Close-out test system

1. A method for performing line tests on a subscriber's communication line (“line”) in a communications network, the method comprising:

at a subscriber's site, initiating one or more line tests on said line, said initiating including determining a set of mandatory tests to be performed on said line;

receiving test data that includes a set of line results received in response to running said-mandatory tests;

communicating said test data to an evaluation application that can receive test parameters from a remote service and that performs the following:

(1) evaluates the test data against a set of test parameters that define pass/fail conditions associated with said one or more line tests;

(2) identifies which of said one or more line tests fail;

(3) identifies a set of remarks fields that must be populated incident to overriding a test;

requiring for close out:

(1) receiving additional data associated with rerun tests that produce results within said test parameters; or

(2) receiving an override indication, wherein if said override indication is received, requiring that comments be entered in said remarks fields prior to closing said test;

communicating said test results to a remotely accessible database; and

automatically evaluating said test results so that incomplete tests can be denoted, whereby subsequent action can be taken to correct unresolved problems.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said set of mandatory tests includes tests that a technician should run based on a set of services associated with said line.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving test data includes receiving supplementary information that supplements said line results.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said supplementary information includes at least one of:

indicia identifying said technician; or

indicia identifying said subscriber's site.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said evaluation application is embodied on one or more computer-readable media of a portable device.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein said set of remarks fields makes up part of a graphical user interface adapted to receive comments from said technician.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein closeout comprises completing steps associated with troubleshooting said line.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving additional data includes receiving data from tests that are performed after said technician has attempted to remedy problem(s) associated with said line.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said override indication includes an indication that close out is to occur without having fixed said problem(s).

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein automatically evaluating said test results includes evaluating said test results without user intervention.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein evaluating said test results includes determining which tests were complete and which tests were incomplete.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein subsequent action includes:

automatically identifying a more appropriate technician; and

automatically communicating an indication of an incomplete test to said more appropriate technician.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one or more line tests include a selection from the group comprising: a voltage test, a current test, a resistance test, an impedance test, a reactance test, a line test, a tone test, a balance test, a frequency test, a loss test, a signal-degradation test, a power-influence test, a noise test, a fault test, a dead-air test, a continuity test, a signal-quality test, a completion test, a loop-length test, a joint-resistance test, an irregular-load test, a capacitance test, a wet-cable test, and a split-pair test.

14. One or more machine-readable media having machine-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing the method of claim 1 .

15. A handheld device programmed to execute the machine-useable instructions of claim 14 .