Using Blue Notes and Exceptions
Overview
A Blue Note or Exception is a note you can add to a form when something unexpected happens. Use Blue Notes and Exceptions when filling in a form to add an additional note explaining what happened that was out of the ordinary.
Set up notifications so you are notified when a Blue Note is added, or set a follow-up action to your Blue Note to create an action for a particular staff member to close the corrective action loop.
Table of Contents
- Adding a Blue Note or Exception
- Viewing a Blue Note or Exception
- Blue Note Notifications
- Blue Note Snippets
- Using Follow-Up Actions
Adding a Blue Note or Exception
A Blue Note or Exception can be added to a form at any time. This is done when something out of the ordinary has happened or you want to make note of something.
Standard Blue Notes
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Open the Form on the App
Click the Note Icon
Located in the bottom left corner
- Fill in and Save
This adds a Blue Note to the entire form. For example, if there is an overarching issue in the form.
Important: Make sure you fill in some of the form before saving the Blue Note. You can't add a Blue Note to a form without any completed questions.
Reason Blue Notes
You can also add a Blue Note by adding the Reason in a Yes/No + Reason or No/Yes + Reason answer type.
If your form uses the Reason answer types, then when a reason is added this is seen as a Blue Note.
How It Works:
No/Yes + Reason
- When the answer is YES, you are forced to add a Reason explaining why
- This Reason is displayed as a Blue Note
Yes/No + Reason
- When the answer is NO, you are forced to add a Reason explaining why
- This Reason is displayed as a Blue Note
Exceeded Boundary Limit Blue Notes
If your form uses numeric limits and boundaries, you will be automatically prompted to add a Blue Note when the answer added is out of the required limits.
Example:
You will most commonly see this in your Temperature Check forms. If your temperature boundary limit is set for your fridges between 2 and 5 degrees and you enter 8 degrees, you will get prompted to add a Blue Note explaining why.
Adding a Blue Note to a Question
You can add a Blue Note or Action to multiple different answer types.
How to Do This:
Click the three dots in the yellow icon from within your form.
Once you've added the Blue Note, it will work the same as all other Notes or Exceptions. It will be displayed in all reports pages as a Blue Note next to the related answer.
Viewing a Blue Note or Exception
Once a Blue Note has been added to a form, you can spot these in a few different ways. It's best to stay on top of these as they can be an outlet for your staff to reach out and let you know something out of the ordinary is happening.
You can view Blue Notes in three places:
- In the App
- Activity Stream
- Reports
In the App
Scheduled Forms:
You can easily spot scheduled forms with Blue Notes added as they show the Blue Note icon on them and the top right corner of the form will show Blue.
All Blue Notes for the Day:
If you add a Blue Note to an Ad Hoc form, or you just want to see all Blue Notes or Exceptions added that day, you can click the Blue Note icon at the top of your Daily Diary screen.
Activity Stream
When you log in to the Admin Console and look at your Dashboard, you can monitor any Blue Notes or Exceptions added from here.
How to Monitor:
- Keep an eye out for the Blue Note icon, or
Filter the Activity Stream by Blue Notes so you can check in on all of them
Reports
View the Blue Notes in your Reports whether it's a:
- Completed Form
- Form Report
- Completed Calendar Report
You can even get a report of all of your Blue Notes or Exceptions on the Summary Reports page.
Blue Note Notifications
Get an email or push notification as soon as a Blue Note or Exception has been added. This can be set up for any Safe Food Pro user (a staff member with a login) in the User Notifications section.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Log in to the Admin Console
Access via web browser
- Go to Staff & Users
- Click the Pencil Icon - Next to your user
- Scroll to User Notifications
Tick the Notifications
Select the notifications you would like to receive
Want to learn more about User Notifications? Check out this article.
Blue Note Snippets
Do you find your staff are constantly using the same reasons or Blue Note explanations? Or do you like to file your Exceptions and Blue Notes in a certain way? You can use Blue Note Snippets to give your staff a selection of pre-added answers to add as a Blue Note.
Benefits:
- Save your staff time instead of having to constantly write out the same explanation each time they add a Blue Note
- Help you sort your reasons when it comes to reporting time
Adding Blue Note Snippets
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Log in to the Admin Console
Access via web browser
- Go to Resources
Click the Tab Labelled "Fault Reasons/Corrective Actions"
- Click the Green Plus Button
- Add a Code and Description
Select the Form Type
Choose the form type that exception relates to (Blue Notes and Exceptions would vary a lot depending on the form type. This way you can only display the Blue Notes relevant to the type of form you are completing)
- Select a Category
Using Blue Note Snippets
Once these have been added, you will be able to add them as a Blue Note on the app.
How to Use:
Simply click the "Insert a code/text snippet" button when adding a Blue Note or Exception and select from the list that appears.
