Closing a case, decant and wash-down
Closing a case is a deliberate action with a recorded reason, and a decant or wash-down need is recorded as its own structured outcome — neither is inferred or defaulted from anything else on the case.
What it is
Close case accepts exactly three reasons: Verified (the works order has genuinely reached Verified, by re-survey or attestation), No works needed (a sealed survey found nothing requiring works, and no active works order exists against it), or Closed without verification (works are complete but nobody has verified them). A cancelled job reaches Closed through cancellation itself, not through this action. Separately, Decant required and Wash-down requested/arranged each record a structured remedial outcome with a mandatory reason or note — available at any point in an open case’s life, not tied to one particular stage.
How to do it
- Open the case and use Close case, choosing the reason that actually applies — the button only offers reasons the case currently qualifies for.
- To flag a decant, use Decant required and give a reason — this is write-once and can’t be recorded twice for the same case.
- For a wash-down, use Wash-down requested first, then Wash-down arranged once it’s actually booked — you can’t arrange one that was never requested. An optional note can go on either stage.
- Both decant and wash-down can be recorded by a manager or coordinator, or by the job’s own assigned surveyor or operative directly from the field.
How it integrates
None of these five actions ever touches the statutory clock, the works-completion state, or the survey-sealing chain — they’re additive stamps the case lifecycle rail reads to show a caveat chip (Closed without verification always renders amber, never disguised as a verified closure) and that appear in the case timeline and audit log. Closing a case as No works needed is refused outright if an active works order already exists against the source survey — that combination means works clearly were needed, so the closure reason would be dishonest.
Common problems
- Close case won’t let me choose “No works needed.” Either the source survey isn’t sealed yet, or an active (non-cancelled) works order already exists against it — check for one before closing this way.
- I can’t record a decant a second time with an updated reason. Correct — it’s write-once; add the update as a case note instead so the original reason stays on the record as history.
- Wash-down arranged is unavailable. Record it as requested first — arranged is refused until a request already exists.