An effective management case control system should allow the DDS to:

1. 1. 

   locate promptly all pending cases;

2. 2. 

   readily determine what action was taken on cases processed by the agency;

3. 3. 

   provide timely and accurate data necessary for required reports;

4. 4. 

   furnish pertinent data to facilitate the evaluation of the unit's accomplishments as a basis for identifying possible areas requiring corrective action; and

5. 5. 

   identify aged cases so that priority actions can be taken to complete the processing of the case.

In the absence of an automated case control system, DDS's should establish centrally maintained control cards containing identification data, receipt and disposition data and other valuable information about the case. At any point while the case is in the DDS, or after it has been processed and dispatched, the control card should give the reader a complete history of the case.

A case checklist attached to the top of each folder can aid in providing the data needed for the control cards at dispatch and can serve as an aid to examiners and supervisors in reviewing cases periodically.

Minimally, the automated case control system should provide timely and accurate case control information, including receipts, dispositions, examiner and unit working the case, DDS pending workload data, aged case data, etc. The actual reports generated will depend upon the capabilities of the specific system.