Release Notes: January 2024

SafetyChain is excited to announce the details for the January 2024 monthly release!

January 2024 Version Numbers

LINK 2.38

iOS, Android, Windows Apps 6.44

For customers using MDM to update the apps following this release, please use the below links. These will also be available in the Apps stores.

• APK file

• MSIX file

A reminder from your Product and Support team: Ensuring your devices have the most recent SafetyChain App version is highly advised. If you are using an old version of the SafetyChain app for your mobile submissions, you are at risk for unexpected behavior and will not be able to take advantage of all new mobile features.

Top Highlights

• (LINK) SafetyChain Environment Label: We’re removing the shroud of mystery, as you’ll now have a clear indication of which environment you are working in from any screen within LINK! Check out the new label that's visible in the header of the Train and Live environments.

  

• (LINK) Search a Value in Resources by Hierarchy in one Click: Resolved an issue that required a user to click “View All” to search and find a resource. Now, users can navigate to Resources by Hierarchy and search for a resource right away without any additional steps. The Resource will be displayed if the value is available.

  • Keep in mind: Disabled resources are hidden by default, so you may troubleshoot by removing that filter in the upper right-hand corner if the searched value does not appear.

• (LINK) Limited Editing on Direct Observation: To better match the business processes for Direct Observations, the Name field and Preconditional Verification fields have been disabled so that they are no longer editable. The Required and Not Required Radio buttons are also not editable.

  • The ability to require comments on Direct Observations may be expanded to the mobile function in the future, but it is currently only supported in LINK record verification processes.

We Fixed Some Bugs

• (LINK) Preconditional Verifications: Resolved an issue that required that all forms were associated with both verifications. Now, the Preconditional Verification can support exceptions if there are Forms that only require the second verification and are not associated to the Preconditional Verification at all.

  • Reference the November release notes for more details to take advantage of this new functionality, or jump right into the Video that walks you through it!

    

• (LINK) Landing in LINK with SSO: Resolved an issue that resulted in users landing directly in Web, rather than in LINK, when using SSO.

  • Users will have in-product messaging when they first land in LINK effective 1/29, but please communicate accordingly to your users that this change is occurring. Check out this spotlight post for more details or jump right into the Video!

    

• (DPT) Improved error messaging when importing users with incorrect workgroup: Now on inspect errors, the username and message showing “Workgroup Name Does Not Exist” will be displayed.

• Various other bug fixes and improvements

Finally, Some Logistical Updates from the SafetyChain Team

• Release Dates: We intend to release this into the Live environment on 1/28/2024 for Web and 1/29/2024 for LINK, and will publish the mobile apps on 1/29/2024.

• Feature/Bug Fix Availability: The label in parentheses that appears in front of each feature or bug indicates if that update is part of the Web, LINK and/or app release; therefore, indicating when it will become available.

• Downtime: SafetyChain’s monthly release cycle requires one window of downtime, which takes place during the Web release and effects both the Web and LINK applications. During the 120 minutes of downtime, users may continue to operate in Offline Mode via the Mobile Apps (learn more about this here). Downtime does not occur during the LINK release.

  Downtime Start/End Times:

Beta Programs Available in TRAIN

Supplier Compliance

The following will be available in TRAIN for Beta following the January Release; these will be released to Live at a later date. Stay tuned for more details & updates after feedback is obtained from Beta.

In November we had an early Beta with limited access - this is now available to all customers upon request to your CSM! If you are already part of the Beta program, you'll continue to be included. This is a great opportunity to gain early access to explore the new Requirements module with its improved layout, new functionality, the new Supplier Portal, and updated Supplier Compliance Reporting!

Check out our earlier spotlight post for what was included in November, and below for what's being added now! You'll be able to go through the full end-to-end process of creating a requirement, editing a requirement to add additional resources, uploading a document in the Supplier Portal (as if you're a supplier) and approving that Requirement. Acknowledgment and Form Completion requirements will be available for the general release, while Beta is focused on one requirement type: Document Upload.

• (LINK) Save Resources to Requirements: You can now save your resource selections to your requirements! Once resources are saved to the requirement, it will assign tasks in the portal for suppliers to complete.

• (LINK) Define Inheritance on Supplier Requirements: After selecting your resources, you will have a chance to review those selections before saving. For supplier-type requirements, if a parent and at least one of its children have been selected, then you will be able to define inheritance.

  • In this scenario, a parent will always receive a task to complete. If any children are inheriting, then they will not receive a task; instead, the requirement will be considered fulfilled when the parent completes the task. If a child is not inheriting, then they will receive their own task to complete.

• (LINK) Edit Existing Requirements: Once a requirement has been saved, you can open it again from the homepage grid to make changes including:

  • Modifying the requirement name

  • Adding or removing tags

  • Adding resources

• (LINK) View and Complete: Tasks in the Supplier Portal:

  • Requirement tasks to be completed can be seen in the new supplier portal!

  • Note: Tasks for all requirement types (acknowledgements, questionnaires, and document uploads) are visible in the portal but only document upload tasks can be completed at this time.

• (LINK) New Supplier Reporting: Once resources are associated to a requirement, you can begin exploring the new supplier reporting features! Benefits of the enhanced reporting include:

  • New scoring logic based only on the currently associated requirements

  • A quick view on the status of supplier task completion

    • Users will be able to open completed tasks in another tab from this screen to review and approve/reject - take advantage of using reporting of this feature soon!

  • A quick view on the status of the internal approval task

  • A Linked Document report that shows all documents (supplier submitted and internally uploaded) associated to the supplier

  • An Archived report to easily view requirements that the supplier is no longer associated to

  • An Inherited report to see what requirements are being inherited from the parent

• (LINK) Approve or Reject Supplier Tasks in the Inbox: Before the general release, users will also be able to approve documents directly from the Supplier Compliance reporting view.

• (LINK) View and Download Supplier Documents in DMS: More DMS features, like Preview, will be available during the general release.

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As always, our knowledge base will be updated with additional details, screenshots, and how-tos on everything we ship in the Live environment. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to reach out directly to our Support team 24/7!