Item Types

Use the Investment Type tab to add, manage, and maintain all of the item types that are used by your organization. Only active item types can be used. Only item types flagged as creatable will be available to users when they create new items; this option can help your organization establish an effective process around how items are created, and then transitioned into other item types after they have been approved.

The Investment Type tab contains five tabs: Properties, Attributes, Containment, Set Views, and Breakeven Attributes.

The Properties tab lets you enter information that is unique to that investment type, such as its name, an associated icon, and color, and global information that is available to this item type when it is used in your organization's portfolio, such as its work type, whether resources can self-allocate or self-assign themselves to this item, and so on. The Properties tab contains the following elements:

Name The name of the item type.
System Name The XML name for the item type; the system name is generated automatically.
Icon The icon used to represent the item type.
Color The color used to represent the item type when it appears in the Timeline view or in a resource's timesheet (when they have enabled timesheet colors).
Active Indicates whether the item type is an active item type. Only active item types can be selected from a list that contains item types.
Creatable Indicates whether the item type can be chosen while creating new items in the Projects module or when working with an item request page. Use this option in conjunction with workflow transitions to limit the types of items users can initially create (and from which it can be transitioned to other item types).
None Default. This option prevents resource allocations and resource assignments for this item type. An item type that is created from this item type is often used as a container for other item types.
Task-based A task-based item type is one where resources can be assigned or allocated to individual tasks or an item and where time can be tracked against an assignment. An allocation can be inherited. A resource may be allowed to self-allocate or self-assign himself to a task or to an item. A task, once completed, can be locked by project managers for time tracking. Once saved, this option cannot be changed later.
Activity-based An activity-based item type is one where time can be tracked against an allocation. An allocation can be inherited. A resource may be allowed to self-allocate himself to a task or to an item. Once saved, this option cannot be changed later.
Inherit Allocations Indicates whether a task-based or activity-based item type can have an allocation made directly to it. When this option is selected, the item type will inherit a resource allocation from the first parent item type in the hierarchy to which an allocation may be made. Time may still be entered, but that time will be applied to the inherited allocation.
Timesheet Disabled Indicates whether timesheets are unavailable for this item type. This option removes all timesheet links and all timesheet related actions, such as Pull in Timesheet Actuals. This option is available only for task-based and activity-based items.
Lock Completed Assignments Indicates whether users will be able to submit time against an assignment after that assignment has been locked by a project manager. This is a global setting for any item of this type; once enabled, this setting can be managed individually from the Investments Properties dialog box.
Self Allocate Indicates whether a resource can allocate himself to an item type. This is a global setting for any item of this item type; once enabled, this setting can be managed individually from the Investments Properties dialog box.
Self Assign Indicates whether a resource can assign himself to an item type. This is a global setting for any item of this item type; once enabled, this setting can be managed individually from the Investments Properties dialog box.

The Attributes tab displays all of the attributes that can be associated with the item type. The full list of available attributes are in the left column and the attributes that are associated with the item type are in the right column. To move an attribute between columns, select it and click the arrow that points to the other column. Hold down the CTRL key while selecting attributes to move more than one at a time.

The Containment tab displays all of the possible parent and child item types. This determines the possible locations an item can appear in the item hierarchy; an item can only be created under a valid parent item and an item can only have valid children created underneath it. A portfolio can only be a child item type of a portfolio.

The Set Views tab lets you select the views that will be associated with the item type. Custom summary views that have been created in the View Designer will be available; the default summary view is Summary.

The Breakeven Attributes tab is used to associate timephased attributes with an item type. Breakeven attributes are displayed in the Breakeven chart associated with this item type. You can specify a positive and a negative breakeven attribute.

Adding an item type

Add a new item type. The task- and activity-based work type options allow resources to be allocated to the item type, but once the work type option is set to task-based or activity-based, it cannot be changed.

To add an item type

From the application toolbar, click Setup, and then select Configuration.
Select the Types Setup tab.
Select the Investment Types tab.
Click New.
Name the item type. Select an icon and/or a color to which the item type will be associated.
Select Active to make this item type available; only active item type can be used to create new items.
Select Creatable to make this item type available in the New Investment dialog box and in the Investment Type list on an item request page. Use this option to limit the type of items users can create.
Under Work Type, select the work type option: None, Task-based, or Activity-based. Resources can only be allocated against task- or activity-based items. Once saved, the work type for an item cannot be changed.
Select Inherit Allocations to have task and item assignments be made based on other task-based item types in the item hierarchy. This option is only available for a task-based work type.
Select Timesheet Disabled to disable the timesheet for this item type. This option is only available for a task-based work type.
Select Lock Completed Assignments to prevent team members from submitting time on assignments when the associated task has been marked as complete by a project manager. This option is only available for a task-based work type.
Select Self Assign to allow team members to assign themselves to tasks or an item in items created from this item type. This option is only available for a task-based work type.
Select Self Allocate to allow team members to allocate themselves to tasks or an item in items created from this item type. This option is available for any task- and activity-based work type.
On the Attributes tab, move the attributes you want to be associated with this item type to the right column. Required attributes cannot be removed.
On the Containment tab, select the item type's parent and child item types.
On the Set Views tab, associate the views that will be available in the Projects module when team members are working on this item.
On the Breakeven Attributes tab, select the positive and negative attributes that will be used to generate a Breakeven chart in the Financials view.
Click Save.

Item Types

Activating an item type

Adding an item type

Deleting an item type

Editing an item type

Inactivating an item type

Limiting availability for new investments

Viewing an item type