COM140050 - Work lists: work lists: overview and management: managing work lists

Work lists

• Are a major feature of COTAX
• Provide an up to date on screen displays of categories of cases that need to be reviewed and reflect most of the actions needed on CT cases. If you ignore them you may miss doing something in a case or allow incorrect output to be issued - including a repayment
• Provide a safety net to show you what has not been done. Checking work lists regularly ensures that each case is worked completely

All COTAX users and managers can benefit from work lists. To get the best out of COTAX you need to know which lists to use when, and how to use them most effectively.

All staff need to be familiar with the way work lists work and what they can do. Some work lists should become a routine tool in your day to day work. Others alert you to unusual events and entries will be rare.

HMRC today contains a variety of different kinds of offices and ways of working. Managers will want to organise the work according to the needs and structure of their own office. Some offices may already have systems in place that operate effectively.

To manage work lists efficiently we recommend that 

• The Officer in Charge / Collector in Charge appoint a work list coordinator to take responsibility for work lists. They should ensure that lists are reviewed and the work directed to the appropriate person. The work list coordinator should be experienced in CT work and COTAX. For more information on this role see subject 'Notes For Work List Coordinator' (COM140060) in this section
• The work list coordinator should establish a strategy for using work lists
• All users should learn to use the features of work lists. For more information see section 'Features Of Work Lists' (COM141000 onwards) in this business area
• Operators should be encouraged to operate from work lists wherever it is practical and to understand their significance and potential for controlling work