It seems like Scoutbook is demonstrating a conflict between the official position that “Completed” means “ready for review” and the plain-language meaning of the word “Completed” that the work is already done. Personally, I think that this is best resolved by:
- changing the word “Completed” to “Ready for Review” (or equivalent) in the Scouts BSA/Venturing/Sea Scouting programs, and
- revising the code such that the date an item is marked “Leader Approved” (or “Counselor Approved” in the case of MBs) is the official date of record for advancement/awards in the Scouts BSA/Venturing/Sea Scouting programs.
The behavior as it exists is largely consistent with the advancement process for Cub Scouting, in that parents can approve advancement as Akela for their scout.
Given the current (as opposed to intended) functionality, this can also be treated as a process error, in the sense that the scout is marking the requirements Complete prior to counselor review. Alternatively, if the review actually occurred on the date that the badge was marked Completed (in this case 4/1/21), and there is just a delay in logging the information by the counselor, then it appears that Scoutbook is functioning properly and enforcing the original date completed.
The way that I handle this potenmial conflict with my merit badge counselees is twofold. First, if we are reviewing things over a virtual meeting (as has been more common during the pandemic), I have Scoutbook open and mark requirements Complete/Counselor Approved as they are completed/reviewed. Alternatively, when we meet in person, I make sure to take a photo of the scout’s blue card, then mark the requirements Completed and Counselor Approved shortly after our meeting. It’s a few extra steps for me, but keeps things in sync between the digital and hard copies of the blue card.
Second, I let scouts know that neither they nor their parents should mark merit badge items “Completed” until after I have marked them Counselor Approved. If they have a concern that something has not been marked Completed/Approved in a timely fashion, they can reach out to me (e.g. via email with a photo of the signed blue card) so I can correct the issue.
I find that those two process steps minimize the time I spend “correcting” data entry issues both as a MBC and as a unit leader.
I realize that I’m attempting to “re-litigate” this issue, but I’m confused about how this comports with the stated official position that “Completed” means “ready for review”. There are only a limited number of requirements at the Scouts BSA/Venturing/Sea Scouts for which work which has not yet been reviewed by a designated leader could be considered “Completed”. It seems inconsistent with the Guide to Advancement to display any advancement/awards which have not yet been “Leader Approved” on a scout’s profile. The behavior demonstrated in @ChristopherDesforges’ second screenshot (in which the “Completed” date is changed) indicates that “Completed” means more than simply “ready for review”. Otherwise, there should be no need to change the date “Completed” to be on or later than the date “Leader Approved” or “Counselor Approved”, either for individual requirements or for the overall badge. It seems like the BSA needs to decide what the actual intended meaning is for these “toggles” in each Scouting program, and give BSA IT the direction to make the implementation (both in language and functionality) consistent with the intended meaning.
