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Ideas

Ideas are the initial stage of creating new opportunities for investment such as projects, assets, applications, products, services, and other work. Ideas lay the foundation for a specific type of investment by serving as a container for pertinent information. For example, you might have an idea that is valuable enough to be evaluated and converted into a project, service, or investment.

This section contains the following topics:

Idea Overview

How to Manage Ideas

Capacity Planning Scenarios (Idea)

How to Manage Allocations to Parent Investment (Idea)

How to Staff a Team (Idea)

Approve Ideas

Reject Ideas

How to Convert Ideas into Investments

Delete Ideas

Idea Overview

Ideas let you conduct more expedient analysis earlier to weed out unwanted ideas before they become investments and devour vital resources. You can track and convert ideas into investment opportunities. These investment opportunities can then be approved as part of your company portfolio. You can define an idea for a project, product, asset, application, service, or other work.

You can also include ideas as part of an investment hierarchy. An idea can be added as a child of an investment hierarchy, have simple budgeting, and have a staff.

Idea Audit Trail

Audit Trail provides a way to track the history of specific activities that occur for an idea. Your CA Clarity PPM administrator determines which fields are audited and what information is stored in the audit trail. If Audit Trail is enabled for ideas and you have the appropriate access rights, the Audit page displays when you have your idea open. Use this page to view a log of change, addition, or deletion records for the fields chosen for auditing.

For more information, see the Basics User Guide.

Idea Components

Ideas consist of the following components:

Idea properties

Use the idea properties pages to define idea basics from its subject and schedule. In addition, you can define budget properties from the properties pages.

Team

Use the Team menu to build a team that includes the staff who performs the work.

Budget

Use this component to create a simple budget and/ or forecast for your idea.

Reporting

Use CA Clarity PPM reports to track and analyze idea activities and progress.

For more information, see the Basics User Guide.

More information:

Define Budget Information (Idea)

Main Properties (Idea)

How Ideas Status Flow Works

A new idea has an "Unapproved" status. When you submit a completed idea for approval, the idea status changes to "Submitted for Approval". The approver can either approve, reject, or change the idea status to "Incomplete". Automated idea processes move the workflow.

How the Idea Approval Process Works

The Idea Approval process is an out-of-the-box idea process. The process helps the CA Clarity PPM process administrators to manage the submission, review, approval, or rejection of ideas. By default, this process is not active. The CA Clarity PPM process administrator activates before the idea can be started.

Customize a process using additional business rules. The process requires the CA Clarity PPM process administrator approval.

For more information, see the Administration Guide.

For each action item this process sends, a notification is sent that coincides with the action item. The process locks the idea status for the duration of the approval process and does not allow any approver to change manually the idea status.

Following are the steps triggered from the Idea Approval process:

Set Status to Approved

Triggers when an Approver uses the action item to approve the idea. The idea status is set to "Approved".

Set Status to Rejected

Triggers when an Approver uses the action item to reject the idea. The idea status is set to "Rejected".

Set Status to Incomplete

Triggers when an Approver uses the action item to mark the idea as incomplete. The idea status is set to "Incomplete".

Resubmit

Creates and sends an action item to the idea originating requestor to complete and resubmit the idea. The Approver then requires to use the action item to resubmit the idea, or to set the idea status to "Submitted".

Notify Approved

Sends a notification to the idea originating requestor that the idea is approved.

Notify Rejected

Sends a notification to the idea originating requestor that the idea is rejected.

Set Status to Submitted

Triggers when an Approver uses the action item to resubmit the idea. The idea status is set to "Submitted" and returns to the start of the process.

Starting the Idea Approval Process

An instance of Idea Approval process is created automatically each time you submit ideas for approval. During the process, the approver reviews the idea. The idea can be approved, rejected, or set to incomplete to request additional information from the idea originating requestor. Once your idea is approved, you can convert it into any project, service, or investment to which you have the rights to create.

Note: You can only have access to one Idea Approval process at any given time. The process administrator cannot grant access to more than one Idea Approval process. Otherwise, an error occurs when you click Submit for Approval.

Sending Action Items to Approve Ideas

Submitting an idea for approval, creates an instance of the Idea Approval process. An action item is sent to each user (Approver) that has the right to approve the idea. The action items requests that the Approver review and approve the idea.

Another action item is sent to the idea originating requestor when the idea is approved or rejected. If the status is changed to "Incomplete", the originating requestor is sent an action item to provide additional information and resubmit the idea.

As multiple users can have the right to approve the idea, contradictory responses could get recorded. For example, an Approver approves the idea and another reject it before the background process engine cycles. In this case, the outstanding action items are closed, if any, and new copies of the same action item are sent. The new action item states that contradictory responses are received.

Approving Ideas from Action Items

As an Approver, you can receive action items when an idea originating requestor submits an idea for approval. You can review the idea and then approve it from the action item by clicking Approved.

Note: The Idea Approval process changes the Status field to read-only. Therefore, approve the idea from the action item by clicking Approved.

Terminating the Idea Approval Process

The Idea Approval process terminates when you approve, reject, or delete it.

Ideas Imported from Another System of Record

The system of record for ideas is often not CA Clarity PPM. For this reason, you can import ideas from another system of record using the XML Open Gateway to view and manage in CA Clarity PPM. Once imported, the ideas are ready to be part of the portfolio management process.

For more information, see the XML Open Gateway Developer Guide.

How to Manage Ideas

An idea is the starting point for creating investments and maintaining them in CA Clarity PPM.

You can do the following from the Ideas page:

Create New Ideas

Use the create idea page to define your idea general properties, estimated costs and benefits, detailed description, and to start the Idea Approval process. Some of the idea properties are used when you convert the idea into a project, service, or investment.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open Home, and from Demand Management, click Ideas.

    The list page appears.

  2. Click New.

    The create page appears.

  3. Complete the following required fields in the General section of the page:
    Subject

    Defines the idea summary/name. When you convert the idea into a project, service, or investment, the subject is used as a link from the investment to the idea. During the conversion process, the subject becomes the description of the investment.

    Idea ID

    Defines the idea unique ID. If auto-numbering is configured, the field displays as read-only. During the conversion process, the Idea ID is the name of the investment.

    Idea Priority

    Defines the value assigned to the idea by the idea manager. The value corresponds to the risk priority. Choices are: Low (default), medium, and High.

    Description

    Details the description of the idea.

    Manager

    Defines the name of the resource that manages and owns the idea.

    The idea manager has access to the idea budget and schedule properties.

    Originating Requestor

    Defines the name of the resource originating the idea request. By default, the field displays the name of the resource creating the idea.

    Note: If you select another resource, your access rights to view the idea could cease. In particular, you require Idea – View – All or the Resource – Idea – View access right to this resource to view this idea.

    Active

    Specifies if the idea is active. Activate the idea to allow resources to view the idea in any capacity planning portlet.

    Default: Selected

    General Notes

    Specifies additional information about the idea not covered by the idea description.

  4. Complete the following fields in the Estimated Costs and Benefits section of the page as needed. Some of these properties are used when you convert the idea into a project, service, or investment:
    Estimate Type

    Defines the type of estimate benefits, cost, and revenue impact for the idea.

    Currency Code

    Defines the system currency and a read-only field. If multi currency is enabled, a drop-down list of all active currency codes. During the conversion process, the currency code is the currency code for the investment.

    Business Unit

    Defines the business unit associated to the idea.

    Benefit Description

    Defines the general description of the idea benefits.

    Estimated Cost

    Defines the estimated total cost of the idea. During the conversion process, the estimated cost is the investment planned cost.

    Estimated Benefit

    Defines the estimated total financial benefit of the idea both in term of revenue and money saved.

    Estimated Start Date

    Indicates the estimated start date for the idea. The date must be on or before the estimated finish date.

    Estimated Finish Date

    Indicates the estimated finish date for the idea. The date must be on or before the estimated finish date.

    Breakeven Date

    Defines the estimated break-even date for the idea. During the conversion process, the break-even date is the budget break-even date for the investment.

  5. Complete the following fields in the Detailed Description section:
    Impact on Existing Initiatives

    Defines the description of the impact the idea has on the existing initiatives.

    Risks

    Defines the description of the risks, whether the idea is implemented or not.

    Dependencies

    Defines the description of the dependencies, or list of any dependencies the idea have.

  6. In the Organizational Breakdown Structure section, click the Browse icon next to the OBS to associate with the idea for security, organizational, or reporting purposes.

    The OBS-named-Department is used to associate the idea with a CA Clarity PPM department. If multiple OBS exist, the OBS-named-Department is listed last.

    For more information, see the Basics User Guide.

  7. Do one of the following:

More information:

Main Properties (Idea)

Define Budget Information (Idea)

Define Scheduling Information (Idea)

Associate Ideas with Organizational Breakdown Structures

Main Properties (Idea)

Main properties let you define base information about the idea.

Follow these steps:

  1. To view main properties, open the idea.

    The general page appears.

  2. Click the links from the Properties menu to access other main properties pages.

You can do the following:

More information:

Create New Ideas

How to Manage General Information (Idea)

From the properties page for an idea, you can take the following actions:

You can edit the general properties from this page, or from the idea list page.

For more information, see the Basics User Guide.

More information:

Create New Ideas

Associate Ideas with Organizational Breakdown Structures

Organizational breakdown structures (OBS) controls access, department hierarchies, and reporting. If at least one OBS exists for ideas, you can associate any of these OBS to your idea.

The OBS named Department is used to associate an idea with a CA Clarity PPM department. If several exist, the Department OBS is listed last.

For more information, see the Basics User Guide.

More information:

Create New Ideas

Define the Target Manager (Idea)

The target manager is the resource who manages the idea when converted into a project, service, or investment. Recommended to complete the field.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.

    The list page appears.

  2. Click the subject of the idea to assign a target manager.

    The properties page appears.

  3. Select a resource in the Target Manager field.

    Note: Complete the field before you convert the idea into a project, service, or investment. Otherwise, the resource identified as the idea Manager, becomes the manager for the project, service, or investment.

View Estimated Costs and Benefits (Idea)

A high-level overview of the idea estimated costs and benefits appear in the Estimated Costs and Benefits section of the properties page. The fields displayed in the section are the same fields that displayed when you first created the idea, on the Create Idea page.

More information:

Create New Ideas

View a Detailed Description (Idea)

View and edit the impact the idea has on existing initiatives, the risks of the idea, and the dependencies the idea has on existing initiatives. Use the Detailed Description section of the properties page to view the data.

Submit Ideas for Approval

Submit the new idea for approval. You can also submit an idea for approval while still creating.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.

    The list page appears.

  2. Click the subject of the idea to submit for approval.

    The properties page appears.

  3. Do one of the following:

Note: You can submit any idea for approval except ideas that can be converted into projects, services, or investments.

More information:

Create New Ideas

Request More Information (Idea)

A submitted idea can require additional information before approval and conversion into a project, service, or investment.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.

    The list page appears.

  2. Click the subject of the submitted idea.

    The properties page appears.

  3. Change the submitted idea status to "Incomplete".
  4. In the General Notes field, enter any notes or directions about the additional information that you require from the idea manager.
  5. Click Save and Return to return to the Ideas page.

    The Ideas page appears with the idea status as "Incomplete".

  6. Send an action item and a notification to the idea manager to provide additional information and to resubmit the idea.

For more information, see the Basics User Guide.

Deactivate Ideas

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.

    The list page appears.

  2. Click the subject of the idea to deactivate.

    The properties page appears.

  3. In the General section of the page, clear the Active check box.
  4. Click Save.

Define Scheduling Information (Idea)

Use the idea properties page to define the idea start and finish dates, open it for time entry, and define its charge code.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.

    The list page appears.

  2. Click the subject of the idea.

    The properties page appears.

  3. Open the Properties menu and then from Properties, click Schedule.

    The schedule page appears.

  4. In the Schedule section of the page, complete the following fields. Some of these properties are used when you convert the idea into a project, service, or investment:
    Start Date

    Indicates the idea start date. When you convert the idea into an investment, the date is the investment start date.

    Finish Date

    Indicates the idea finish date. When you convert the idea into an investment, the date becomes the investment finish date.

    Set Planned Cost Dates

    Specifies if the planned cost dates are synchronized with the investment dates. Selecting the option for a detailed financial plan does not affect the planned cost dates.

    Default: Selected

  5. In the Tracking section of the page, complete the following fields:
    Time Entry

    Select the field to allow staff members to record the time they work on the idea on the timesheets.

    Important! Ensure that you select the Time Entry field to enable staff members to record work on ideas on the timesheets.

    Default: Selected

    Track Mode

    Indicates the method for the staff members to enter time for hours worked on the idea.

    Options:

    • Clarity. Staff members record time using timesheets.
    • None. Non labor resources track actuals through transaction vouchers, or when enter actuals through a scheduler, such as Open Workbench.
    • Other. Import actuals from a third-party application.

    Default: Clarity

    Charge Code

    Select a default charge code to use for all idea tasks. If you enter a different charge code at the task level on timesheets, the task-level charge codes override the idea-level charge code.

    For more information, see the Basics User Guide.

  6. Click Save and Return, or Submit for Approval.

Define Budget Information (Idea)

The idea budget data is essential in managing and analyzing idea portfolios. Correctly defining and recording the idea planned cost and benefit information is key to accurately assessing and analyzing ideas during portfolio management.

You can define budget information from the Idea: Properties: Main - Budget page. With budget properties, you can define metrics. For example, the idea planned cost, NPV, ROI, and breakeven information. Or calculate automatically using the cost of capital. You can also use the fields on the page to set the start and end dates over which the budget is experienced. With budget properties, money flows constantly and evenly over this period.

The values budget properties are applied to only one time period: From the idea start date to the finish date. The dates are applied only to your idea and not to its parent investments.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.

    The list page appears.

  2. Click the subject of the idea.

    The properties page appears.

  3. Open the Properties menu and then from Properties, click Budget.

    The budget page appears.

  4. Complete the following fields in the Financial Planning section:
    Currency

    Defines the currency for the investment.

    Default: System currency

    Budget equals Planned Values

    Specifies if the budget values in the budget properties of an investment match the planned values. If a detailed budget plan exists for the investment, all the field values in the Budget section are display-only. The fields reflect the values in the detailed budget plan. When the check box is cleared, you can edit the budget fields.

    Default: Selected
    Calculate Financial Metrics

    Specifies if financial metrics for the investment are calculated automatically. If unselected, you can define the financial metrics manually.

    Default: Selected

  5. Complete the following fields in the Financial Metrics Options section:
    Use System Rate for Total Cost of Capital

    Select the field to calculate the total cost of capital at system rate.

    Use System Reinvestment Rate

    Select the field to calculate the total cost of capital at the system reinvestment rate.

    System Rate

    Displays the system rate for calculating the total cost of capital.

    Investment Rate

    Displays the investment rate for calculating the total cost of capital.

    Initial Investment

    Defines the initial investment on the idea.

  6. Complete the following fields in the Planned section. Some of these properties are used when you convert the idea into a project, service, or investment:
    Planned Cost

    Defines the idea planned costs. The value is distributed between the Planned Cost Start and the Planned Cost Finish dates.

    Note: When you convert the idea into an investment, the planned cost value supersedes the estimated cost entered in the Estimated Costs and Benefits section of the Idea Properties: General page.

    Planned Cost Start

    Select the date of starting the idea planned cost.

    Planned Cost Finish

    Select the date the idea planned cost expires.

    Planned Benefit

    Defines the total planned benefit you receive from the idea.

    Note: When you convert the idea into an investment, the planned benefit value supersedes the estimated benefit entered in the Estimated Costs and Benefits section of the Idea Properties: General page.

    Planned Benefit Start

    Select the date when the idea planned benefit starts.

    Planned Benefit Finish

    Select the date when the planned benefit of the idea expires.

    Planned NPV

    Displays the planned NPV (Net Present Value) of the investment.

    Planned ROI

    Displays the planned ROI (Return on Investment) of this investment.

    Planned Breakeven

    The date when the idea planned cost equals the planned benefit. The field is read-only.

    Planned IRR

    Displays the planned internal rate of return for the investment.

    Planned MIRR

    Displays the planned modified internal rate of return (MIRR) for the investment.

    Planned Payback Period

    Displays the date of the investment planned payback period.

  7. The following fields display in the Budget section.
    Budget Cost

    Displays the budgeted cost amount for the investment.

    Budget Cost Start

    Displays the budgeted cost start date of the investment.

    Budget Cost Finish

    Displays the budgeted cost finish date of the investment.

    Budget Benefit

    Displays the budgeted benefit amount of the investment.

    Budget Benefit Start

    Displays the budgeted benefit start date of the investment.

    Budget Benefit Finish

    Displays the budgeted benefit finish date of the investment.

    Budget NPV

    Displays the budgeted NPV (Net Present Value) of the investment.

    Budget ROI

    Displays the budgeted ROI (Return on Investment) of this investment.

    Budget Breakeven

    Displays the date when the idea budgeted cost equals the planned benefit. The field is read-only.

    Budget IRR

    Displays the budgeted internal rate of return for the investment.

    Budget MIRR

    Displays the budgeted modified internal rate of return (MIRR) for the investment.

    Budget Payback in Months

    Displays the date of the investment budgeted payback period

  8. Submit your changes.
  9. View an Overview of Estimated Cost and Benefits.

More information:

View Estimated Costs and Benefits (Idea)

Capacity Planning Scenarios (Idea)

Scenarios allow you to apply a systematic methodology to optimize your idea or portfolio. Apply scenarios to your idea to analyze how staffing changes or shifts in dates affect the outcome of your idea or portfolio. You can evaluate your ideas by switching between a scenario and the plan of record.

You can do the following:

Create Capacity Planning Scenarios (Idea)

Create a capacity planning scenario from any idea page that displays the scenario toolbar. The scenario toolbar displays below the page toolbar.

You cannot create portfolio scenarios from the idea but from within a portfolio.

Apply Capacity Planning Scenarios (Idea)

Use the scenario toolbar to select any existing capacity planning scenarios to which you have access rights. When you open an idea and select a scenario, either from a capacity planning scenario-enabled page, or the financial plan page of idea properties, that scenario is set as the current scenario.

How to Manage Allocations to Parent Investment (Idea)

Use the parents page of the idea hierarchy to view a list of investments and services to which the idea is allocated. Also, helps to view the percentage the idea is allocated to each parent.

You can do the following:

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.

    The list page appears.

  2. Click the subject of the idea to view the investment the idea is allocated to.

    The properties page appears.

  3. Select Hierarchy.

    The hierarchy page appears. You can view the details of the parent investment of the idea.

Add and Remove Parent Investment Associations (Idea)

You can add and remove parent investment associations to and from your idea based on your company business rules. Add or remove associations on one of the parent investment-related set allocations page.

Define Allocations to Parent Investments (Idea)

Allocate ideas to one or more parent investments or services. However, the total allocation percentage of your idea to its parent investments is required to equal 100 percent. View the parent investments and services allocation amounts of an idea on the parents page of the idea hierarchy.

You can define the allocation of the idea to a parent investment from this page.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Hierarchy.
  3. Click Add to add parent investments.
  4. When all parent investments are added, click in the Allocation field of each parent and indicate the allocation of the idea.
  5. Click Save.

Share Ideas Across Investments

You can share ideas between other investments, services, and ideas. For example, you can share an idea for an online banking phone system that supports servers in two areas around the country. First, add the servers as child investments to the online banking phone system idea investment hierarchy. Then, edit the child investment cost allocation percentage and time segments.

Your idea investment allocation percentage dictates the amount that the idea is allocated to parent investment, service, or idea. All cost information displayed in the parent idea hierarchy is based on the allocation percentages.

Aggregate Idea Costs to the Parent Investment

Child idea cost totals are automatically aggregated to its parent investments. During the calculation, the parent idea start and finish date are considered for applying the child idea costs to the parent.

How to Staff a Team (Idea)

To provide planning data for capacity planning or portfolio planning, you can staff your idea with resources. Staff your idea with a team member to perform up-front work, before approving and converting the idea into a project, investment, or service.

Use the team staff page of an idea to staff your ideas by allocating roles and resources. You can add both labor and non-labor resources. From this page, you can view the bottom-up aggregated work effort by role. You can switch the view to edit the idea direct planned work. The Team menu contains three options: Staff, Detail and Role Capacity.

To view the team staff page of an idea, open the idea, and click Team.

About the Team: Staff Page (Idea)

To display the team staff page, open the idea and click Team.

Staff members are resources or roles that can be assigned to work on an idea. The staff can record the time worked on the idea on their timesheet. Ideas are not associated with tasks and staffing them does not result in long-term commitments for that staff.

You can use a role as a placeholder when you do not know the name of the resource you want to staff on your idea. Or, if the resource for staffing is not available. You can staff your idea with multiple instances of a role but not multiple instances of a resource.

Use the team staff page of an idea to add staff to the idea. The following describes the columns and icons on the page when you staff resources to the idea:

Properties icon

Opens the resource profile. You can view profile information and change allocations, including planned and hard allocations.

For more information about managing resources, see the Resource Management User Guide.

Resource Finder icon

Opens the Find Resources page for the selected resource. On this page, you can replace the resource or role with a different resource or role.

Resource column

Click a resource name to view and edit the resource general properties.

Resource Allocation

Opens the Resource/ Role Allocations page. You can update the resource allocation.

Role

Displays the role of the resource, which can be different from the primary role selected in the resource profile.

Time column

Displays a yellow checkmark if the resource or role is allowed to enter time for the idea.

Booking Status column

Displays the resource or role booking status.

Values

  • Hard. The resource is committed to the idea.
  • Soft. The resource is tentatively scheduled for the idea.

Mixed. Both soft and hard allocation exists for the resource.

Start column

Displays the team member allocation start date. If not defined, the date defaults to the start date of the idea.

Finish column

Displays the team member allocation finish date. If not defined, the date defaults to the finish date of the idea.

% Allocation

Displays the team member percent allocation to the idea. Each staff member is assigned to the idea at 100 percent of the resource available time by default.

Allocation

Displays the number of hours the resource has been tentatively booked to the idea. Unless you change the booking dates, staff members are automatically booked for the entire duration of the idea. This field cannot be edited but changes to reflect edits you make using:

Allocated Actuals

Displays the total number of hours the resource has recorded to date on this idea.

Incident Actuals

Displays the time posted to incidents associated to this idea.

Total Actuals

Displays the aggregated total actual time posted. This value is the sum of the allocated actuals and the incident actuals.

More information:

Staff Member Replacement (Idea)

Staff Allocations (Idea)

How to Reset Staff Allocations (Idea)

Shift and Scale Resource Allocations on Ideas

Change Resource Default Allocation (Idea)

Add Resources or Roles to the Idea Staff

The team staff page of an idea displays a list of the resources or roles that are added to your idea. All resources are automatically allocated at 100 percent of their available working days. You can adjust the value to meet your needs.

When adding resources to your idea staff, chances of over-allocation of the resource can happen. In this case, a confirmation page appears to either over-allocate the resource, or to accept the remaining availability of the resource.

Note: You can add multiple instances of a role to an idea. But not multiple instances of the same named resource. For example, assign “programmer (1)” and “programmer (2)” to represent two different requirements with a programming role.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Team.
  3. Do one of the following:
  4. Select the resources and roles to add to the idea staff.

    Use the Search Filter to find resources or roles by name or other criteria.

  5. Click Add to add the resources and roles.
  6. Save the changes.

More information:

Book Overallocated Resources (Idea)

Book Overallocated Resources (Idea)

The available hours for a resource can be less than the total number of requested hours. In this case, instead of the Booking Confirmation page, the Remaining Availability Confirmation page appears.

Adding a resource to the project or investment displays overbooking in the Remaining Availability Confirmation page. If the resource is booked at 100 percent (default) of their availability, the 100 percent Resource Allocation column lists the number of utilized hours. The Remaining Availability column indicates the actual number of available work hours for the resource on your project.

When the confirmation page appears, select one of the following options:

Overallocate

Over-allocates the resource.

Remaining Only

Books the resource for the amount listed in the Remaining Availability column.

View Role Capacity on Ideas

The role capacity page of idea team provides an aggregated view of all role demand whether generated by role-based team members or named resources. You can view this information against the capacity of the resources that fill those roles. To access the page from the idea Team menu, select Role Capacity on the page toolbar. Resources without a team role are captured on this page in the [No Role] row.

From the role capacity page, you can view:

You can view this information from inside and outside of a scenario. If a role appears over-allocated, click Staff to go to the team staff page of an idea and view all the resources using that role.

Staff Allocations (Idea)

Staff allocation is the period during which a resource is booked to an idea. Unless you change the booking dates, staff members are automatically booked for the entire duration of the idea. The allocation amount granted for a resource can be calculated as follows:

Total number of working days including the start and finish dates * Number of available hours per day

ETC is based on the number of hours a resource is assigned to the idea.

Edit Staff Allocations (Idea)

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Team.
  3. Edit the following fields:
    Role

    Select a role for this resource on the idea.

    Time

    Indicates that the resource can enter time taken for completing the work on the idea.

    Booking Status

    Select the booking status for the resource on the idea.

    % Allocation

    Enter the default amount for the resource allocated to the idea. You can enter "0" (zero) as the allocation percentage. The Allocation column reflects the changes done here.

  4. Click Save.

Change Resource Default Allocation (Idea)

Use the Planned Allocation and Hard Allocation sections on a resource Staff Member Properties page to indicate any deviations from the Default % Allocation field. You can unbook a hard-booked resource, or extend a resource for additional planning.

The Planned Allocation curve represents the default, or total allocation amount requested by the manager. The Hard Allocation curve represents the allocation amount that the resource manager commits. The booking status for a resource changes according to the allocation amounts in the planned and hard allocation curves.

For example, suppose the planned or default allocation is 100 percent for a resource. Suppose, a resource is booked to work on your idea from 8/01/11 through 11/30/11. But is also scheduled to work on another idea 50 percent of the time through September 1. And, in addition, plans to be on vacation from 9/15/11 through 9/22/11. In this case, you could create two allocation curves for the resource: One that indicates a 50 percent deviation from 8/01/11 through 9/01/11, and another that indicates a zero percent deviation from 9/15/11 to 9/22/11.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Team.
  3. Click the Properties icon for the resource to change allocation.

    The properties page appears.

    The page displays the basic profile fields and allocation-related fields.

  4. In Default % Allocation, enter the percentage of time the resource requires to be allocated to the idea. You can enter 0 (zero).

    Note: The Allocation and Allocation % columns on the Idea: Team: Staff page reflects the changes, if any.

  5. In the Planned Allocation and Hard Allocation sections, create a row each for deviation from the default allocation.

    To use the short example preceding the steps, create two rows: One to cover the period for the resource working at 50 percent (instead of the 100 percent default or planned allocation). Another, for the period that the resource actually works at 0 percent (instead of the 100 percent default or planned allocation).

  6. To create a planned or hard allocation period:
    1. Enter or select a Start date for the period.
    2. Enter or select a Finish date for the period.
    3. Enter the percentage of time you expect them to work (as tentative or committed) in the % Allocation field. You can enter 0 (zero).
  7. Click New Row to add another row and repeat Step 4.
  8. When you are done, click Save and Return.

How to Reset Staff Allocations (Idea)

You can reset the staff allocations for an idea in the following ways:

Use the Actions menu on the team staff page and team detail pages of an idea for the preceding options.

More information:

Shift and Scale Resource Allocations on Ideas

Set Allocations for Multiple Team Members

Commit Resource Planned Allocation

Accept Resource Hard Allocation

Shift and Scale Resource Allocations on Ideas

Move resource allocations back and forward in time to shift or scale all or a portion of the resource allocations in an idea. As you move data, segmented allocation dates are kept intact, even when the percent allocated for each segment changes. Shifting allocations is useful for projecting allocations beyond the allowable time-scaled view, which can only extend for six months.

For example, consider an allocation that starts on May 1, continues at its default rate of 100 percent through the end of May. Then goes through June at the reduced allocation of 50 percent. Now, shift the allocation to start from June 1 to July 2 (for 31 calendar days) at 100 percent, and up to August 2 at 50 percent. You can also shift allocations for time spans that contain no segments.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Team.

    The staff list page appears.

  3. Select the check box next to the resource to shift allocation.
  4. From the Actions menu, click Shift Allocation.

    The allocations page appears.

  5. In the Time Span to Shift section, click Select Date to change the start and finish dates for the resource allocated to the idea. Data shifts according to the dates you enter in the fields.
  6. In the Time Shift Parameters section, do the following:
  7. Save the changes.

Set Allocations for Multiple Team Members

Set the allocations of multiple team members with one action simultaneously. Click More on the team staff page and team detail pages of an idea to use the Set Allocation option.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Team.

    The staff list page appears.

  3. Select the check box next to the resource to update allocation.
  4. From the Actions menu on top right, click Set Allocation.

    The allocations page appears.

  5. In the General section of the page, set the following allocations for the selected team members:
    Start Date

    Defines the date of starting work on the idea. Select the Reset to Match Investment Start Date check box to reset the resource staffing requirements on the idea to match the idea start date.

    Finish Date

    Defines the last date of working on the idea. Select the Reset to Match Investment Finish Date check box to reset the resource staffing requirements on the idea to match the idea finish date.

    Default % Allocation

    Defines the percentage of time for allocating the resource to the idea. You can enter 0 percent. The Allocation and Allocation % columns on the Idea Team: Staff page reflects the change.

    Booking Status column

    Displays the resource or role booking status.

    Values

    • Hard. The resource is committed to the idea.
    • Soft. The resource is tentatively scheduled for the idea.
    • Mixed. Both soft and hard allocation exists for the resource.
  6. Click Save and Return.
Commit Resource Planned Allocation

Committing the planned allocation, equalizes the hard allocation to the planned allocation for the resource. Commit after editing the planned allocation segment for hard-booking the segments for a resource. A hard booking status for a resource signifies full commitment.

To use the Commit Planned Allocation option, click More on the Idea Team: Staff page and Idea Team: Detail pages and select the option.

Committing planned allocation does not reset the default allocation percentage. This action copies the planned allocation into the Hard Allocation section of the resource Staff Member Properties page.

Note: The Hard Allocation section displays on the page depending on your Mixed Booking settings. See your CA Clarity PPM administrator.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Team.

    The staff list page appears.

  3. Select the check box next to the resource to commit planned allocation.
  4. From the Actions menu on top right, click Commit Planned Allocation.

    The confirmation page appears.

  5. Click Yes.
Accept Resource Hard Allocation

Use the Accept Hard Allocation option to reset the planned allocation to equalize to the hard-booked allocation. If soft-booked planned segments displays in the Planned Allocation section, they are removed. All segments are then reset to equal the hard-booked segment.

Note: The Accept Hard Allocation option displays on the page depending on your Mixed Booking settings. See your CA Clarity PPM administrator.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Team.

    The staff list page appears.

  3. Select the check box next to the resource to accept hard allocation.
  4. From the Actions menu on top right, click Accept Hard Allocation.

    The confirmation page appears.

  5. Click Yes.

    This action sets the planned allocation to equal committed allocation. Accordingly, the % Allocation and Allocation column values change. The Booking Status value displays as "Hard" as the allocation is fully committed.

Edit Resource Allocations (Idea)

The team detail page of an idea lists planned and committed allocation for an idea by resource by time period in a graph format. The view helps you determine if a resource is overbooked or under booked and by how much. You can also ascertain the availability of a resource for an idea.

To view the page, select Team, and then click Detail from the page toolbar.

The team detail page displays data based on resource, allocation, and time period. Scrolling over a time period displays a note providing you with a brief summary of what you see. The time period columns are, by default, set to weekly, and start with the current week. The allocation color code is as follows:

Yellow

Resource is allocated at or under availability for that time period.

Red

Resource is over-allocated (the amount of time booked exceeding availability) for that time period.

Green

Allocation to other investments, ideas, or services.

For more information, see the Basics User Guide.

Staff Member Replacement (Idea)

Replace a staff member assignment from the team staff page of an idea. Use the availability score to find a replacement at the team level.

In addition, you can replace a resource with a different named resource, and a role with a resource. During replacement, over-allocating the member replacing the previous member or members can occur.

More information:

Replace Staff Members (Idea)

How Data Transfers From Replaced Staff Members

Staff Allocations (Idea)

Guidelines to Replace Staff Members (Idea)

Consider the following before making a staff member replacement:

How Data Transfers From Replaced Staff Members

The following table identifies how data from the replaced staff member transfers to the new staff member:

Data Type

Transfers

Available Start

Yes, if this date has not passed and if new resource is not booked on that date.

Available Finish

Yes

Remaining Allocation

Yes

Percent (%) Allocation

Yes

Investment Role

Yes

Existing Actuals

No

Pending Actuals

No

Baselines

No

Replace Staff Members (Idea)

Use the team staff page of an idea to replace staff members assigned to your idea. A list of resources displays the staff with the same role as the resource being replaced, and their availability during the idea time period. You can replace a resource using the staff or detail page.

Use the method to select a resource best suited in terms of availability for replacing the other. An availability score is automatically generated for each of the resources to which you have access. The score indicates the close match between the potentially replacing and the replaced resources. Availability is based on the duration of the assignment and the daily availability of the resource. Generally speaking, the higher the score, the closer the match.

For more information, see the Project Management User Guide.

Use the replace resource page to replace staff members. The page lists all of the resources to which you have access.

The Availability field at the top right of the page identifies the assignment period. The page also displays the number of hours the replacing resource is allocated to your idea. Both the allocated dates and the hours are transferred to the new replacement.

The Availability Match column displays a score that factors in the work period and the availability of each resource. Suppose, you do not add any skill specifications to your search criteria. Then, the Total Match column value duplicates the Availability Match score, and renders the Skill Match column. If you search by skills criteria and availability criteria, the Total Match column displays an average of the two scores.

Note: The following message displays at the top of the screen:

"Match scores can be inaccurate if availability dates do not fall into the following range: ddmmyy - ddmmyy."

This message appears when there is a discrepancy between the date range in the message and the dates in the Availability field. The Availability Match score can be inaccurate. For example, suppose the dates in the Availability field are 9/1/11 - 2/7/12, and the date range in the message is 9/7/11 - 9/7/12. A one-to-one comparison for any resource cannot be generated, lowering the overall availability match scores.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Team.

    The staff list page appears.

  3. Click the Resource Finder icon next to the resource.

    The resource finder page appears.

  4. Enter filter criteria to find the replacement resource.

    The results are displayed.

  5. Select the check box next to the resource and click Replace.

    The confirmation page appears.

  6. Click Yes.

Change Staff Member Roles (Idea)

You can change a staff member role on an idea-by-idea basis. The change does not affect the role identified for them in their resource profile. You can replace a role assignment from either the idea staff or detail page.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Team.

    The staff list page appears.

  3. Click the Properties icon for the resource to change the investment role.

    The properties page appears.

    The page displays the basic profile fields and allocations-related fields.

  4. In the General section of the staff member properties page, select a role in the Investment Role field.
  5. Save the changes.

Remove Staff Members from Ideas

If the resource does not post actuals to the idea and has no submitted actuals pending, you can remove a staff member from your idea.

Note: Removing a staff member from your idea does not:

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Team.

    The staff list page appears.

  3. Select the check box next to the resource, and click Remove.

    The confirmation page appears.

  4. Click Yes.

Approve Ideas

Only ideas with a status of "Submitted for Approval" can be approved.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open Home, and from Demand Management, click Ideas.

    The list page appears.

  2. Select the check box next to the idea, and click Approve.

OR

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.

    The properties page appears.

  2. Select "Approved" from the Status drop-down.
  3. Save the changes.

Reject Ideas

You can reject ideas from the list page or from the properties page of a specific idea. An idea can only be rejected if its status is "Submitted for Approval."

Follow these steps:

  1. Open Home, and from Demand Management, click Ideas.

    The list page appears.

  2. Select the check box next to the idea, and click Reject.

OR

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.

    The properties page appears.

  2. Select "Rejected" from the Status drop-down.
  3. Save the changes.

    The idea status is set to "Approved".

How to Convert Ideas into Investments

With the appropriate access rights, you can convert your approved ideas into projects, services, or investments. Before you convert, submit your ideas for approval.

If you have defined a simple budget, the information you enter on the Idea Properties: Budget page supersedes that entered in the Estimated Costs and Benefits section of the Idea: Properties: Main - General page during the conversion process.

You can do the following:

More information:

Define Budget Information (Idea)

Convert Ideas into Investments

Only an idea with an "Approved" status can be converted.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Convert.

    The select investment type page appears.

    Note: The investment types listed on the page are based on your access rights. For example, suppose you have the right to create asset and application investment types. Then, "Asset" and "Application" appear as choices on the page.

  3. Select the investment type to convert the idea.
  4. Click Next.

    The create page appears.

    For example, for converting your idea into a service, the Create Service page appears.

    See the IT Service Management User Guide for more information.

  5. Complete the fields on the page, and save.

Convert Ideas into Projects Using Project Templates

Converting an idea into a project using a project template, transfers certain properties, such as the budget data, to the idea. The properties so transferred to the idea supersedes the properties from the project template. Once you convert the idea into a project, you can modify the project properties.

Only an idea with an "Approved" status can be converted.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Convert.

    The select investment type page appears.

  3. Select Project from Template.
  4. Click Next.

    The select template page appears.

  5. Select the template.
  6. Click Next.

    The create page appears.

  7. Complete the fields on the page, and save.

    For more information, see the Project Management User Guide.

Use Ideas to Create Multiple Investments

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the idea.
  2. Click Convert.

    The select investment type page appears.

  3. Select the investment type to convert the idea and click Next.

    The create page appears.

  4. Complete the fields on the page.
  5. Save the changes.

    The properties page appears with the "Converted" status.

  6. Repeat Step 3 through Step 6 for creating more investments.

Delete Ideas

You can delete any idea, including ideas converted to investments. Deleting an idea-converted-investment, the link from the converted investment to the idea is removed. Deleting an idea does not delete the converted investment.

Follow these steps:

  1. On the Ideas list page, select the check box next to the idea.
  2. Click Mark for Deletion.

    The idea is deleted and no longer displays in the list.