What is "Suspense Control"?

[pierson777]

The file plan guidance found in R10-2 shows an item called "Suspense Control", but I've yet to find anything else in CAP publications for additional guidance on Suspense Control.  I know what suspense dates are, but I don't really know what is expected for "Suspense Control" as an item within the unit records.  Is it a log with sign-offs, or perhaps just a list that shows dates and dispositions of records?  Is it an all inclusive list of suspense dates for destruction of records, submissions of reports, and submissions of awards, etc.?  Someone please let me know what is expected for a "Suspense Control".

[a2capt]

What system is in place to check up on suspense items? Have they been replied to, returned, forwarded, if not why? etc.

It's .. a bit dated, because in the modern era eServices puts those numbers in red where you can see them. ;-)

[rugger1869]

Disregard.

[NIN]

The file plan guidance found in R10-2 shows an item called "Suspense Control", but I've yet to find anything else in CAP publications for additional guidance on Suspense Control.  I know what suspense dates are, but I don't really know what is expected for "Suspense Control" as an item within the unit records.  Is it a log with sign-offs, or perhaps just a list that shows dates and dispositions of records?  Is it an all inclusive list of suspense dates for destruction of records, submissions of reports, and submissions of awards, etc.?  Someone please let me know what is expected for a "Suspense Control".

Think of suspense control like a "tickler."

You get a CAPF 2A to go to, say, region from your squadron (i'm making this up, BTW).

The regs say that the suspense at wing is 2 weeks and the suspense at region is two weeks.

So, do you just mail it off into the black hole and never think about it again?

No, you should have a log of what went where, and whether the suspense is closed or not.

Same thing at Wing. They should have a suspense control roster that says "I got the CAPF 2A from the Podunk Sq on 1/23/14, it was processed on 1/29/14, signed and sent to region on that date." (well, not in so many words).

The personnel officer at the Podunk Sq is examining his suspense control roster, notes that he processed a CAPF 2A forward on 1/15/14 and mailed it to wing. Its now 2/15/14 and there should have been a disposition from region by now.

The Personnel officer calls Wing "Hey, I'm following up on the CAPF 2A for C/MSgt Bufftuck's <insert whatever>. Did you get it, and if so, did region get it?"

Wing looks up the suspense control roster, sees that he processed that on 1/29 and it went to region.

"Its at region as of the 29th. Let me call them and find out what is up."

Etc.

Suspense control is supposed to make the bottomless briefcase a thing of the past.  It hasn't, generally.

[rugger1869]

Sounds a bit like TMT (Task Management Tool) that we use over here in USAREUR... but, a heckuva lot simpler.

[pierson777]

NIN, Your describing a Personnel Actions Log, which is explained in CAPP 200.  I've used them for years as a Personnel Officer.  Do you think Suspense Control and Personnel Actions Log are the same thing?  I considered that possibility, but it didn't seem correct to me since CAPR 10-2 specifically calls it Suspense Control and lists it under Administration and not Personnel.

[NIN]

NIN, Your describing a Personnel Actions Log, which is explained in CAPP 200.  I've used them for years as a Personnel Officer.  Do you think Suspense Control and Personnel Actions Log are the same thing?  I considered that possibility, but it didn't seem correct to me since CAPR 10-2 specifically calls it Suspense Control and lists it under Administration and not Personnel.

Honestly, its been a long time since I was an Admin or Personnel officer, so yeah, that is a personnel log, but suspense control is *similar* for administrative correspondence.

The idea is the same: you build suspense control in such a way that its GIGO FIFO and you can manage the suspense dates such that something comes in and gets addressed in a timely (within the required suspense) fashion, and that outgoing correspondence and such are tickled when you don't get a response.

So yeah, Personnel is maintaining its own suspense in the form of a log, but Admin manages correspondence in/out in a similar way.

(Although, I think that Admin managing correspondence and suspense has been so largely overtaken by email and electronic forms that its not the same as the wing admin officer receiving mail, stamping "Received 12/23/1981" on it, logging it, and routing it to the appropriate inbox.)