Any person who enters data on views and plans 'hands on' into an Abacus, is what we call a 'user', or, to avoid confusions with service users, a 'contributor' *.

To become a user or contributor, this individual will have to have been given a licence code, which allows them to log in to the software; and then will have been invited to contribute to one or more specific Abacuses.

For the PIE Abacus programme, we then distinguish between two kinds of user/contributor:

1. those who will do so on behalf of the whole team in which they work, in which case they will be entering the data on the collective view of the team.In this case, can may refer to them as the 'scribe' for the team; and
2. those who do so on in their own right, with just their own views.

For advice on how best to arrive at a collective view, see the excerpt from the Pizazz-on-paper facilitators' guide to assessment, HERE

There is also further advice for assessment facilitators in teams in the PIEs assessment training. Coming soon HERE

For suggestions as to when it might be valuable to have individuals as 'users' or 'contributors', see FAQ: Why have individuals as 'contributors' at all?:  HERE

• NB: In the original 'iAbacus' software, and in the guide videos they have produced, a 'contributor' is called a 'user' - an iAbacus user.  Although there is something attractively egalitarian about the idea that we are ALL users of some service or another, in complex needs service, the term 'user' is consistently used to mean 'service user'; and one of the attractive features of this software is that it can allows service users to contribute to assessments on. So in the end, to avoid possible confusions, we decided to suggest the alternative term 'contributor' in much of the literature, and in conversations.  Time will tell which term works best.

The simplest, most effective way to evaluate and improve your PIE from Daniel O'Brien on Vimeo.

All PIE Abacus FAQs : HERE

Library items

PIE Abacus - essential briefing for PIE leads' (and any others in comparable roles), HERE)

Weighing the costs and 'value added' of the PIE Abacus : HERE

The PIE Abacus - applications in particular settings:

The PIE Abacus – in medium to large agencies : HERE

The PIE Abacus – in local practice networks : HERE

The PIE Abacus – in smaller 'stand alone' services : HERE

The PIE Abacus – as a research tool : HERE

The PIE Abacus – in communities of practice : HERE

The PIE Abacus – in service user-led assessments : HERE

The PIE Abacus – with services using PIEs1 : HERE 

All PIE Abacus FAQs : HERE