Question Authors may draft questions to a Question Coordinator for review before they reach the Answer side. There are several ways of asking draft questions.
How to ask a question
There are several ways of asking questions.
Ask a single question
From the Q&A tab, click the Add button.
Fill in the question title, give more detail if required, and link to a document or folder if applicable. Assign the question to a category, and assign it a priority level.
If there is no Question Coordinator present, you may submit a question to the answer group directly. Otherwise, you will save the question as a Draft and a Question Coordinator will need to review it before submitting them to the Answer side. Once submitted, the question cannot be revoked and is handed to the Answer side.
Another way to ask a question is from the Documents tab.
Right-click a document or folder and select “Add Question”. The same question screen as above appears, linking to the selected folder or document.
Import a list of questions
You may also import a list of questions using a spreadsheet. A question group can fill in all of their questions in the Excel spreadsheet, and then import that spreadsheet into Firmex.
This works well for groups with many questions, and for groups that don’t have a Firmex account for everyone who wants to ask a question. The template is accessible through the Q&A tab by clicking the Import button.
Questions may be imported on behalf of a question group by the Answer Coordinator.
Filter questions
Question and answer activity will appear in the Q&A tab, which is next to the Documents tab.
In the left panel, you’ll see preset “Quick Filters” that allow you to see Outstanding Questions and Answers.
You may define your own filters by using the drop-downs underneath these filters. To see every question and answer in any state, click “Reset Filters”.
If there is a QC present, you will also see a Draft Questions filter for those questions awaiting submission to the Answer group.
Some questions will change colour depending on the amount of time they have been opened. Questions appear in black text when they have been open for less than 3 days. They will turn orange when they have been open for 3 to 4 days. They will appear in red text if they have been open for more than 4 days. Questions may also display the text “Public” if the Answer Group has decided to share the answer publicly.
Exporting questions and answers
The Q&A results that you see in the Q&A tab can be exported to an Excel spreadsheet.
Export All Results will export all questions and answers available to you in the Q&A.
Export Filtered Results will only export the questions and answers within the filters requested via the left pane.