Navigating through Group Manager
Cassetica has designed the Group Manager interface to be clear, concise, and intuitive, as can be seen in Figure A.

FIGURE A


The Group Manager interface is clear, concise, and intuitive. Roll over picture for a larger image.

There are two sections, one for users (those making the group requests) and one for administrators (those filling the requests).

Users can select one of three actions from the view: new, change, or delete. New is to request the creation of a non-existent group; change is for requests to modify either the name, members, or owners of an existing group; delete is to request the removal of a group from the Name and Address Book. If the request is not completed, it can be saved as a draft and viewed in one of the four draft views: by group name, by status, by submitter or by type.

Figure B shows you the form used to create a request document.

FIGURE B


This form is used to create a request document. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Once again, Cassetica has taken care to design the form such that it's clear and easy to use. There are three sections to the form: basic information, members, and group owners. Members can be added to the group either from the directory or from the email address. By default, the person creating the group is listed as the owner. Additional owners can be added and/or removed. Members and owners can also be removed. The form is simple, straightforward, and direct.

Once a request for group creation (or deletion) is submitted, the request is displayed in one of the five views in the Pending Approval section. However, if the request is to change the members of the group, the request doesn't appear for administrator approval. The administrator can approve the request directly from the view. For more details, open the request document by double-clicking the request. As you can see in Figure C, the administrator can either approve or reject the request while viewing the document.

FIGURE C


The administrator can either approve or reject the request while viewing the document. Roll over picture for a larger image.

There is a Change Name button on the action bar. However, the group name cannot be changed until the group has been approved. Upon approval by the administrator, a scheduled agent runs on the server to update the NAB and to notify the requestor that the group has been created or deleted.

Cassetica's Group Manager is a simple, direct, no-frills software program. It also goes a long way in resolving the problem of managing groups within an organization. Although there's a problem with the Folders button on the Request form, it seems to have no effect upon the overall functionality of the program. In my testing of this program, the only addition I would like to see is the addition of a historical view in which all requests (including completed requests) are listed. The program now deletes a request once it has been approved.

I consider Group Manager by Cassetica a software product that provides value to users and administrators alike. As a matter of fact, I think that Group Manager should be listed as a stress relieving medication!

Steve Niles is Senior Editor for ZATZ Publishing. He is also an independent filmmaker and freelance writer. For more information, visit http://www.sn-films.com.