Creating Project Link Types

Create project link types to express the different relationship types that can exist between projects. For example, your company may link technology projects to both the product they are applied to and to a market strategy component in your overall portfolio. Or, you may define relationships that include a dependency to indicate that one project must finish before another starts. Create project link types that indicate those relationships.

Administrators and Process Designers create the link types, which are available to Process Managers, Idea Managers, and Project Managers to create the actual link between projects. Links created between projects are viewable a project's Related Projects page, and in Portfolio Browser (if enabled) and Accolade Innovation Planning.

Note:  If Portfolio Management components or Accolade Innovation Planning is installed, Accolade includes a Child Relationship link type (Hierarchy Link Default) that manages the parent-to-child relationships to create project portfolios. This link type uses a default Link From Name of Contains to establish a link from a parent project to a child project, and a Link to Name of Member Of, to establish links from a child project to a parent project. Use the Child Relationship link type to create a project hierarchy. Administrators and Process Designers can modify this type; however, it cannot be deactivated or deleted.

To create a project link type:

1. From the System menu, select Process > Link Types.
2. Do one of the following:

• To add a new project link type - Click Add New in the top right corner of the page.
• To edit an existing project link type - Click the name of the link to edit.

3. Enter the following information to identify and describe the link type:
   
   Required fields display with red text and an asterisk * if the field is empty.

Field	Description
Name	Enter a name, up to 64 characters, which identifies the project link type. This is also the name that displays as the link label if the link has zero or two arrowheads.
System Name	Enter a unique, shorter name that identifies the link type in queries, reporting views, field codes, and other places in Accolade. The name must be unique among link types and can contain only letters (English alphabet), numbers, and the underscore.
Description	Enter a description of the purpose or nature of the link type. This description helps other users identify the link type throughout the system.
Order	Enter a number to specify the link type's place when it displays in a list of types. Lower numbered metrics display higher in the list.
Restrict to These Roles	Select the user roles that are required to create, edit and delete a link using this link type. If restricted, only Process Managers, Idea Managers, and Project Managers that also have one of the selected user roles can create, edit, and delete links between projects using this link type. The link type is not available for other users without the assigned roles. Note:  These restrictions do not apply to automatic link type creation.
Link From Name and Link To Name	Some links can be visualized as pointing from one project towards another project. Link From Name is the name of the link as it is described from the point of view of the "From" project in the link. Link To Name is the name of the link as it would be described from the point of view of the "To" project. For example, a link named "Component" might have a Link From Name of Is Component Of and a Link To Name of Has Component. If a link is non-directional, or if it points both ways (bidirectional), then the Link From Name is likely the same as the Link To Name.
Process Model Mappings	Define the process models available for the link type: From Process Models - Select the process models that this link can link from. The link type is only available in projects that use the selected model. To Process Models - Select one or more process models that this link can link to. Only the projects that use one of the selected process models are available to select when creating a project link. To make the link type available to all projects, select all the process models in the list. Max Project Links - Enter the maximum number of parent links that a project link can have that is created using the From/To process model combination. If project links exist before setting this value, and are in violation of the number set here, you must manually remove the links between projects to respect the max value before creating any additional links (either manually or using automatic link rules). Check Map all process models to all process models to link any process model to any process model. To make the link type available to link from multiple models, click to add an additional rule.
Active	Select the check box when this link type is ready for use. Note:  The Child Relationship link type cannot be deactivated.

* Read-only in the Child Relationship link type.

 

4. Enter the display characteristics for the lines drawn between projects in Portfolio Browser and Innovation Planning.
   

    

   Field	Description
   Line Color	Select the color of this link's displayed line.
   Arrow Direction	Select the direction an arrow points between projects for this link. If this link points in one direction, the direction should be coordinated with the Link From Name and Link To Name. An arrow that points in one direction has the perspective of the project at the base of the arrow. For example, an arrow that points towards the "link from" project has the perspective of the "link to" project and displays the "link to" name in the browser, and vice versa. The natural configuration of a link with one arrow would be with the arrow pointing toward the To project in the link. Such a link would display the Link From Name in the Portfolio Browser.

    

5. In the Dependency Type field, select the relationship type if the link type represents a dependent relationship based on project start and finish.

   • None - No dependency.
   • Start - Start - The source project must start before the target project can start.
   • Finish - Finish - The source project must finish before the target project can finish.
   • Finish - Start - The source project must finish before the target project can start.
   • Date - Date - A date in the source project must be before a date in the target project.

   Planners creating links between elements in Accolade Innovation Planning using a Date - Date link type can select a date, such as the project's start date, end date, a gate date, or a date metric available within the element, when creating the link or relationship. To show relationships between milestones the start and end milestone metrics must first be set as visible in Roadmapping. To set milestone metrics as visible open the data type from the element type menu on the left and click on the diamond next to the relevant metric.

   For project links created in the project pages and through Accolade Portfolio Optimizer, the link is created using a set of default dates defined in the link type configuration. Select the default dates from the Source Default Date and Target Default Date fields that are used for these links.

   Note:  If you are updating an existing link type, links created prior to the change maintain their settings.

6. In the Manage Links type field, select the starting point that a link can be created, edited, or deleted from. See Link Type Examples below. Note that these restrictions do not apply to automatic link type creation.
7. Click Create to create the new link type or Apply to save changes to an existing link type.

Link Type Examples

The following sections provide example of potential link type configurations. The following examples assume the user has the correct user roles to create projects using the described links.

Notes:    To delete a link type, display the link type and click Delete. Any existing links are that use the type are removed from projects. Innovation Planning and Roadmapping are optional Accolade components that you may not have access to. To implement these solutions, contact Sopheon Customer Support.