How CMIForge Works

Big Picture

CMIForge is a configurable legal intake and conflicts platform. The core idea is simple: build intake forms, collect submissions, route those submissions through workflow, run conflict checks, and convert approved submissions into client and matter records.

1. Create or edit a form, then publish a version.
2. Attach a workflow to the published form version.
3. Users submit the form.
4. Workflow tasks route to users or teams.
5. Attachments, conflict searches, and notes stay tied to the submission or matter context.
6. Approved submissions can be converted into client and matter records.
7. Time can be recorded against matters, then reviewed in operational reports.

Forms

Forms define the intake questions users answer. CMIForge stores form designs as versioned schemas so historical submissions still render against the exact form version that was used at the time.

• Fill Form takes users to the form list so they can choose the right published intake form.
• Create Form publishes the first version for a new form definition.
• Edit Form publishes a new version instead of changing older submissions.
• Blank designer rows are ignored.
• Select, radio-style, and checkbox-style fields use static options for now.
• Client fields can let a user pick an existing client or type a new client name.
• The Submitted by value is selected from active users.
• A form version can be attached to a workflow definition.

Submissions

Submissions are completed intake forms. Each submission receives a stable number and can be reviewed, routed, converted, and linked back to operational records.

• Status values include Submitted, In Review, Approved, Returned, and Converted.
• My Submissions shows the current user's work.
• All Submissions is permission-gated.
• Conversion is locked until a submission is approved.
• Conversion can reuse a matching existing client or create a new client.
• Converted submissions link back to the client and matter records.
• Dates and times display in the user's local timezone when the browser provides timezone information.

Attachments

Submissions can carry small supporting files and links so intake materials stay with the request instead of wandering through email.

• File uploads currently allow PDF, Word, and Excel-style files up to 25 MB.
• Hyperlink attachments can be added when the supporting material already lives somewhere else.
• Uploaded files are stored in Azure Blob Storage when cloud storage is configured.
• Attachment links appear on submission details and are permission-gated with submission access.
• Demo mode blocks destructive/admin-style behavior where appropriate.

Workflows

Workflows define approval steps. A workflow can be scoped to a form or used as a fallback, and a published form version can point to a workflow definition.

• Workflow steps are ordered by step number.
• Steps can be assigned to a user, a team, or both.
• Workflow queues include personal, team, and all-open views based on permissions.
• Outcomes can advance, complete, or return a workflow.
• Answer-based routing can run steps only when a submitted field matches a condition.

Outcome format: use Label|Action|Status|Next step, separated by semicolons. Example: Approve|Advance|In Review; Return|Return|Returned.

Entities

Entities are operational records used by the platform after intake is approved or data is imported.

• Clients have client numbers, contact details, status, and related matters.
• Matters have matter numbers, client links, status, practice area, responsible user, related parties, and related contacts.
• Parties support conflicts searching through names, aliases, relationships, and matter roles.
• Contacts are address-book records that can link to clients and matters without becoming login users or conflict parties.
• Users are application data users with system IDs, name parts, email, title, activity status, teams, and roles.
• Matter details show related contacts, parties, conflict searches, and recent time entries.

Conflicts

Conflict searches compare entered search terms against the party index and prior conflict history. The search engine normalizes names, checks aliases, scores fuzzy matches, expands strong matches through known party relationships, and checks previous search/review text for recurring issues.

• Searches can be linked to a submission or a matter.
• Results show score, risk, matched item, matter/client context, explanation, AI assist assessment, and row-level clearance state.
• Reviewer decisions can be recorded at the overall search level or on individual result rows.
• Previous conflict search names, terms, review notes, AI summaries, and result clearance notes are included as searchable history.

Current review behavior: use row-level clearance to document how each hit was resolved. Result decisions roll up into the overall search status when they collectively indicate clear, needs-info, potential-conflict, or conflict outcomes.

Imports

The Import Center loads CSV files for clients, matters, and parties. Each import card includes a downloadable template, validation mode, and import mode.

• Validate CSV checks the file and stores row-level messages without creating or updating records.
• Import CSV runs the same checks and writes the accepted rows.
• Each import type includes a downloadable CSV template.
• Clients upsert by ClientNumber.
• Matters upsert by MatterNumber and require an existing ClientNumber.
• Parties link to matters by MatterNumber and reuse existing parties by normalized name.

Time

Time recording is matter-centered. It is intentionally operational for now, not a full billing system.

• Time entries receive stable eight-digit numbers.
• Each entry links to a user, client, and matter.
• Entries capture work date, hours, billable flag, status, and narrative.
• Status values include Draft, Submitted, Approved, Billed, and No Charge.
• The time list can be filtered by date range, matter, status, and user when permissions allow.
• Users can export filtered time entries to CSV.
• Matter pages provide a shortcut to record time directly against that matter.

Reports

Reports include built-in operational views plus a basic report builder for simple ad hoc questions.

• Report access is controlled by the reporting permission and plan feature gates.
• Built-in reports include intake pipeline, approval queue aging, conflicts review, matter roster, and time detail.
• The basic report builder supports selectable datasets, selectable fields, up to three lightweight filters, and CSV export.
• Available builder datasets include submissions, workflow tasks, conflicts, matters, time entries, clients, and contacts.
• Visible results are capped to keep the page responsive, with CSV export available for spreadsheet review.

Security

CMIForge has an internal role and permission model. Authentication is optional during local development, but permissions still control what the current user can see and do.

• Users can have direct roles.
• Teams can have roles.
• Users inherit permissions from their teams.
• Navigation and server-side page handlers both enforce permissions.
• Optional Microsoft Entra login can map authenticated people to rows in the Users table.
• Demo mode protects system user 00000001 and blocks destructive demo actions.

Audit

The audit log records sensitive or administrative actions so the platform can explain who changed important records and when.

• Audited actions include administrative/security changes, conversion, attachment changes, settings updates, and destructive actions as those actions are added.
• Audit entries capture actor details, action, entity type, entity identifier, summary, IP address, user agent, and optional JSON details.
• The Security area includes an audit log view for users with the right permissions.
• Audit timestamps render through the same user-local timezone helper used elsewhere in the app.

Settings & Terms

System settings hold operational configuration such as support contact details, default timezone fallback, and email notification settings.

• Settings are grouped by category, starting with General and Email.
• SMTP password configuration is represented as a secret reference so the actual secret can live outside the settings table.
• Settings updates are audit logged.
• Settings are hidden from the System menu and read-only in demo mode.
• Password resets, MFA, account verification, lockout, and sign-in policy belong in Microsoft Entra, not inside CMIForge settings.
• The Terms & Conditions page lives under System and describes the baseline SaaS terms, data protection posture, support access, maintenance access, and related customer responsibilities.

Demo Mode

The live demo is intentionally separated from the prototype/dev database and is designed to be safe for public visitors.

• A visible banner explains that the environment is a public demo.
• The live demo uses the separate cmiforge-demo Azure SQL database.
• Demo data resets every 12 hours while the App Service process is running.
• The System menu includes a Demo Mode page with a manual reset button.
• Manual reset clears demo-created records and rebuilds the starter dataset.
• Administrative/designer changes and destructive actions are blocked in demo mode.
• User 00000001 is protected.
• Submitted text is screened for obvious abusive or unsafe demo content before records are created.

Plans

Plans are currently hardcoded product gates, not billing. They help test the product shape before payment infrastructure exists.

• Community: free, 3 users, 50 matters, 50 clients, all features, and community support.
• Professional: $99/month, includes 10 users, 500 matters, 500 clients, all features, email support, and additional users at $10/user/month.
• Enterprise: coming soon.

The development and live demo build is currently hardcoded to Professional so development work and evaluation are not blocked by feature gates.

Current Limits And Next Slices

• Conflict result clearance now supports row-level status, notes, reviewer, and timestamp fields; richer clearance workflow templates are still a future slice.
• Conflict searches now search prior search text and previous result clearance notes; deeper full-text indexing is still a future scaling slice.
• Submission attachments now support small PDF, Word, Excel, and hyperlink records. Richer attachment workflows are still a future slice.
• Time recording is not yet billing, invoice generation, rate management, or accounting sync.
• Reporting now has built-in reports and a basic builder. Rich grouping, charts, scheduled delivery, and saved report definitions are future slices.
• Workflow versioning is not fully separated from workflow editing yet, so careful admin control matters.
• The current UI is functional and work-focused; richer designer screens are still a future slice.