Configuring Project Classifications (Simple Model)

A project type defines a kind of project in a Simple Model program, and the settings every project of that type shares — which dashboards it shows, which fields it has, which stage gate process it follows, and which reports it can produce. Project types are set up on each program, under its Configuration > Program Items > Projects.

Most programs need only one project type. Create more where some projects need different fields, approvals, or reporting from others. This article covers the Simple Model. For the Advanced Model, see Configuring Initiative Classifications (Advanced Model).

Creating a project type

To create a project type:

1. Navigate to your program, then to Configuration > Program Items > Projects. The Projects Overview opens, listing the program's project types with their dashboards and how many projects use each.
2. Click New Project Type.
3. Configure the settings on each tab, described below. Some tabs can't be configured until the project type has been created.
4. Click Save.

To edit a project type, click the edit icon next to it on the Projects Overview.

General tab

• Name and Color — identify the project type across the program.
• Available Dashboards — the dashboards users can view on these projects, including any custom dashboards.
• Landing Page — the page shown first when a project of this type is opened, such as the Initiative Workbook.
• Reporting — how values are totaled on these projects' dashboards: Lifetime, across the project's whole duration, or Annual, for one year. With Annual, also select the Reporting Year for Annual Values.
• Format Dates using Accounting Periods — labels periods using accounting period names instead of calendar month names. See Configuring Benefit Classifications (Advanced Model) for naming accounting periods.
• Hide Cost Forecast — hides the cost forecast on these projects' dashboards. The forecast is still calculated.
• Hide Benefit Forecast — hides the benefit forecast on these projects' dashboards. The forecast is still calculated.
• Return on Investment Series — the series used to calculate return on investment (ROI) for these projects: Forecast or Baseline.

Properties tab

The Properties tab sets which fields these projects have.

• Standard Fields — built-in fields: External identifier, and the Schedule, Issue, Financial, Risk, and Overall status indicators. Turn on Active to use a field on these projects.
• Additional Fields — custom fields. Turn on Active to use a field on these projects, and drag a field to change its order. Click Add Shared Field to use a field created in Administration, or New Custom Field to create one for the program.

For both, Include on Create shows the field on the form when a project is created. It's set separately for each project type. Fields not included on create can still be filled in afterwards.

For shared and program fields, field types, and the settings that belong to the field itself, such as Required, see Custom Fields (Simple Model).

Process tab

Each program has one stage gate process, shared by all its project types. It's set up on the program, under Configuration > Stage Gate Process — see Stage Gate Process. The project type's Process tab shows that process, and most of it can't be changed here: the process, its stages, and settings such as Create Milestones and Lock Plan & Budget Values are read-only, and are edited on the program.

What you set on the project type is how each stage is approved:

1. Click a stage.
2. Select its Approval Workflow.
3. Repeat for each stage.
4. Click Save Process, or Reset to discard your changes.

The program's process settings work like this on these projects:

• Create Milestones — adds the process to each new project's schedule: a summary task named after the process, spanning the project's dates, with a Process Start milestone on the start date and one milestone for each stage, spread evenly across the project's duration. Each stage's milestone is named after its gate identifier, or its stage name where it has none.
• Lock Plan & Budget Values — locks benefit plan and cost budget values once the selected stage is pending approval or approved.

To move a project to a later stage directly, click Advance and choose the project and its new stage.

Status Report tab

Turn on Submit Reports to let these projects receive status report requests and submit reports.

The rest of the tab builds the status report form:

• Use Template — the status report template to edit, with icons to edit, duplicate, or create a template.
• Field and Add — add a field, such as a heading or a status, to the report.

Drag fields to arrange them, check Required where a field must be filled in on the report, and use the delete icon to remove one. Click Save once you're done. For building templates step by step, see Configuring Status Reporting.

Reports tab

Turn on Enable Reports to let users download reports for these projects, from the project's Reports page.

• Check each report that should be available, and select its Default Format, such as PDF or Excel.
• Initiative Quick Print Report and Benefit Quick Print Report — the reports downloaded in one click from the top of each project, and each benefit on it.

For choosing reports and quick print reports step by step, see Configuring Downloadable Reports.

Advanced tab

Turn on Enable Documents to let users upload documents to these projects. Document upload isn't part of the recommended configuration, so check with your administrators before turning it on.

Resources

Resources are enabled for the whole program, under Configuration > Program Items > Resources, and every project type in the program uses the same setting. There's nothing to set on the project type itself. See Configuring Resources (Simple Model).

Default project type

The Simple Model doesn't use default classifications, and project types can't be made the default.

Deleting a project type

To delete a project type:

1. On the Projects Overview, click the edit icon next to the project type.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Click Delete….
4. Amplify lists every project of this type that will be deleted, with a link to each. Check the list before you go on.
5. Confirm.

The project type is removed straight away, so no new projects of this type can be created. Its projects are then archived and deleted in the background, which can take a few minutes where there are many. Once they're gone, the program's start and end dates are recalculated from its remaining projects, and goal totals are recalculated, as the deleted projects' benefits no longer contribute to them.

For creating projects, see Configuring a Program.