comparing and subtracting sent and received dates

[Tom in Tunis]

I'm not a programmer and am looking for some help to solve a relatively
simple task. We are using Outlook 2003 but will eventually migrate toOutlook
2007 I expect. There are about 50 email requests per day. Let me explain the
process.

Group A receives an email with a request from User Group. Group A forwards
the email with the request to Group B. Then Group B sends the email to Group
C, which is copied to the User Group.

I am going to be copied at each stage of the process. I wish to keep track
of the following: (1) duration of time (days + hours) that Group A keeps the
email received by User Group before sending it to Group B, (2) duration of
time (days + hours) that Group B keeps the email before sending it to Group C
(which is cc'd to User Group). Each email received by Group A has a unique
subject line, but the subject line changes when Group A forwards the email to
Group B. The subject line of the email received by Group B is re-used by
Group B when sending the email to Group C. User Group is complaining that
there is too much delay in the processing. User Group only sees the date of
their email request enters and the date their request is satisfied. For each
email request, I wish to be able to have enough info to know where the delays
occur.

Thanks for any assistance.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP]]

So, just what kind of help are you looking for? Confirmation that this is
feasible? (Can't say at this point, without knowing what information might
be available to correlate the messages received by Group A with those
received by Group B.) Someone to write code for you?

 

[Tom in Tunis]

I'd be interested to know what conditions are needed to be met in order to
make it feasible. I should add that there is an attachment to the originating
email from User Group that is processed and then sent by Group A to B to C.

The subtraction of dates from emails in two separate Outlook folders I
expect is straight forward. The common identifier could be the subject, when
Group A sends the email and attachment to Group B, and Group B forwards on to
Group C. I am cc'd on both messages and put these messages in separate
folders.

But when the the subject line is changed by Group A from what User Group
used as a subject line, then I wonder how easy it is to track the email and
attachment through the subsequent processing steps.

As to writing the code to do the job, that is the next step. I do need
someone to write the code.

Thanks.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP]]

You would need some way of matching up the messages sent at each stage. If
the subject changes, it's not going to be useful for that purpose.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Microsoft Outlook 2007 Programming:
Jumpstart for Power Users and Administrators
http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54