Adding a Lifecycle and Action Counter
The Counter contains a Lifecycle and Action(s).
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Lifecycle: The workflow for executing Actions within the Counter is defined in the Lifecycle.
Action: An Action instantiates a Template. A list of Actions can be used in the Lifecycle workflow.
The Lifecycle workflow process is triggered when the Counter is activated.
To add a Lifecycle and Action Counter type to an Operation Plan:
Click in the dropdown list near the name of the Operation Plan.
You can also use the dropdown list in the General Settings tab as indicated below.
A new Counter is created under the Operation Plan as shown below. It is given a generic name Counter Name as highlighted below.
Select the Counter Type as Lifecycle and Action from the dropdown list as shown below.
There are four tabs to configure the Counter. They are:
General Settings
Lifecycle
Action
Variables
On every Tab, there are three buttons , and as seen below.
: Deletes the Counter.
: Commits all the changes done so far to the Counter.
: Undoes all unsaved changes.
You can add basic details of the Counter.
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The following fields can be configured:
Type: Select the Counter Type - Lifecycle and Action from the dropdown list.
Name: Enter a name for the Counter. You can also use the auto-naming option. The auto-name format can be configured using the options highlighted below.
In the following example, the Text Safety Check has been used to create the auto naming format for the Counter.
Description: Describes of the purpose of the Counter.
Maximum Task Created: This sets the maximum number of Tasks that this Counter can create. For a Lifecycle and Action Counter, only one Task can be created.
Functional Types: It is used only to visually highlight the Counter. It has no impact on the Tasks generated from the Operation Plan.
You can also use the Link to Variable option to link to a Functional Type Variable.
Visible from Planning: If this option is enabled, the Tasks generated are visible from the Planning and Inbox sections.
Mark as Favorite: This option allows you to bookmark a Counter.
A sample Counter with its fields set is shown below.
This Counter can also be seen in Planning and Inbox when you select Visible from Planning.
If this option is selected, then the Tasks generated by this Counter are listed under the Counter in the Planning and Inbox sections.
In the below example, the Visible from Planning option is enabled on the Safety Check Counter.
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The Tasks generated by the Safety Check Counter are grouped under the counter name in the Inbox and Planning sections as seen below.
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You can re-use this Counter by marking it as favorite.
You can mark a Counter as a Favorite if you want to re-use it in other Operation Plans.
Click Mark as Favorite to mark the Counter as a Favorite.
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The Counter is marked as a Favorite as indicated by the colored star. Click .
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This Counter can now be re-used in other Operation Plans.
To re-use this Counter in a different Operation Plan:
Select Add Counter from Favorites in the Operation Plan as shown below.
The list of Counters that have been marked as Favorite are displayed.
Select the desired Counter to add to your Operation Plan and click .
The selected Counter is added to the Operation Plan.
Lifecycle determines the workflow of the Actions in an Operation Plan.
In the Lifecycle tab, select the required Lifecycle from the dropdown and click .
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The Action (Create Task, Update Task, and Email notification) is made up of instances of one or more Templates.
For a Lifecycle and Action Counter you can create multiple Actions of type Create Task. Each Action can have only one Template linked to it.
To add an Action to a Counter:
Click in the Action Tab as shown below.
A new Action appears with an auto-generated ID as shown below.
The details to be added for the selected Action appear.
Select Create Task from the Type dropdown list as shown below.
Edit the Action ID if required. You can also choose to keep the system generated Action ID.
Click the dropdown list to select a Task Queue or an individual assignee to assign the Action. The Task will appear in their respective Inboxes.
You can also link this field to a variable of type Queue. To know more about variables, see Variables in an Operation Plan.
Click the dropdown list to select an Assigner for the Task from the available options. The Task appears in the inbox of the Assignee as assigned by the selected Assigner. This is an optional field.
[Optional] Click dropdown list to select Team Members.
Once the selection is made, the field is updated with the number of Team Members selected.
Select a Template. Instances of the selected Template comprise the Action of this Counter.
[Optional] Specify a Start and Due date for the Tasks. You can link these fields to a variable of type Date. To know more about linking to variables, see Variables in an Operation Plan.
Click the date as shown below to use the date picker.
[Optional] Click the dropdown list to specify a status for the Tasks.
[Optional] Click the dropdown list to specify a priority for the Tasks.
[Optional] Click the dropdown list to specify the Release Package. To know more about linking to variables, see Variables in an Operation Plan.
[Optional] Enter any additional comments pertaining to the Tasks in thetext box. You can link this field to a variable of type Text. To know more about linking to variables, see Variables in an Operation Plan.
Enter the .
You can enter a text value as shown below or choose to link this field to a variable of type Text. To know more about linking to variables, see Variables in an Operation Plan.
Check to use auto naming. A format appears as below.
Click
to include more fields in the name.
By default, the number of Template Instances is displayed as one.
Select Functional Types from the dropdown list to visually highlight the Task. You can also use the Link to variable option to Link to a Functional Type Variable.
[Optional] If the selected Templates have Template variables, they can be linked to the Operation Plan Variables.
To know more, see Linking Template Variables to Operation Plan Variables.
A Counter can in turn have Sub Counters as shown below. In the following example, by clicking , you can add Sub Counters as required.
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In the below example, Maintenance and check is the Operation Plan.
The Safety Check is a Counter level 1 which is created under the Maintenance and check Operation Plan. Minor Repair is a Counter level 2 which is created under Safety Check. Tire Changes is a Counter level 3 which is created under Minor Repair.
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