1 About This Manual
Welcome to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Neutral Portal User Guide. The Neutral Portal provides neutral party mediators access to necessary messages and case data to assist in processing ADRs. This manual provides details on how this portal works and actions available to you as a portal user.
1.1 In This Document
The following topics are discussed in this manual:
Accessing the Portal
Portal User Interface
Case Tracking and Processing
Event Creation and Tracking
Using Attachments
User Inbox and Sending Messages Using the Portal
1.2 Using This Manual
The following formatting conventions are used in this manual to highlight important information:
Italicized text indicates a location, for example a particular Folder, Tab, or Window.
Bold text indicates a specific user action, such as clicking a button.
2 Getting Started
The following subsections provide instructions on accessing the Neutral Portal and beginning the workflow.
2.1 Accessing the Neutral Portal
When your account has been created, you will receive an email with Portal access information. An example log in screen is shown below:
To access the portal, provide your User name and Password, then click Login. After signing in, the dashboard appears as shown below.
See the following Portal User Interface section for details.
2.2 Portal User Interface
An example of the portal user interface is shown below.
The main areas of the Dashboard are described in the following table.
Ref | Element | Description |
A | Navigation Bar | Use these buttons to navigate between the My Forms page and the Home page/dashboard. |
B | My Forms | All forms currently assigned to you are listed in the My Forms list. Select the Name of the form you’d like to open to view the form in the workspace. See the next section for more details. |
C | Unread Messages | This widget displays notifications for Unread Messages and a link to access the full inbox. |
2.3 My Forms
The My Forms list on your dashboard provides a list of forms assigned to you. An example My Forms list is shown below and described in the following table.
Ref | Element | Description |
A | Name | Name of the complainant listed on this case. Select a Name from this column to open the case for processing. |
B | Status | Status of this assignment here in the portal. You can manually set this status based on actions taken on this case. |
C | Case Number | Case number assigned to this case in the originating system, outside the portal. |
D | Case Status | Status of this case as reported by the linked ADR system. |
3 Workflow Case Tracking and Processing
The following subsections provide instruction on accessing assigned forms and moving through the case workflow.
3.1 Accessing Assigned Forms
The Workflow Case Tracking and Processing workspace is where you process cases you’ve received through the Portal. Access the Case Workspace from the My Forms list by clicking the Name associated with the form you’d like to open:
The Workflow Case Tracking and Processing workspace opens, as shown below. See the next section for details on this user interface.
3.2 Workflow Case Tracking and Processing Workspace
After opening a form, the Workflow Case Tracking and Processing workspace appears, as shown in the example below.
The portal workspace is divided into the following subsections:
Ref | Element | Description |
A | Navigation Bar | Use these buttons to navigate between the My Forms page and the Home page/dashboard. |
B | Actions Bar | Options to Save the form, mark an assigned case as Case Concluded, access your inbox Messages, and go Back to the home page. Each of these actions is detailed in the following subsections. |
C | Attachment Details | A list of previously uploaded attachments (labeled as Mediator Documents) which you can click to view, and a Select button to upload additional attachments. |
D | Complaint Information | Details about the case, including the Complainant, Organizational Office, District, Geographic Office, and Scheduled Mediation/Facilitation Date (if required). Use the Date Picker to select a Scheduled Mediation/Facilitation Date:
Use the Arrows to change the month, or click the Month YYYY in the upper-left corner to select a month and year. |
E | Events | A list of actions logged on the case in the Portal. These can be added manually by clicking Add Event. See the next section for more details on adding events. |
3.3 Add Event
The Events workspace is where you’ll log activity on this case, such as scheduling mediation or conducting debriefs. To add an event:
Log in to the Neutral Portal and open the desired case folder. Navigate to the Events subsection and click Add Event.
The Portal refreshes to display a blank Event entry in the Event workspace. Select the Event Type from the drop-down list.
NOTE: If you select Other, you will be prompted to fill out another field with the Event Type.
Use the Date Picker to select the Event Date (or enter the date manually).
You can also enter specific details about the event in the Event Note field.
Click Save.
The Portal refreshes and displays the My Forms workspace. Open the case folder from the list. The newly created event appears in the Events subsection, including the Created Date.
3.4 Add Attachment
While updating the ADR form, it may become necessary to add an attachment. To add an attachment:
Log in to the portal and open the desired case form. Within the Attachment Details section, click Select.
The File Explorer pop up window appears. Select the desired attachment and click Open.
The Attachment Details workspace updates and displays the selected attachment within the workspace.
3.5 Conclude Case
After the Portal actions and submissions are complete, you can conclude the case. To conclude a case within the Portal:
Log in to the Neutral Portal and open the desired case.
From within the case, click Case Concluded.
A confirmation message appears. Click OK.
The Portal refreshes and returns to the My Forms page. The case user receives an email notification indicating the case has been submitted/provided clarification. The case is now concluded and no longer appears on the My Forms workspace.
3.6 View Messages
To view messages associated with the case:
Log in to the Neutral Portal and open the desired case folder. Click Messages.
The page refreshes and displays the messaging inbox, with unread messages displayed in bold. Click the checkbox adjacent the desired message.
Click View.
The workspace updates to display the full message. Within the workspace there are options to Reply to the message, Delete the message, mark the message as unread, and return to the case workspace. See the Inbox section for more details on working with messages.
4 Inbox
The ADR Inbox Workspace is where you will communicate with other stakeholders related to your ongoing case forms. To access the Inbox, log in to the Portal. If you have an unread message, it will be listed in the Unread Messages list. You can click Unread Messages to navigate to your inbox, or click a message from the list to open it directly.
4.1 Inbox Interface
An example Inbox is shown below and described in the following table:
Ref | Element | Description |
A | Navigation Bar | Use these buttons to return to the My Forms page or the Home page/dashboard. |
B | Actions Bar | Create a New message, or take actions on an existing message by selecting it from the list and clicking View, Delete, Mark as Read or Mark as Unread. You can also filter your message list by clicking Sent Items or Deleted Items. Click Inbox to view the full, unfiltered list of messages. |
C | Inbox Messages | The list of messages you’ve received in the Portal. This list may be filtered using the options in the Actions Bar. |
4.2 Send Message
Follow the steps below to send a new message from the portal:
Log in to the Portal and open the Inbox. Click New from the Actions Bar.
The Workspace updates to display the blank Message form. Select the Request from the drop-down list.
Enter the Subject of the message.
Configure the content of the message using the Message text editor field.
Click Select to upload any attachments, if desired.
When you’re finished configuring the message, click Send.
The page refreshes and opens to the Inbox. The message you sent will appear in the messages list.
The eCASE user responsible for the case will be able to view your message from the Portal Messages tab in ADR.
4.3 View Message
Follow the steps below to view a portal message:
Within the inbox, click the checkbox adjacent the desired message.
Click View.
The page refreshes to display the message. Here, there are: (A) a set of actions that can be applied to the message (Reply, Delete, and Mark as Unread), (B) the contents of the message, and (C) a list of any attachments sent with the message.
4.4 Delete Message
Follow the steps below to delete a message:
Within the inbox, click the checkbox adjacent to the desired message.
Click Delete.
A confirmation window appears. Click OK to permanently delete the message. The inbox refreshes and the selected message is removed.
4.5 Change Inbox View
You can customize your inbox view to filter specific types of messages. From your Inbox, click Sent Items or Deleted Items to view only sent messages or only deleted messages, respectively.
You can remove the filter and view your full message list by clicking Inbox.
