TABLE OF CONTENTS


Introduction

The Cortex Designer application provides a workflow for building, reviewing and approving forms for deployment to the Cortex app.  This article describes this workflow.


The stages of Cortex form development are:

  • In Design
  • In Review
  • Approved
  • Published
  • Archived



Forms are edited and moved through stages using the menu at the top right:



Permissions

Access to the Cortex Designer is set up by the Application Support team in the Cortex administration.  There are three levels of permissions:

  • Form Viewer - is able to log in to Cortex Designer and view forms, but cannot edit
  • Form Designer - is able to log in to Cortex Designer, edit forms, and move them through the stages to Approval
  • Form Administrator - is able to set up and rename groups, and publish forms




'In Design' stage

In this stage the form is being built by the relevant clinicians under the guidance of the departmental/service Cortex rep.   Role playing can be useful to check that forms fit the reality of the clinical workflows for which they are being built.


To edit the form, choose Edit from the menu:



As a general rule, there should be a single person responsible for making edits to a form.  The Designer does work offline, so if there are multiple people working on a form at once, it is possible that there may be conflicts if two versions are saved at similar times.


To test how a form will work in Cortex, choose 'Preview'



 



'In Review' stage


Once a form has been completed by the department/development group, it should be reviewed at a departmental user level.  If a technical review of the form is required, it should be requested at this stage.


This stage is referred to as 'In Review', and item can be tested but is not able to be edited.


To move a form to the in Review stage, use the menu in the top right, and choose 'Begin Review'





If during the Review process it is decided further changes are needed, you can choose to 'Cancel Review' and the form will move back to the In Design stage





Form approval

If the form is ready for publication, it needs to be 'Approved' by the relevant representative from the department or service.  


To approve a form, choose 'Approve' from the menu



If at the approval stage it is decided that the form needs further changes, it is possible to 'Revoke Approval'.  This moves the form back to the In Design stage.



Form Publication


Forms can be published by a user with the permission of 'Form administrator'.  This will typically be someone from the Application Support team.


This user will periodically review the Approved forms and then Publish them.





It is important to note that this does not automatically make the form appear in Cortex.  The form then needs to be linked to a workflow in Cortex, typically replacing the previous version of the forms.  This will be done by the Application Support person.



Form Governance 

The Cortex Designer records all the activity in creating, approving and publishing a form, including which users were involved.  This provides the information for form governance, including who to contact about form issues and when a form is due for review.