[Ansteorra-marshals] Online Authorization System

[James Crouchet]

This is an idea JP and I kicked around a few years ago and I think it is
fantastic that it is happening. I have a few thoughts to share from our
discussions on the subject.


   - The one thing we needed that could not be done online was the combat
   waiver. Our thought was to have just the waiver available online in PDF form
   so the fighter could print it off, fill it in and then mail/fax/email as
   scan to the marshalate secretary. Until that happens the fighter could not
   be authorized in anything.
   - Once registered I assume the system will maintain the account for that
   fighter. That being the case:
      - Can an authorization marshal authorize a fighter for something even
      if that fighter has not selected that marshal from the list?
      - Will the system track the fact that a marshal has failed a fighter
      for authorization? This would prevent the fighter from just
marshal-hopping
      to find someone who will auth them. Perhaps a reason could be recorded.
      - Can the authorization marshal decline to authorize that fighter
      (rather than saying the fighter failed the authorization)? For example if
      that auth marshal can't make it to the event where he was to do the auth.
   - In Cut & Thrust, authorization is different from anything else we do in
   Ansteorra. ALL C&T marshals are authorizing marshals, and it take 2 to
   authorize a fighter. To authorize a C&T marshal requires a current C&T
   marshal PLUS the kingdom C&T marshal. It would be necessary to code for
   those quirks unless we are ready to *normalize the C&T authorization
   process* and make it work like all the other Ansteorran combat
   authorizations.
   - Efforts to handle youth separately have always been a disaster. Records
   get lost, no one has answers, authorization and getting cards becomes almost
   impossible. To include the youth in this there are a couple of additional
   items to consider and code for, like whether the marshal has a current
   background check and the age of the person being authorized. However, these
   should not be big obstacles. For the most part it's just another
   authorization and the marshals need the same sort of access and information
   as in adult activities.


Finally, a thought about authorization marshals that could make some of this
easier. As KRM I put in place a system where rapier authorization marshals
could authorize others for anything in which they held an authorization.
Thus an authorization marshal who was authorized in heavy rapier and as a
field marshal could authorize others to fight with heavy rapiers and to be
field marshals.  If that authorizing marshals becomes a youth rapier marshal
he could authorize others to be youth rapier marshals. All this is easy to
track in a database.

We select our authorizing marshals to be people with a clue and if they are
not up to the task of authorizing someone in a particular combat form we
expect them to know that and turn down any requests for authorizations in
that form. Anyone who is not that cluefull should not have authorization
powers.

I hope you find these thoughts and suggestions helpful.

Christian Doré


On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 1:35 PM, Morgan Buchanan
<morganbuchanan at gmail.com>wrote:

> Just to give you all a brief run-down of the system we're gearing
> toward....
>
> This is a system to alleviate the paperwork and mailing expenses on the
> back
> end of the authorization process, not a testing procedure to replace or
> enhance the existing authorization process.
>
> In a nutshell, we're working on an online process for the administration of
> cards, expirations, authorizations, and the like.  Here is kind of a
> run-down of the flow of the new system.  I'm going to say "fighter"
> generically.
>
> Fighter wants to authorize.  Authorization marshal may tell the fighter
> about the website before or after authorization exercises.  Doesn't really
> matter.  When the fighter registers on the site, he will select his
> authorization marshal from a drop down list.  Once fighter registration is
> complete, the authorization marshal will get an email saying, "You have a
> fighter who needs to authorize."
>
> The marshal logs in and finds the new fighter assigned to him, and checks
> off on the forms for which the new fighter is authorized.  A marshal will
> be
> restricted by the system to only be able to check off on the stuff for
> which
> they are approved.  IE, a chiv only marshal can't check off a rapier or
> archery authorization.
>
> The fighter will now get an email back saying, "You are authorized.  Go
> print off your card."
>
> The fighter will be able to download a document, probably a PDF, of their
> fighter card.  They will be able to retrieve it any time while they are
> still authorized.  If they wash it or their dog eats it, they can go print
> another.  The kingdom saves hundreds of dollars a year on printing and
> mailing cards to everyone.
>
> We'll be combining this with SCA membership expiration date cards, so
> warranted marshals will have membership driven expiration on their warrants
> that are shown in the system.
>
> Should be pretty cool.  As soon as I have a few more folks on here, I'll be
> posting a link for everyone to go try it out, "get authorized" and so on.
> The print function isn't working.  But I want to get feedback on the
> bare-bones of the system.
>
> Morgan
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