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REDCap: Moving Your Project to Production
Before Moving Your REDCap Project to Production:
If you have created, tested and finalized your instruments and project set-up, you are ready to move your project to Production status. Once your project moves into Production, you can start entering data. When you request that your project moves to Production, the REDCap support team will review and approve the change. To make this process easier, please make sure that the following things are done before you move your project to Production:
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- Make sure that your project is fully set up and tested!
You should have all of your data collection instruments (for example, all of your surveys and case report forms) and your overall project setup finished. Test your project by entering test data records to make sure everything is functioning correctly before you move your project into production. - Check that all of the users on your project have REDCap accounts and have completed the necessary training.
- All users of SMPH REDCap must have completed current HIPAA Training
- To check if someone has completed training at UW-Madison, you can use this training look-up tool.
- HIPAA Training can be completed here: UW-Madison HIPAA Training
- Review the fields in your project for identifiers.
All of the data fields that could be considered a PHI identifier should be marked. This includes names, dates, address or geographical information more specific than state, e-mail addresses, phone number, etc. For more information on what should be marked as an identifier and how to mark identifiers in REDCap, see Identifiers in REDCap. - Double check that the information is correct in your main project settings. In your main project settings, make sure that you have filled out 'Purpose of this project.'
- Based on the project type (purpose), you may need to fill out additional information. Select your project purpose below to see any additional requirements.
- Make sure that your project is fully set up and tested!
Periodically, SMPH REDCap administrators will contact project owners to update their project purpose appropriately.
Research
1. Provide additional details in Main Project Settings
Make sure the following fields are filled out in the Main Project Settings:
- Name and email of P.I.
- IRB Number
- Type of research
Quality Improvement
Provide Documentation that your project does not qualify as research. The following documents are acceptable and should be provided to REDCap Support (REDCap@ictr.wisc.edu) at the same time as your Move to Production request:
- Complete Quality Improvement Certification: An electronic copy of the completed QI/Program Evaluation Self-Certification Tool can be found on this page.
- Direct link to the HS QI/Program Evaluation Self-Certification Tool
- IRB Exemption Letter: Alternatively, if your project was reviewed by the IRB and determined to be exempt, you can submit the exemption letter.
Operational Support
There are no additional requirements for Operational Support projects.
Practice / "Just for Fun"
Projects set up for testing and "just for fun" reasons should NOT be moved to Production and should NOT contain real data. Your access to your project and the functionality of the system will not change between the Development and Production statuses. However, projects in Production require administrator approval to make certain kinds of changes (in order to protect data quality.) If your project is set up for testing only, you should leave it in Development. Make sure to add "TEST" to the title to help identify the project as a test project so that real data is not entered.
- If you have a test project that you are ready to start using to collect real data, then you should change the 'Purpose of project' to show the correct project type (research, quality improvement, operational support) before moving to Production.
Other
There are no additional requirements for Other projects. When using this project purpose for a backup or copy project, you are not required to move the project to Production.
How to Move your project to Production:
*NOTE: Projects that have more than 30 records and are still in Development status will be contacted about moving the project to Production or Archiving it. Real study data SHOULD NOT be entered in a project when in Development.
If you have completed all of the above checks, you are ready to move your project into Production! To request that a REDCap project be moved to Production, open the project, select the Project Setup tab. At the bottom of the screen, click the 'Move to Production' button.
After you click this button, you will get the option to decide if you wish to Keep ALL or Delete ALL of the data that has been entered (if it has been entered only for testing purposes).
Click 'Yes, Move to Production'.
This will send an email to the SMPH REDCap administrators. The REDCap administrators will review your Project Setup to ensure the necessary data has been documented.
If all of the above is complete, your project will be moved to production.
When your study is no longer collecting study data, and there is no longer a need to edit study data, notify the REDCap administrators (REDCap@ictr.wisc.edu) that your study can be archived. When your study is archived, you will no longer be able to enter or edit data, but it will remain accessible and exportable for an undetermined amount of time. Research projects will no longer be charged the annual fee after the study is archived.