By: Urooj Hussain
In today’s dynamic operational environments, effective and timely communication is paramount. The HxGN EAM Bulletin function emerges as a powerful tool for system administrators, designed to provide a direct and efficient channel for disseminating crucial information to users within an organization. This proactive notification system is engineered to resolve pain points associated with a lack of awareness, ensuring that important updates reach the intended audience promptly and effectively.
HxGN EAM Bulletins: Revolutionizing Internal Communications and User Awareness
What are Bulletins in HxGN EAM?
At its core, a bulletin in HxGN EAM is a versatile message system allowing administrators to create and display important notifications to users. These messages can cover a wide range of critical updates, including:
- Planned upgrades
- Emergency maintenance notices
- System updates
- Any other critical messages that users need to see and acknowledge
Bulletins are designed to appear as a pop-up display for specific users and/or user groups. A key feature is the ability to mark a bulletin as “critical,” which requires users to acknowledge the message by clicking an “Acknowledge” button before they can navigate to other screens within EAM. This ensures vital information is not overlooked.
Key Benefits and Features: A Seamless Communication Solution
The HxGN EAM Bulletin functionality offers several significant advantages for administrators seeking to enhance internal communication:
- Direct and Timely Communication: Bulletins allow messages to be displayed directly to users upon login, ensuring proactive notification about upcoming events. Administrators can set specific Start Dates for bulletins, ensuring users are informed well in advance.
- Guaranteed Visibility with Acknowledgment: For critical information, marking a bulletin as “critical” ensures users must acknowledge the message before proceeding in the EAM system. This feature is vital for important events that might impact system usage or user actions, providing confirmation that the message has been seen. Administrators can even view who has acknowledged a bulletin via the Acknowledgements tab.
- Targeted Notifications: The system allows for precise targeting of recipients, enabling administrators to select specific user groups or individual user IDs to receive bulletins. This capability ensures that relevant personnel receive the notification while avoiding information overload for others. It’s important to note that you cannot select both a user group and a user ID simultaneously for the same bulletin.
- Scheduled Display and Relevance: Bulletins can be configured with a defined End Date, after which they will automatically stop being displayed. This keeps the user interface uncluttered and ensures that notifications remain relevant to current events. Once a bulletin expires, no modifications or deletions can be made to the record, message, or recipients.
- Comprehensive History and Monitoring: Users can view previously acknowledged bulletins in the Bulletin History section. This provides a record of past communications and acknowledgments. However, if an existing message is modified or deleted, records of users who previously acknowledged that message will also be deleted.
Setting Up a Bulletin: A Step-by-Step Overview
The process for setting up a bulletin in HxGN EAM is straightforward for designated EAM System Administrators:
EAM Application Login: Access the HxGN EAM application using the appropriate URL (e.g., TST, TRN, or PROD) by entering your User ID and Password, then clicking “Log In”.
Setting Up the Bulletin Record: Navigate to Administration > Bulletins > Bulletin Setup and click “New Record”. Enter a description, specify the organization, set the status to Inactive, define the Start Date and End Date, and decide if the bulletin is critical. Save the record.
Adding Messages: While the bulletin is in “Inactive” status, select the bulletin record and go to the Messages tab. Click “Add Message,” select the Language, and enter the message text. A message in the Default Language is required, and only one message per language is allowed. Save the message.
Adding Recipients: With the bulletin still in “Inactive” status, select the bulletin record and navigate to the Recipients tab. Click “Add Record” and choose recipients by selecting a User Group or individual User IDs. Remember, you cannot select both simultaneously. Submit your choices.
Activating the Bulletin: To make the bulletin visible, select the bulletin record and change its Status to Active. Ensure a message in the Default Language and at least one recipient are added before activating. Save the record.
Real-World Impact: Notifying Users About Daylight Saving Time Change
One excellent example of the bulletin function’s practical application is proactively notifying users about a Daylight Saving Time (DST) change. This can prevent potential issues arising from a lack of awareness regarding system time adjustments.
Imagine DST beginning on the second Sunday in March. An administrator could set up a bulletin as follows:
- Setup Bulletin (Inactive Status): Create a new bulletin with a description like “Daylight Saving Time Change Notification”. Set the Start Date a few days before the DST change (e.g., the Monday prior) and the End Date as the date of the DST change. Marking it as “Critical” ensures users are fully aware.
- Add Message: On the Messages tab, add a message in the default language: “Please be advised that Daylight Saving Time will begin on [Date of second Sunday in March] at 2:00 a.m. Please plan accordingly as system times may be affected briefly. Further details can be found [link to more information, if applicable].”.
- Add Recipients: On the Recipients tab, select “All Users” or specific user groups who need this information.
- Activate Bulletin: Once confirmed, change the bulletin’s Status to Active.
Once activated, this bulletin will pop up for users starting from the specified Start Date until the End Date. Because it’s marked critical, users will need to acknowledge it to continue using EAM, ensuring broad awareness of the upcoming time change and its potential impact.
In conclusion, the bulletin feature in HxGN EAM is an indispensable communication tool for system administrators. By enabling direct, targeted, and accountable notifications, it effectively addresses the challenge of disseminating important information, helping to maintain user awareness and mitigate potential issues arising from a lack of timely communication.
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