A “Service” is defined as the intersection of:
- A set of users
- A set of “content” to which those users are provided access
- A set of functionalities relevant to the users and content
There are five main types of futureDecide™ / ERDP Services at present:
- A “Submission Service” supports online processing of applications by applicants
- A “Review and Admin Service” supports online processing of reviews by reviewers, and also support monitoring and management of a competition by users with ProgramAdmin status
- Optionally, a “Self-Assessment/Preview Service” may be provided to enable prospective applicants to respond to a subset of application questions in order to assess whether they are a good fit for the program and should invest the time necessary to make a full submission. Use of a Self-Assessment / Preview Service can save time and money for a program, since it has been proven to reduce the number of unqualified applications
- A “Project Monitoring Submission Service” supports collection and evaluation of performance and value data throughout the lifecycle of a funded project
- A “Project Portfolio Monitoring Review and Admin Service” enables monitoring and management of a portfolio of funded projects, including support for expert verification and roll-up of data to support program-level performance and value analytics and reporting
The functionalities of a Service are defined using “Service Properties”, which consist of 200+ options that can be configured in setting up a Service.
- These consist of customized labels, references to content files, “switches” that turn features on or off, etc.
“Content” consists of:
- Input Content, which defines the set of client-specific questions or input requirements from users
- Output Content, which defines templates for standard and/or client-specific outputs or reports that are based on processing the inputs
- Guidance Documents, which are client-specific step-by-step instructions and/or terms and conditions associated with a Service
- Platform Content consists of generic screen labels and instructions that appear on user interfaces and is not client-specific
Content other than Platform Content is defined in structured “Content Files” :
- Input Content is defined in various formats corresponding with the module that processes that content. All input content files are structured using xml (xtensible markup language)
- Output Content is defined in report templates structured using the Apache Foundation’s Velocity scripting language
- Guidance Content is defined in web files written in html (hypertext markup language)
A “User” is an individual registered on the platform.
An “Enterprise” is a public or private sector organization registered on the platform. Optionally, one or more “BusinessUnits” can be defined as subsets of an enterprise.
A “Subscription” is an association between a User, a Service, an Enterprise, and optionally a BusinessUnit. A subscription can be “active” (in which case a user may login) or “expired” (in which case, login is not permitted). Subscriptions automatically expire at the end of the calendar year in which they were made.