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Need help with a process to roll back idea status

  • 1.  Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 14, 2015 04:21 PM

    We use ideation in my organization as a way to keep the project pipeline a manageable size (i.e. we only plan out so far, beyond that it needs to stay an idea until it's "ready" to be tee'd up to be a project).  Occasionally an idea will be converted to a project but it will then be decided that the project can't happen in the near future.  So in these cases:
    The project is Cancelled
    The idea that the project was created from should be "reopened".  I'm working on a process to update the idea status from Converted to Unapproved, but it's breaking. 

     

    The system action is:

     

    Object = idea.thisIdea
    Action = Set Status
    Status = Unapproved

     

    When I run the process, I get the message "Please enter a valid status code", and the process updates the status to Submitted for Approval, instead of Unapproved.

     

    I believe that it has something to do with the fact that, once you update the status from Unapproved (which is the default on create) to Submitted for Approval, Unapproved is no longer available as a value to select.  I had assumed that a process would overwrite that kind of constraint, but I guess I was wrong.  Does anyone know how to get around this? 

     

    Thanks
    Clare



  • 2.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status
    Best Answer

    Posted Dec 15, 2015 03:50 AM

    This lookup has a special validation

    http://www.ca.com/us/support/ca-support-online/product-content/knowledgebase-articles/tec589702.aspx

    Condition/Business Rule to change Approval Status of Idea

     

    You can't even update via XOG, as that will give you a warning "XOG-3917: Ideas cannot be changed from status of Converted"

    One option would be a direct SQL update, but that is not recommended.

    So I'm sorry to say, I don't think there is a "supported" way. Anyone else want to add to this?

     

    EDIT

    Following on from Raul's advice, I tested this and managed to set to incomplete through a system action process. (ran via actions)

    You can't however set this back to "unapproved", so does that satisfy your requirement?

    As far as I'm aware there isn't a supported way to set it to "unapproved".



  • 3.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 15, 2015 12:08 PM

    Did you try using 'Rejected' instead. Try cross-validating 'Idea Approval' process provided by CA and it has been using status updated to list of allowed values.



  • 4.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 15, 2015 12:18 PM

    sadly once converted, it can't be rejected

    PMA-0003: An idea can only be approved or rejected if its status is submitted for approval.



  • 5.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 15, 2015 03:47 PM

    I know I've seen another user post a flow chart of their understanding of the limitations of this lookup, but the official documentation is pretty lacking. For this particular question though, the tool essentially considers ideas "done" once converted and doesn't want you changing the status again. I'd suggest not rejecting the new projects but instead placing them on hold. We take basically the opposite approach to your org and once an idea is ready/approved, its converted to a project and waits in the backlog. If at some point the project is cancelled/rejected/whatever and they want to request it again, they start from scratch as a new idea. For us that makes sense since the data gathered for an idea could be stale if a year has gone by before its actually gotten started, so starting over makes sure it is still up to date I suppose.



  • 6.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 15, 2015 03:58 PM

    We do something similar, once converted it stays as converted.

    Was fun to see what it could do though



  • 7.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 15, 2015 06:33 PM

    Yeah, we are taking the opposite approach because we're trying to avoid a large backlog of active projects (we'd rather have a large backlog of ideas, if there needs to be one).  Typically, we won't convert ideas until we're fairly sure they're going to happen.  This rollback process would be for when we convert an idea and then realize we can't do it within the timeframe we allow projects to be added (18 months).  This will typically only happen during annual planning when a lot of items are moving around in a short amount of time. 



  • 8.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 15, 2015 03:22 PM

    In my organization we have a process that resets the idea to the Ideation phase, we do this by setting the idea Status to "Incomplete". this method works on ideas at any phase of its life cycle.



  • 9.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 15, 2015 04:02 PM

    thanks Raul.

    I tested this and I changed the status from converted to incomplete via a system action.

    Not sure this is a great "idea" , but good to know



  • 10.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 16, 2015 09:48 AM

    Yeah, that's what I've proposed to people.  That should work.  Thanks.



  • 11.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 17, 2015 09:26 AM

    Have you considered creating a process which would xog out the idea and xog in a new duplicate idea with the status of unapproved, and flagging the original idea for purge?



  • 12.  Re: Need help with a process to roll back idea status

    Posted Dec 17, 2015 09:59 AM

    That's a good solution long term... my XOG skillz are limited at the moment but once I get trained up on it I will look into it.  Thanks!