Step 2 Identify the Report Recipients

You should now identify the recipients of your pilot application. You may be able to do this from your current distribution instructions. It is important to note that each recipient you insert in the tree is not necessarily a single user. Often, a recipient name will be shared by a group of users or it may be a specific delivery location such as an area or building in which several users are located. One method you can use to identify the recipients of the application is to list the names and addresses that are currently written or printed on the reports and boxes dispatched to the users.

Example

Take the example of a bank structure. The accounts application has been selected for the pilot implementation. This user is using the supplied (default) tree, but will not be using all the levels. Their organization splits down into two distinct structures. The head office, located in Chicago, is where all the divisions and departments of the company are located. They also have regional branches throughout the USA. The accounts application output is distributed mainly within the head office but some reports are also sent to the accounting and administration departments at the regional branches. They have created a list of the report recipients for their pilot application as follows:

• Accounts Department, Washington
• Administration Department, Branch 12, Dallas
• Branch Manager, Branch 11, Miami
• Accounts Supervisor, Branch 12, Dallas
• Mrs. Robinson, Miami
• Department Manager, Accounts Receivable, Chicago
• Special Accounts Manager, Las Vegas
• Accounts Clerk, Accounts Receivable (Domestic), Chicago
• Accounts Payable (Domestic), Chicago
• Tom Farmer, Chief Accountant, Accounts Division, Chicago

Summary

Normally, each recipient name in the tree would represent one end user, but further flexibility is possible, as explained below.

In each of the dispatched boxes or envelopes there may be several reports for different users. For example, the box for the Accounts Payable (Domestic), Section 1, Miami contains reports for four different users at that location. When the box arrives, the users distribute the reports amongst themselves. This could be an example of a shared recipient name for four users.

There may be reports that are addressed differently but are for the same recipient. For example, Mrs. Robinson is the branch manager in Miami, but she currently receives two envelopes because the programs print the address differently. In this case, you would create only one recipient to eliminate the double mailing.

Match the Recipients With the Levels of the Tree

From the list of recipients that we have created, we can try to identify at which level of the recipient tree each recipient should be placed. In the following example, we have listed the levels of the tree and assigned the recipients to their appropriate levels:

Table 13 Sample Recipient Tree Level Assignments

Summary

It may be more suitable for you to insert all your recipients on one level (for example, insert all report recipients on the WORKERS level).

In theory all recipients are "workers" of one form or another. However, when you are deciding on which level to place a recipient, there are other considerations that you should take into account. There are two basic categories of considerations: Bundling and Online Viewing.

• Bundling Considerations

  When defining the recipients in the tree, you should consider how the recipients’ reports will be printed (for example, perhaps they will be bundled together with the reports of other recipients at the same geographical location). This will be examined further when we discuss Printing Considerations in Phase 4.

• Online Viewing Considerations

  When defining recipients in the tree, you should consider which reports each recipient may potentially need to access. It may be that there are users who do not receive reports on a regular basis, but who require access to a wide range of reports periodically. An end user’s responsibilities may affect where the recipient is placed in the tree. This will be examined further when we discuss Online Viewing in Phase 9.