Using SharePoint for Case Management

Use List Views for basic, built-in filtering, sorting, and grouping, use Quick Charts for simple visualizations on pages, leverage Power BI for sophisticated, interactive dashboards and complex analysis (recommended approach for serious reporting), and/or use Excel Export for ad-hoc, manual analysis.

SHAREPOINT DEVELOPMENTREPORTINGBUSINESS DATA REPORTING

4/23/20253 min read

SharePoint Case Management
SharePoint Case Management
SharePoint's flexibility allows it to be adapted for various case management scenarios across different departments and industries. Here are a few concrete examples of how SharePoint can be configured and used:

  1. IT Help Desk / Support Ticket System:

    • Scenario: Managing technical support requests from employees.

    • SharePoint Setup:

      • List ("IT Support Tickets"): Columns for Ticket ID (auto-generated), Requester (Person), Issue Description (Text), Category (Choice: Hardware, Software, Network, Access), Priority (Choice: Low, Medium, High), Assigned Technician (Person), Status (Choice: New, Assigned, In Progress, Pending User, Resolved, Closed), Resolution Notes (Text), Date Opened, Date Closed.

      • Workflow (Power Automate): Automatically assign tickets based on category, notify technicians of new assignments, send email updates to the requester when the status changes (e.g., Resolved), escalate tickets if not addressed within a certain timeframe.

      • Views: My Open Tickets, Unassigned Tickets, High Priority Tickets, Recently Closed Tickets.

      • Integration: Embed a simple ticket submission form (potentially using Microsoft Forms linked via Power Automate or a Power App) on the IT department's SharePoint page or intranet.

  2. HR Employee Relations Case Management:

    • Scenario: Tracking confidential employee relations issues like grievances, policy violations, or performance concerns.

    • SharePoint Setup:

      • List ("ER Cases"): Columns for Case ID, Employee(s) Involved (Person - potentially multiple), Reported By (Person), Issue Type (Choice: Grievance, Policy Violation, Performance, Other), Assigned HR Rep (Person), Status (Choice: Intake, Investigation, Action Plan, Monitoring, Closed), Confidential Notes (Text - requires strict permissions), Date Opened, Date Closed.

      • Document Library ("ER Case Files"): Store investigation notes, interview summaries, formal warnings, relevant policies. Critically important: Set unique, restricted permissions on this library and potentially on individual folders/documents within it, ensuring only specific HR personnel have access. Link documents to the list item using the Case ID metadata.

      • Workflow: Route cases for review/approval by HR managers, set reminders for follow-up actions based on dates in the list.

      • Views: Active Investigations, My Assigned Cases, Cases Awaiting Review.

      • Security: Heavy emphasis on unique permissions for both the list and the document library due to the sensitive nature of the data.

  3. Legal Matter Management:

    • Scenario: Law firms or corporate legal departments tracking legal cases, contracts, or transactions.

    • SharePoint Setup:

      • List ("Legal Matters"): Columns for Matter ID, Client Name (Text or Lookup), Matter Name (Text), Matter Type (Choice: Litigation, Contract Review, Real Estate, IP), Lead Attorney (Person), Opposing Counsel (Text), Status (Choice: Intake, Discovery, Negotiation, Trial Prep, Closed), Key Dates (Date/Time: Filing Deadline, Court Hearing, Contract Expiry).

      • Document Library ("Matter Documents"): Often configured using Document Sets (special folders that can have their own metadata and workflows) - one Document Set per Matter ID. Inside, store pleadings, contracts, correspondence, discovery documents, research. Use metadata columns within the library (e.g., Document Type, Author, Date). Version control is essential.

      • Workflow: Automate document review/approval cycles, send reminders based on Key Dates.

      • Views: Matters by Attorney, Upcoming Deadlines, Active Litigation Matters.

      • Integration: Integrate with Teams for matter-specific collaboration; use Outlook integration to easily save relevant emails and attachments to the correct Matter Document Set.

  4. Project Issue/Risk Tracking:

    • Scenario: Managing issues, bugs, risks, or change requests identified during a project lifecycle.

    • SharePoint Setup:

      • List ("Project Issues"): Columns for Issue ID, Title, Reported By (Person), Date Reported, Description (Text), Type (Choice: Bug, Change Request, Risk, Task), Priority (Choice), Assigned To (Person), Status (Choice: New, Analyzing, Assigned, In Progress, Resolved, Closed), Due Date, Resolution Notes.

      • Workflow: Notify Assigned Person when a new issue is assigned, alert Project Manager if high-priority issues are logged, send reminders for due dates.

      • Views: Open Issues by Priority, My Assigned Issues, Overdue Issues, Recently Resolved Issues.

      • Integration: Link the list to the main Project SharePoint site; potentially embed a view of open issues on the project dashboard page.

These examples demonstrate how combining SharePoint Lists (for tracking structured data), Document Libraries (for related files), metadata (for organization), views (for reporting/filtering), workflows (for automation), and permissions (for security) creates a powerful platform for various case management needs. The specific columns, choices, workflows, and views would be customized based on the exact requirements of each process.