Introduction to blueprints

15.3 is here and one of the best new features is "blueprints", which is best described as a configuration utility

This provides the blueprint administrator an easy way to configure "custom" views per blueprint then apply this to projects.

Official documentation doesn't seem to be published right now so I thought I do a quick write up and a video for you

Official documentation is now available

Configure Project Blueprints [CA PPM- SaaS]

Configure Project Blueprints [CA PPM]

What is it?

A way to apply configuration in a simple way. This blends the best parts of page layouts and removes the need for partitions to provide different views of the project. 

So how does it work?

Each project is associated to a blueprint, the layout shown is then as per this blueprint.

When the project is created from template the blueprint  associated is taken across with it. We can update this blueprint association if we need to. 

How do I configure blueprints?

Firstly the user has to be an administrator for the administration icon to show in the new UX

They also need to have the new rights for blue prints, particularly Blueprint - Edit

Once that's done the user can edit and view blueprints.

Bonus: Configuring custom attributes onto the detail page

1. Make sure attribute has a valid api id in old UX (object in studio)

Do not add underscore (_) to the API ID

2. Go back to blueprints, attribute now displays

3. Note the following attribute types cannot be added

URL, Large string (CLOB), TSV, static dependent lookups

FAQ for blueprints

Q. How do I configure the conversations (or resource, task, kanban etc)

A. Blueprints as of 15.3 can only configure parts of the project (details page, project card and what tabs shown). It is expected that in the future this will be expanded to other areas.

Q. How do blueprints get "attached" to the project

A. When a project is created from a template, the blueprint associated at that time will come across with it.

If you don't configure the templates then the default is used. We can update blueprints associated to the project.

Q. Do blueprints take into account partitions?

A. No

Q. If I change the blueprint association to templates does it automatically change the projects blueprint association too?

A. No, you need to update the projects. (via api or manually)

Q. Can I change a blueprint of a project once created?

A. Yes, just make sure "blueprints" attribute is shown on the blueprint, then the user can update the blueprint to something else.

Q. Can this be done per project, i.e. can my PM's configure their own views?

A. No, it's per blueprint. Feasibly we could create endless blueprints, but only an administrator can configure so the PM wouldn't be able to update.

Q. Can we add custom attributes?

A. Yes, just make sure to provide an API key and they will appear

Q. What type of fields can't be added to details?

A. URL, Large string (CLOB), TSV, Static Dependant lookups

Hope you find this of use and please get in touch if you need help

Andrew