want the maintenance to be performed on a regular basis, you have complete control over how frequently. You set the tally in the Frequency textbox on the left, and determine the interval type on the right: hours or months. When the asset is scheduled for maintenance, the system sends the supervisor an email reminding him that the time has come for the asset to undergo service. It is then put on the task list of the employee concerned.

Calibration

Calibration is the process of checking machines and equipment, and making sure that values used in measurements remain at standard points. If you mark the Should calibrate checkbox in the General tab, the Calibration tab appears on the far right at the top of the template. This is where you specify the details of the calibration plan you want to put into practice for the asset in question.

You may assign the person responsible for the calibration of the asset and specify the necessary equipment. You can declare the allowed deviation of the measurements, and determine who should perform the calibration. In any case, just make sure that all calibrations are done in accordance with a recognized standard, whether in-house or by an external party.

If you want the calibration to be performed on a regular basis, you can control how frequently. The values that you define in the Frequency field, dictate the automatic rescheduling of the calibration. You set the tally in the textbox on the left, and determine the interval type on the right: hours or months. Subsequently, when the asset is scheduled for calibration, the system notifies the person responsible by sending him an email reminding him that the time has come for the asset to undergo service. It is then put on the task list of the employee concerned.


Detailed description

At this point, you’ve categorized the asset to the best of your knowledge and ability, documented information on its purchasing and financing, and determined whether it needs maintenance or calibration. The built-in text editor below allows you to give a more Detailed description of the asset, its main features and characteristics, and even post pictures. The subsequent chapters cover the essential features of the text editor, and how you upload attachments to the system.

Text editor

The inbuilt text editor comes with all the basic features. As expected, you are presented with a blank document where you can begin typing. You have a host of formatting options for setting the font size and style, controlling line spacing and indentation, etc. You can insert tables, pictures and video, and a nice feature allows you to get links to quality documents in the system.

By clicking the icon, you can put the text editor into full screen mode to see more of the document that you’re working with. This stretches the editor to the width and height of your browser window.

Another feature allows you to fetch predetermined templates for your asset. In the settings menu you can create different templates that you can use in the editor. This should facilitate the process of describing assets in more detail and establish a kind of consistency. This will be covered in more detail in chapter 5.4. To get a template for the asset you click the icon in the text editor. You get a list of the templates that you’ve already created in the settings menu, and then you select the appropriate one.

By clicking the icon, you will receive a list of published quality documents that you can search through and get links to, as long as your company is subscribed to the Quality Manual module.

Attachments

You can add as many attachments to an asset as you want. There are various types of files you can attach to a document, ranging from simple text files to complex Visio diagrams. To add an attachment you simply click New attachment, which opens a file explorer where you choose the file to add. The selected file appears in a list at the bottom of the page which indicates that the file has been attached, but it isn’t uploaded to the system until the asset is saved. On the other hand, if the intention is to remove an attachment from the asset, you can do that by clicking the x behind the file.


New Component

When you want to register a new component, simply click the New document dropdown in the top-right corner of the Asset interface and select Component. A default template for a new component appears which is almost identical to the one for a default asset, aside from one little detail – the Asset parent field. This is a dropdown field that can be found in the General tab, and if the component belongs to a specific asset, you select that asset from the list.

For distinctive components that can’t be classified by using the default templates, you’re advised to create customized registration templates. Just remember to mark the Is component checkbox when you make the template. This will be covered in detail in chapter 5.2.


New IT Asset

When it comes to the registration of software systems and IT assets, things get a bit more elaborate. The template is completely different, and you get added complexity with the questionnaires that need answering for each system. These sets of questions relate to the processing of personal data, and they are specially designed to assist companies in demonstrating GDPR compliance. Normally, it’s the responsibility of the system owner to answer these questions.

The template for IT assets only includes two tabs, General and Mapping Processes. The second tab contains the questionnaire, which is divided into seven groups of questions. Note that you cannot create maintenance or calibration plans for IT assets. The subsequent chapters will examine the registration of IT assets in detail, and how you successfully map out the data processing.

General

In the General tab, the basic information on the IT asset is registered. Even though Name of software is the only field that’s required, it’s recommended that asset managers and administrators provide as much details on each IT asset as possible. It can be incredibly convenient to access all relevant information on each system, in one place. The standard text editor below allows for a more detailed description of the IT asset, if needed. In addition, we encourage you to assign each IT asset to a system owner, a person that’s accountable for integrating and maintaining the system’s operational capability.

The template consists of several input fields. The version number of the system, license key and number of licenses in use, is all valuable information that should be provided. By stating the cost per license, it’s easy to determine the overall expenses that the company must cover due to the IT asset in question. If the system is hosted, you can state the hosting type – whether it’s in the cloud or on a VPS server, etc. – and the hosting location.

With the GDPR regulation come tighter requirements regarding how long personal data may be retained. Businesses must ensure that the retention period is limited to a strict minimum, and you are encouraged to use the field Data retention time to explicitly state how long personal data is stored in the IT asset. Lastly, if the IT asset involves some kind of subscription plan, you can for example list details on the billing arrangement, subscription benefits and features in the Program text area.

Mapping processes

The Mapping processes tab contains a set of questions that should be answered for each and every IT asset that’s registered. The questionnaire is divided into seven sections, each section concerning a certain topic or subject matter. These questions are all concerned with the processing of personal data and are designed to help organizations figure out which of their IT assets contain such information.

The purpose is to support companies in implementing the necessary measures to demonstrate compliance with the GDPR. By answering these questions, organizations get a better idea of how personal data is handled in each system, and what steps need to be taken to improve processing. When you’ve diligently answered each question, it could prove valuable to get some feedback from a legal advisor to ensure that you comply with the regulation.

Note that by answering “yes” in a couple of places in the questionnaire, will generate more questions. You can always see how many questions you have answered and how many are left, by checking the tally to the right of each section heading.