Program Distributes and Tracks Organizational Memoranda

Closed Loop Accounting Management System (CLAMS) is a computer program for Web-based distribution and tracking of memoranda within an organization. An item for distribution is entered by a user who has administrative access. The item is assigned to affected users, to whom e-mail messages are sent. Upon receipt of such an e-mail message, a user gains access to an “open items” page from a link within the message. From the “open items” page, the user can (1) link to the item, (2) select a “notes” button to leave a reminder about the item, or (3) select a “close” button to close the item, indicating that the user has received and understands the item. CLAMS can be used to effect the automated distribution of new and updated items to users on predetermined lists. CLAMS enables managers to track the statuses of users and distributed items: For a given item, CLAMS can tell (1) who has it open and for how long and (2) who closed it and when; regarding a given user, CLAMS can tell (1) which items the user has open and for how long and (2) which items the user closed and when.