Pre-Plans: Review Process
Purpose Statement
- The Pre-Plan Review Process provides jurisdictions with greater control for standardization and consistency of their Pre-Plan Program. This workflow ensures all pre-plans undergo quality control before being published and made available to responding crews, maintaining department standards and accuracy across all pre-plan documentation.
Background Information
- When the Pre-Plan Program within First Due is configured with a review process, end users can only submit pre-plans for approval rather than publishing them directly. This creates a controlled workflow where designated reviewers with publish permissions must approve all pre-plans before they become available to responding crews. The review process helps maintain consistency, accuracy, and compliance with department SOPs across all pre-plan documentation.
This workflow is intended for agencies that grant permission for users to add or edit a pre-plan but not publish them until they undergo a review with a user with "publish" permissions. Workflow example:
- Step 1: Pre-Planning user creates/edits a Pre-Plan.
- Step 2: Pre-Planning user submits pre-plan.
- Step 3: Admin user with "publish" permission reviews the pre-plan for accuracy, quality, and consistency, and can publish (approve) or reject the pre-plan with feedback.
Required Permissions
- Inspection - Pre-Plans – Publish: Allows user to click on Pre-Plan Reviewed while conducting an inspection and publish the Pre-Plan.
- Pre-Plans - Publish: Allows user to publish Pre-Plans. Without this permission User can only save to Draft or Submit a Pre-Plan for review.
- Pre-Plan Organizer: Allows user to access Pre-Plan Organizer
- Pre-Plans - Read: Allows user to access the Pre-Plan in a read only state
- Pre-Plans - Edit: Allows user to edit Pre-Plans
- Edit Pre-Plan Organizer: Allows user to manage Pre-Plans within the Pre-Plan Organizer
- Pre-Plans - Approve: Allows user to approve submitted Pre-Plans
- Pre-Plans - Delete Saved: Allows user to Delete saved Pre-Plans
- Pre-Plans - Delete All: Allows user to Delete ANY Pre-Plans.
Video
Step-by-Step Guide
1. After a user has created or edited a pre-plan, they should select the Submit button.
2. Users with the publish permission can locate submitted pre-plans needing review by navigating to Pre-Planning > Pre-Plan Organizer or Pre-Plan List
3. Any Pre-Plan(s) needing review can be found by selecting "Pending Approval" in the Status dropdown and then selecting the Search button.
Pre-Plan Organizer
4. To review the pre-plan, select the edit icon 
.
6. After reviewing the Pre-Plan, the Reviewer has the ability to Publish, Reject, or Cancel within the Pre-Plan editing view.
7. The Pre-Plan can also be Published or rejected without being reviewed by selecting the approve icon
8. If the pre-plan is Rejected or Published, the reviewer can enter feedback to the user who submitted the pre-plan for approval.
If "Create a draft from this rejected preplan" is selected, the pre-plan will go into a Draft status, if it is unselected, the pre-plan will go into a Rejected status and the changes since the last Published status will be deleted.9. The user that submitted the Pre-Plan will automatically receive an e-mail with the feedback and a link to edit the pre-plan if rejected.
10. If enabled by your Pre-Plan Administrator, after selecting Publish a Validation Modal will appear. This allows for the Pre-Plan to be a credited to a specific user. This can be used when a Pre-Plan is completed using a Unit login but needs to be credit to a specific user.
11. Any feedback can also be viewed within the notes area of the Pre-Plan by selecting the Notes Icon.
Best Practices
Do's:
- Review pre-plans promptly to maintain operational readiness
- Provide specific, actionable feedback referencing department SOPs
- Use the draft status option when rejecting to preserve user work
- Maintain consistent review standards across all reviewers
- Include positive reinforcement when approving quality pre-plans
- Prioritize time-sensitive pre-plans for high-risk or new properties
Don'ts:
- Don't provide vague feedback that doesn't help users improve
- Don't delay reviews unnecessarily, impacting workflow efficiency
- Don't use full rejection with deletion unless absolutely necessary
- Don't approve pre-plans that don't meet department standards
- Don't skip the feedback window, even for quick approvals/rejections
Tips:
- Create a review checklist based on your department's pre-plan standards
- Use the Notes area to track feedback history for reference
- Establish clear turnaround time expectations with your team
- Consider batch reviewing multiple pre-plans for efficiency
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Q: Why can't I see the Publish button on my pre-plan?
A: When the review process is enabled, end users only have access to the Submit button. Only reviewers with publish permissions can publish pre-plans.
Q: Where can I find my feedback after a pre-plan is reviewed?
A: Reviewer feedback is sent via email and also displayed in the Notes area of the pre-plan.
Q: What happens if I uncheck the box when rejecting a pre-plan?
A: This fully rejects the pre-plan and deletes all submitted edits. The user must start over from the last approved version (or from scratch for new pre-plans).
Q: Can I approve/reject pre-plans without reviewing them in detail?
A: Yes, you can use the quick checkmark (approve) or X (reject) options, but you'll still need to complete the feedback window.
Q: What's the difference between draft status and full rejection?
A: Draft status preserves the user's work and allows modifications. Full rejection deletes all edits and requires starting over.
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