Creating Projects

Process Managers with Add Project rights can create projects in Accolade.

Projects are created in the following ways:

• Automatically when users submit ideas (requires Idea Submission).
• Automatically when planning elements are created (requires Accolade Innovation Planning).
• By import using a set of reference table pairs. Use this method to create multiple projects at once.
• By migrating projects between models.
• Manually using the following process.

Enable the Enable Auto Search on Project Creation option in your user profile to enable an automatic search for projects and documents with the same or similar names or descriptions when creating new projects. Use this feature to help discover if like-projects exist, in order to prevent duplicating efforts when creating projects.

To manually create a new project in Accolade:

1. Click Add New in the Accolade title bar.

2. Select the class and the model that includes the appropriate process for the project. More...

   For example, if a project is in its very early discovery stages, select a model that includes a Scoping or Discovery stage as stage 1 in the process. If the project is low risk, or a small internal initiative, consider selecting a more condensed model that combines stages for development and testing efforts.

3. (Optional) If your process model is set up to Allow Mid-Process Project Start for Creation, select the starting point for the project. More...

   Note:  This field is only available if the model is set to allow a mid-process start, and does not apply to non-gated projects.

   If the project should start at the beginning of the model, select the first stage or gate. If a project starts in a subsequent stage, deliverables or activities may be hidden if conditional rules have been applied to the process model.

4. Complete the following information to identify and describe the project:
   
   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 project. Provide a name that clearly indicates the project's purpose. Depending on your system's configuration, Process Managers and the assigned Project Manager can change the name later through the Project Home page. Note:  The process model configuration determines if you can enter a project name when creating a project. The configuration may be defined to generate the name based on a metric value.
Project ID	Enter an ID that displays on the project header and in reports. This is also referred to as the project code. The ID is intended for reporting and to help identify and locate a project, and can include any characters or symbols, including spaces and characters from non-English alphabets. Note:  The process model configuration, or a system parameter, determines if you can enter a project ID when creating a project. The configuration may be defined to generate the ID based on a metric value or sequentially as projects are created.
Description	(Optional) Enter a description of the purpose or nature of project. This description helps other users identify the project throughout Accolade.

5. Complete the security options to define the project's security access.

Field	Description
Access Group	Select the group that determines which users have access to this project. Your management rights allow you to create projects in access groups that you have Add Project rights to, indicated with an asterisk (*) next to the name, and that are also set in the process model. If the process model contains access groups restrictions, unavailable options are disabled in the list, even if you have Add Project rights to the group. Depending on the model configuration, it is possible that after the project is created, the project is assigned to a different access group based on a metric value.
Security Lists	If security lists are in use, select the check boxes in every list to specify which users have access to this project based on security list settings.

6. (Optional) Complete the additional project details for initial project creation. More...

    

   Field	Description
   Project Manager	Click to select the leader for this project. To filter the list of users, enter one or more search criteria to filter by name, login name, email address, function, or extended field. More... Clicking Select current user will assign the role to the current user (if they have the appropriate rights). Selecting a Function in the drop-down will display available users that are assigned to the function. The current selection defaults to the function to which you are assigning a user, however depending on the project configuration, you can assign any user. Clicking the Show advanced filters check box displays or hides the additional filter options. Clicking Clear removes the current user assignment and displays [None] to indicate that no user is assigned. If Project Manager required on create is set at the model level, a project manager must be selected when creating the project. If a default manager is set at the model level, you cannot select a manager when creating the project. However, you can change who is assigned to the project after the project is created. If a selection is not required at initiation and you create a project without designating a Project Manager, one can be selected later in the project's header. Note:   If the Enforce Project Security option is set for the model, only Project Managers who have access to the project through security definitions are available to assign as the manager for the project.
   Project Manager can manage team	Select the Project Manager can manage team option if the selected user has the ability to assign, remove, and replace members of the project team. If the selected user has the Project Manager user role but does not have Process Manager or Idea Manager with Manage Team rights, the selection made here overrides the Manage Team rights for that user for this project. If the selected user is a Process Manager or Idea Manager with Manage Team rights for the project's access group, this option is selected and disabled. If the project manager should have all other project management abilities except for managing teams, leave the option cleared.
   Currency	Select the currency in which financial data is entered and reported on for this project. Note:  Depending on the model, this option may not be available. If currency features have been enabled, the project's currency is initially set to the corporate currency.
   Start Date and End Date	Enter the project's default start and end dates.
   Gate Names and Dates	Enter names and dates for gates within the project. Gate names may be hidden or may either allow or require you to select gate dates, depending on the model.
   Metrics	Enter the appropriate metric values for the project. Depending on the model, some metric entries may be required to create the project.
   Additional Text Fields	If included for a project, enter any additional information in the additional fields provided.

7. (Optional) Click and select one or more files to attach as related documents to the project.

If you attach one or more image files, the last image file loaded is used as the project thumbnail image. The thumbnail image can be changed through the project's Related Docs after the project is created.

8. Click Create to create the project.

The project displays with the initial page as defined in the model.

Notes:    The Auto-Generate Project IDs system parameter enables and disables whether the system automatically generates project IDs. Administrators set system parameters in the Accolade Administration Console. If resource demands will be added to the project using demand curves, enter dates for all the gates in the project. Demand curves do not display values for stages that are not defined by gates with dates. You can enter Initial gate dates for planning purposes only and update them within the project, as necessary. Idea Submission and Ideation are optional Accolade components that you may not have access to. To implement these solutions, contact Sopheon Customer Support. Innovation Planning and Roadmapping are optional Accolade components that you may not have access to. To implement these solutions, contact Sopheon Customer Support. The ability to add a new project using the Add New button on a project page requires Add Project rights for the default access group (if one is assigned) or for the parent project's access group (if there is no default access group specified).