When Opus users start a case that requires review by multiple departments, the department that starts the case grants access to personnel from the other department(s). They do this by creating an ad-hoc committee for the case, adding someone from the other department to this committee, and assigning the committee to the relevant case review steps in Interfolio.
This article tells you how to set up a case that will be accessed by multiple departments in Interfolio. The instructions assume you’re already logged into Opus and Interfolio and your permissions allow you to access the relevant features. For info about interface elements or a particular Opus page, check out the other articles on this support site — some of these are linked near the bottom of this page.
Summary
Background
Step 1. Open the Cases Page in Opus
Step 2. Open the Case in Interfolio
Step 3. Add an Ad-Hoc Committee to a Step
Step 4. Add a DA from the Auxiliary Department to the Ad-Hoc Committee
Step 5. Assign as Committee Manager
Step 6. Place Ad-Hoc Committee on All Steps Where the Auxiliary Department Should Have Access
Step 7. Communicate with Auxiliary Departments
Optional Steps
Step 8. Coordinate with Auxiliary Departments
Step 9. Add Another Ad-Hoc Committee
Background
There are a few things you'll want to know before starting with the below steps. You should consider starting with the article, What Should I Know Before Working on a Case With Another Department? linked near the bottom of this page. Regarding the question of who should have access to these cases, administrators have a few options at their disposal, as outlined in the article, What Options Do I Have When Working with Multi-Department Review Cases in Interfolio?
For this example, we’ll use a Merit action. For Merits, the primary department starts the case, but personnel from the additional departments need to be involved at particular steps. For certain other actions, an additional department may start the case, which would mean personnel from the additional department would follow the steps in this guide — this guide is meant for personnel in the department that starts the case.
Terms Used in This Article
Primary Department means the primary department at UCLA. Nearly all academic appointees have one and only one primary department.
Additional Department means a department other than an appointee’s primary department in which an appointee has an additional appointment.
Initiating Department means the department that starts a particular case. This can be either the primary department or an additional department, depending on the case.
Auxiliary Department means a department that works on a case that was started by another department.
This Also Applies to Schools
The approach we outline below is described as occurring at the department level, but schools need to perform the same routine for “school steps” in Interfolio. For example, when a case that applies to a Joint or Split Appointment goes to a dean’s office, the school administrator (SA) from the initiating school adds an ad-hoc committee to their step, and then adds an SA from the auxiliary school as a committee manager on this committee, as shown in a departmental context in the steps below.
Step 1. Open the Cases Page in Opus
Click “Jump To” and then “Cases” near the top of any Opus page. This takes you to the Cases page with the Active Cases tab activated.
The Active Cases tab on the Cases page, with the Opus Top Menu and Jump To submenu. Click this image to view a larger version.
Step 2. Open the Case in Interfolio
Find the case you want to open in Interfolio and click the edit icon (pencil) in the left column, as shown in the above screenshot.
After you’ve clicked the edit icon, the Case Summary page appears, populated with the information for your case. Click the “Review Process” link in the Subpage Menu on the left side of the page. This opens the Review Process tab of the Case Summary, which features the “Go to Interfolio” button, as shown below. Click this button.
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Note: If your browser has a popup feature enabled, you may need to disable it in order for the "Go to Interfolio" button to function. See the Known Issues article linked near the bottom of this page for more information.
The Review Process subpage on the Case Summary page. Click this image to view a larger version.
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Note: If you’re trying to set up a case that you’ve already opened in Interfolio, when you click the “Go to Interfolio” button Opus will immediately open the case instead of asking you to select a template. To use this case for multiple departments, you need to have selected a full-process template when you first opened it. If you did not select a full-process template, please contact Opus Help for assistance — see the article near the bottom of this page for contact info.
Opus will ask you to select a template before continuing — see the section on using the full-process templates in the Background section above (near the top of this article) for information about choosing a template. Select the correct template and click the “Submit” button, as shown below:
The Template Selection screen on the Review Process subpage of the Case Summary page - templates available to you will differ. Click this image to view a larger version.
Clicking “Submit” and waiting for a few seconds opens the Interfolio site in a new window/tab, as long as your browser’s popup blocker does not prevent it from opening.
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Note: Users who have not logged into Interfolio before clicking the "Go to Interfolio" button will be directed to the UCLA Logon ID system instead of the screenshot shown below. This process interrupts the automatic redirection between Opus and Interfolio, and the user will land on the Interfolio Dashboard instead of the Case Information screen. If this happens, just close the browser window (or tab) with Interfolio, reload the Opus Case Summary page, and click the "Go to Interfolio" button again. For more information see the article, Why Does Interfolio Sometimes Fail to Open a Case Directly? linked near the bottom of this page.
Interfolio displays the Case Information screen. Click the “4 Case Review Steps” link in the “Creating a Case” box, as shown:
The Case Information screen of the Edit Case page in Interfolio. Click this image to view a larger version.
Interfolio displays the Case Review Steps screen:
The Case Review Steps screen of the Edit Case page in Interfolio. Click this image to view a larger version.
Step 3. Add an Ad-Hoc Committee to a Step
Locate a step where you need to give access to the auxiliary department. For departments this would typically occur at the Department: Committee Review, Department: Review (Vote), and Department Chair’s Review steps. For deans’ offices, this would typically occur at the Dean’s Review step. You have some choice about the steps where you’ll give the auxiliary department(s) access to your case — for more information, see the article linked near the bottom of this page. Once you’ve located the step, click the Edit Step icon (a pencil) as shown below:
The Case Review Steps screen of the Edit Case page in Interfolio. Click this image to view a larger version.
This displays the Edit Step modal window. Click the “Add Committee” link as shown below:
The Edit Step modal window on the Edit Case page in Interfolio. Click this image to view a larger version.
This expands the Edit Step modal window to display the committee selection interface. Select “Ad Hoc Committee” as shown below.
The Edit Step modal window with the committee selection interface, on the Edit Case page in Interfolio. Click this image to view a larger version.
Enter a name for this ad-hoc committee in the box provided. Then click the “+ Add” button. The committee now appears in the list. Uncheck the "This committee can move the case forward and backward" option. This will prevent the auxiliary department from sending the case to another step:
The Edit Step modal window on the Edit Case page in Interfolio. Click this image to view a larger version.
Click the “X” icon in the upper-right corner of the modal window. This will return you to the underlying Edit Case page, as shown in Step 4 below.
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Note: When you create an ad-hoc committee, you can re-use it for any step on the current case, but it can only be used for this case — for more information see the article about different types of committees in Interfolio linked near the bottom of this page.
Step 4. Add a DA from the Auxiliary Department to the Ad-Hoc Committee
On the Case Review Steps page, find the committee you just created, and click the “Edit Details” button, as shown below:
The Case Review Steps screen of the Edit Case page in Interfolio, with an ad-hoc committee. Click this image to view a larger version.
This opens the Edit Committee Details modal window. Click the “Add Member” link:
The Edit Committee Details modal window on the Edit Case page in Interfolio. Click this image to view a larger version.
This expands the Edit Details modal to display the member search interface. In the search field, enter the name of an administrator you'd like to add to this ad-hoc committee, wait for search results to show up, then click the “+ Add” link next to their name, as shown below:
The Edit Committee Details modal window on the Edit Case page in Interfolio, with the member search interface. Click this image to view a larger version.
Step 5. Assign as Committee Manager
By designating the auxiliary department administrator as a committee manager, you allow them to do several important things, such as uploading and sharing documents, and adding their own people to the case.
Click the Star icon next to the name of the auxiliary department administrator you just added:
The Edit Details modal window on the Case Review Steps page in Interfolio, with the member search interface. Click this image to view a larger version.
With this step completed, you’ve successfully given an auxiliary department access to your case.
Step 6. Place Ad-Hoc Committee on All Steps Where the Auxiliary Department Should Have Access
You’ll need to add the same ad-hoc committee you just created to each case step where the auxiliary department should have case access. This is similar to Step 3 above, except that when selecting “ad-hoc committee,” you will use an existing one instead of creating a new one:
The Edit Step modal window with the “Select an existing ad hoc committee” button, on the Edit Case page in Interfolio. Click this image to view a larger version.
Simply click the "Select an existing ad hoc committee" button and select the ad-hoc committee you just created. Steps where you will likely add this committee include:
Department: Committee Review
Department Review (Vote)
Department Chair’s Review
Dean’s Review (the additional school admin is added by administrators in the primary school once the case reaches the dean’s office)
Step 7. Communicate with Auxiliary Departments
It’s a good idea to reach out to the administrator that you’ve just added, and coordinate your activities in connection with the case. You’ll most likely want to use Interfolio’s email features, but you can also use your own email, or telephone.
Optional Steps
Use the steps below to add more than one auxiliary department to the case. See the article What Options Do I Have When Working with Multi-Department Review Cases in Interfolio? linked near the bottom of this page for more information.
Step 8. Coordinate with Auxiliary Departments
When speaking with the auxiliary department, you may find that they want to grant case access to different groups of their personnel at different steps.
Step 9. Add Another Ad-Hoc Committee
Follow Steps 3 through 6 above to add any additional ad-hoc committees required by the auxiliary department. Be sure to add the administrator from the auxiliary department to any new committees you create.
See Also
Opus Support Site Articles
What Should I Know Before Working on a Case With Another Department?
How to Access a Case That Was Started in Another Department
Which Department Should Start a Case for a Given Action?
Why Does a Case Sometimes Fail to Open in Interfolio Directly?
Why Do I Sometimes Get an Error About an Email Address When Trying to Go to Interfolio?
What Options Do I Have When Working with Multi-Department Review Cases in Interfolio?
What Are the Different Types of Committees in Interfolio?
Why Should I Star Someone as a Committee Manager?
Interfolio Help Center Articles
Add Committees or Individuals to a Case Review Step
Edit the Membership of an Ad-hoc Committee
Edit Committee Instructions, Document Requirements, and Membership