Robert Bond
81a6276f44
docs: document representation participation availability model Related work items: #23754
8.1 KiB
Representation Participation Rules – Business Review
Purpose
This document describes the portal’s current observed behaviour when deciding whether someone can take part in a representation or consultation process.
It is intended for:
- product owners
- business analysts
- subject matter experts
- service owners
This is not a technical design document.
It does not describe how the system is implemented.
Its purpose is to help the business confirm whether the portal currently behaves as intended.
Plain English Summary
The portal appears to be making one broad decision:
Can this participant take part in this case at this point in the process?
Current observed behaviour suggests that the answer depends on:
- case type
- process type
- participant type
- whether the participation period is open
- whether the case is being treated as a consultation
The portal mostly follows a general pattern, but some case types appear to have special exceptions.
Some differences in current behaviour may also be historical rather than intentional.
General Cases
Current observed behaviour suggests:
- participation is generally available for most case types
- participation is only available while the relevant participation period is open
- once that period ends, participation is no longer available
Business validation questions
- Is this still the correct general rule?
- Should participation normally depend on an open participation period?
Householder Cases
Current observed behaviour suggests:
- Local Planning Authorities can participate
- other participant types cannot participate
- where participation is unavailable, users may not always be shown an explanatory message
Business validation questions
- Should Householder participation remain restricted to Local Planning Authorities only?
- If participation is unavailable, should users be shown an explanation?
Compulsory Purchase Order Cases
Current observed behaviour suggests:
- participation is controlled by a specific participation period
- this case type appears to use a different participation deadline from most other cases
- participation messages may not always use that deadline consistently
Business validation questions
- Is a separate participation deadline expected for these cases?
- Should all participation messages for these cases use the same deadline consistently?
Rights of Way Cases
Current observed behaviour suggests:
Hearing cases
- participation is only available during a defined participation period
Non-hearing cases
- participation is generally available
Where process information is missing or unclear
- participation may still be treated as available
Business validation questions
- Should hearing cases be restricted to a participation period?
- Should non-hearing cases remain generally available?
- What should happen if process information is missing or unclear?
- Should missing or unclear process information ever prevent participation?
Advertisement Cases
Current observed behaviour suggests:
Written representation cases
- Local Planning Authorities may participate
- other participant types may not participate
Hearing cases
- participation is available to all participant types
Other process types
- participation is not available
Business validation questions
- Is this behaviour correct?
- Should written representation cases remain restricted to Local Planning Authorities?
- Should hearing cases remain open to all participant types?
- Should other process types remain blocked?
Consultation Cases
Current observed behaviour suggests:
- some participation routes are treated as consultations rather than representations
- consultation participation is controlled by consultation dates
- consultation participation appears to be handled separately from general representation participation
Business validation questions
- Is consultation participation intentionally separate from representation participation?
- Should consultation dates control availability?
Missing or Conflicting Information
Current observed behaviour suggests that participation can depend on how process information is available.
In some cases:
- missing information may still allow participation
- incomplete information may block participation
- different portal areas may interpret the same situation differently
Business validation questions
- If process information is missing, should participation be:
- allowed
- blocked
- decided another way
- If process information is conflicting, how should the portal decide?
- Are there cases where missing information should always prevent participation?
Current Known Differences Between Portal Areas
Current observed behaviour suggests that some portal areas may interpret the same case information differently.
Examples of this include situations where:
- one area treats process information as sufficient to allow participation
- another area treats the same case as needing further restriction
- unavailable messages may not always be shown in the same way
These differences may be historical rather than intentional.
Business validation questions
- Should all portal areas interpret the same participation information in the same way?
- Are any current differences intentional?
- If differences are not intentional, which behaviour should be treated as correct?
Business Review Checklist
Use this table to record whether the current observed behaviour matches business expectation.
| Area | Current Behaviour | Agree? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| General cases | Participation generally available while the participation period is open | ||
| Householder | Only Local Planning Authorities can participate | ||
| CPO | Participation controlled by a separate participation deadline | ||
| ROW hearing | Participation available only during the relevant participation period | ||
| ROW non-hearing | Participation generally available | ||
| Advert written reps | Only Local Planning Authorities can participate | ||
| Advert hearing | All participant types can participate | ||
| Advert other process types | Participation not available | ||
| Consultation | Participation controlled separately by consultation dates | ||
| Missing process information | Participation may still be allowed in some cases | ||
| Conflicting process information | Different portal areas may currently interpret this differently | ||
| Ended participation messages | Participation becomes unavailable, but explanation/messages may not always be fully consistent |
Important Notes
- This document describes current observed behaviour.
- Some current behaviour may exist for historical reasons.
- This document is intended for validation, not implementation.
- No changes should be made on the basis of this document alone.
- Any future change should be confirmed through business decision-making and protected by characterization before implementation.
Related Technical Documentation
For the technical characterization and compatibility details, see:
docs/representation-participation-availability.md