Creating Idea Process Models

Idea models are used to automatically create projects based on an idea someone submits for a new product or service. Often the purpose of idea projects is to complete the preliminary evaluation of the submitted idea. Idea models can contain stages and gates. For information about gated and non-gated models, see Creating Gated and Non-Gated Process Models.

Before you create an idea model, create its idea form and add it to the Template Library. See Online Form Templates Overview and Adding Templates to the Template Library.

To create an idea process model:

From the System menu, select Process > All Models.

To narrow the process model list, search by the process model name, system name, or class.

Do one of the following:

To add a new model - Click Add New in the upper right corner of the page.
To create a new model based on an existing model - Click in the Copy column to create a copy that can be used as a base to build a new model.
To edit an existing model - Click the name of the model to open it for editing.

See How Changing Process Models Affects Open and Closed Projects to understand what changes are applied to open and closed projects.

If you selected to add a new model, complete the following information to identify and describe the model:

Required fields display with red text and an asterisk * if the field is empty.

Field	Description
Name	Enter a name, up to 64 characters long, which identifies the model. More... Give the model a name that clearly indicates which projects use the model so Process Managers recognize the model to select when creating projects.
System Name	Enter a unique, shorter name that identifies the process model when importing and exporting models between environments.
Class	Select the class to which the model belongs. The class you select determines if the model is a gated or non-gated model, based on the process type defined in that class.
Description	(Optional) Enter a description of the purpose and use of the model. The description should provide additional details about the type of projects that are appropriate for this model.
Configuration Access Groups	Select the access group(s) to which this process model belongs. More... The access group(s) displayed are based on the current user's access group permissions and the process model defaults to the highest level access group listed. Note that the process model is only added to access groups that are checked. It does not propagate to child access groups unless those child groups are checked. Edit the configuration access group on the Security tab of the process model.

Click Create to create the model.
On the Process Definition tab, complete the following information in the Process Editor section to define display and behavior for projects based on the model:

Field	Description
Name	Edit the name of the process model.
System Name	Edit the system name.
Class	Edit the class selection. To modify the class, the new selected class must have the same Process Type. If there are multiple classes of the same Process Type (gated, non-gated, idea), those classes display for selection. If there are no classes of the same Process Type, the field displays as read-only.
Description	Edit the description.
Project Name Metric	To set a project name automatically based on a metric value, click and select the metric that determines the name. Only metrics associated to the project are available for selection. See Automating Projects Using Metrics in Process Models for more information. If a metric is selected: Ensure the metric required to set the project name is available for edit on the project creation page so the name can be populated accordingly. Ensure that the selected metric's formula does not include the project name, or a metric that includes the project name. Note: If the metric's calculation returns no value, the project name is set to the class name. If a metric is selected here, the project name is read only within the project pages.
Project ID Metric	To set a project ID automatically based on a metric value, click and select the metric that determines the ID. Only metrics associated to the project are available for selection. See Automating Projects Using Metrics in Process Models. If a metric is selected: Ensure that the metric required to set the project ID is available for edit on the project creation page so the ID can be generated accordingly. Ensure that the selected metric's formula does not include the project ID, or a metric that includes the project ID. Note: If the metric's calculation returns no value, the project ID is set to the system project ID. If a metric is selected here, the project ID is read only within the project pages. If the Auto-Generate Project IDs system parameter is enabled, this option is not available.
Project Link Rules	Click Project Link Rules to define a set of rules and conditions that are used to link related projects for all projects that use this process model. See Linking Related Projects. You can only edit link rules for process models to which you have configuration access group rights. Only process models to which you have configuration access groups display for selection when linking related projects. However, you can edit rules linked to multiple models even if some models you only have view access groups rights to.
Active	Select this check box when the model is ready to use in projects.
Set gates page to read-only	If this is a gated model, select this option to disable the ability to edit gate content and gate dates within a project. Select this option only if you use other means to set project gate dates and decisions within the projects that use the model, such as using automated steps within workflows.
Default Project Manager	To set a default Project Manager for new projects created based on this model, select one of the following options: To assign a Project Manager automatically - Select the User option and click to select the Accolade user that will automatically be assigned as the Project Manager. To assign a Project Manager automatically based on a metric value - Select the Metric option and click to select a metric whose value determines the Accolade user that is assigned as the Project Manager. Selecting a metric enables automatic routing of ideas, concepts, and projects to the correct business leader based on other project criteria such as business area, product line, or geographic location. See Automating Projects Using Metrics in Process Models. Only users assigned the Project Manager user role and only metrics associated to the model are available for selection. Process Managers can assign a different manager at the project-level after a project is created. Ensure metrics scheduled to calculate only on project create do not reference team leader metadata if the default project manager metric is set.
Default Currency	Select the default currency used in projects using this model. Process Managers can select a different currency at the project-level. This field is only available if a corporate currency is selected in the Accolade Administration Console.
Allow Mid-Process Project Start for Creation	If this is a gated model, select from the following options: No - Projects created using this model start at the beginning of the process, and do not allow a project to start mid-process. This is the default setting. Select by Stage - Projects created using this model can start in a selected stage within the process. Select this option if the model starts with a stage to ensure that projects can start at the beginning of the process. Select By Gate - Projects created using this model can start in a selected gate within the process. Select this option if the model starts with a gate to ensure that projects can start at the beginning of the process.
Allow Mid-Process Start for Migration	If this is a gated model, select from the following options: No - Projects migrated to this model start at the beginning of the process, and do not allow a project to start mid-process. This is the default setting. Select by Stage - Projects migrated to this model can start in a selected stage within the process. Select this option if the model starts with a stage to ensure that projects can start at the beginning of the process. Select By Gate - Projects migrated to this model can start in a selected gate within the process. Select this option if the model starts with a gate to ensure that projects can start at the beginning of the process.
Extend project edit rights	Select this check box to allow the extension of project edit rights to selected team members. When enabled, Project Managers can select team members who are allowed to edit information available on project page layouts, such as the Project Home page or any other custom project pages.

(Optional) Define the documents associated to the model in the Form and Document Management section with the following settings:

Field	Description
Idea Deliverable	Select the deliverable that contains the idea form to use as a template for users to complete when they submit ideas. Note: Each idea model must have at least one stage and one deliverable that contains the idea form.
Related Document Categories	Enter the list of categories that are available for related documents added to projects based on the model. Separate the list items using the pipe ( \| ) character. For example, enter Specs\|Designs\|Schedules to create three categories that use those same names. If the model contains no categories, all related documents are added to the Default category.
Protect versions from deletion	Select this option to disable the deletion of all documents in a project. If set, users on a project cannot delete any deliverable, activity, related document, or gate document version. In addition, users cannot delete an activity if it contains a version. Selecting this option overrides any Allow versions to be deleted settings for individual deliverables, activities, and gate documents. To allow the deletion on an individual document basis, clear this option and set the Allow versions to be deleted option at the individual document level.
Hide the "Idea Type" column	Select if you only have one idea form. If you have more than one idea form, list this option so users can select the idea type they are submitting.
Hide the "Notify me of gate decisions about this idea" selection	Select to prevent users from receiving notifications about the progress of their idea.
Disable file attachments	Select to prevent users from uploading files when submitting ideas.

(Optional) Select the process model graphic style in the Appearance section after you create the model.
Click Apply to save your changes.
Use the related model tabs as necessary and continue with the following tasks for the model you are creating:

Add stages and gates.
Add deliverables and activities, and assign dependencies within a stage.
Add pages or custom layouts to the model.
Associate metrics, matrices, or reports with the model.
Create or assign conditional rules to be applied to deliverables and activities.
Assign access group restrictions to projects created based on this model.
Assign how select metadata, such as start date, end date, and currency, displays in models.
Review and align component access groups using the process model component tree.

Notes:

To delete a model, display the model and ensure the Active check box is cleared, then click Delete. If you need to clear the Active check box, click Apply to save the change, then click Delete. See Process Model Best Practices before deleting models.
To rename an existing model, access the model as described above, update the name in the Name field, and click Apply. Changes to the model name are made only to open projects.
Idea Submission and Ideation are optional Accolade components that you may not have access to. To implement these solutions, contact Sopheon Customer Support.

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