Manage Setup Using Implementation Projects (Chapter 5) 21D

How You Use Implementation Projects to Manage Setup

An implementation project is a list of setup tasks you use to implement your Oracle Applications Cloud. Using this method, you create an implementation project to generate a list of setup tasks, assign tasks to various users who are responsible for managing setup data, and monitor progress of the completion of the setup tasks.

This method is best suited to modify the default setup best practices, or manage setup as a project by assigning responsibility of managing setup data to a broad group of users while monitoring their progress.

Generating a Task List

When you create an implementation project, typically you generate its initial list of tasks by selecting one of your enabled offerings. If you plan to use more than one offering, create a separate implementation project for each one of them. In addition to selecting an offering, which automatically selects its core functional areas, you may also select none, some, or all of the optional functional areas of the offering that are also enabled.

Note: If you create an implementation project with more than one offering, you can't use it to export and import setup data. The export and import process fails.

Using your selection of the offering and the functional areas as a template, a task list hierarchy is generated for the implementation project. The task list hierarchy includes the tasks that are associated at the time with your selected offering and functional areas, and their dependent features that are enabled.

Within the task list hierarchy, the tasks are organized according to prerequisite and dependency requirements of the setup data that they represent. Oracle recommends that you enter setup data in the same sequence as the tasks to avoid errors due to missing prerequisite data.

Modifying a Task List

You can modify the task list hierarchy of an implementation project if needed, by adding, removing, or reordering its tasks. If you modify the task list hierarchy, you must consider and maintain data dependency requirements. Otherwise your users encounter errors when using the implementation project either to enter setup data or to export and import setup data to a different environment.

Note: Once an implementation project is created, it no longer has any relationship with the offering and functional areas you used to create it. Therefore, after you create an implementation project, you can't modify its task list hierarchy by changing the opt-in configuration of those offering functional areas, or by changing the task list associated with them.

Any modification you make to an implementation project's task list is strictly applicable to that implementation project only and doesn't affect any other projects with similar lists of tasks.

Modifications to the task list don't affect setup data represented by the tasks in the list. Once setup data is entered you can't identify its source, such as which implementation project or any other method was used to enter or update the data. Likewise, if you remove a task from an implementation project, any setup data entered using the task continues to exist in the environment unless you explicitly delete the data using an appropriate user interface.

Assigning Setup Tasks

You can assign the tasks of an implementation project to the users who are responsible for managing setup data represented by those tasks. Typically, each setup task is assigned to a single individual. However, you can also assign multiple individuals to the same task if your implementation project requires such assignment. Each of the individuals has the flexibility to perform the task and manage setup data independently of the other users assigned to the same task.

If you specify due dates for completing the assigned tasks, it helps you monitor the progress of the task assignments and monitor the progress of the overall implementation project. If you assign multiple people to a task, you can assign the same due date to each person or you can assign a different due date to each assigned individual.

You can reassign tasks to a different user, or specify a new due date at any time.

Note: If you assign a task list to a user, then all the tasks included in the task list are assigned to that user.

Manage Setup Using Implementation Projects

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Before creating an implementation project, ensure that you configured the offerings and opted into their functional areas and features you plan to use. You need the Manage Implementation Project privilege (ASM_MANAGE_IMPLEMENTATION_PROJECT_PRIV) to create and manage implementation projects.

Create an Implementation Project

To create an implementation project, follow these steps:

Click Navigator > My Enterprise > Setup and Maintenance.
In the Setup and Maintenance work area, select Manage Implementation Projects from the Tasks panel tab.
On the Manage Implementation Projects page, select Create from the Actions menu, or click the Create icon.
On the Create Implementation Project: Basic Information page, enter a meaningful name and a brief description to describe your project.
Optionally, assign the project to a user and specify a start date.
Click Next. All enabled offerings and functional areas are listed on the Create Implementation Project: Select Offerings to Implement page.
Select the offering and its functional areas you want to use to generate the task list for this project.
Click Save and Open Project when you complete your selection.
A page with the name you specified for your implementation project opens, displaying its task list. The default task list is generated based on your offering and functional area selection in the previous step. You can modify the task list if needed, and begin to assign the tasks to the appropriate users.

Modify an Implementation Project

The default task list generated for an implementation project is always organized in the proper sequence to address data dependency requirements of the setup data they represent. The best practice is to not modify the task list unless it's unavoidable for your business requirements.

You can add, remove or reorder tasks within an implementation project. Before you make any such modifications to your implementation projects, ensure that data dependency requirements aren't compromised.

Add Tasks

To add setup tasks to an implementation project, follow these steps:

Click Navigator > My Enterprise > Setup and Maintenance.
In the Setup and Maintenance work area, select Manage Implementation Projects from the Tasks panel tab.
On the Manage Implementation Projects page, open the implementation project you want to modify to view its task list hierarchy.
Select the task or task list you want to add the new task after, and click the Add icon.
In the Add Task Lists and Tasks page, search for the task or task list you want to add, select it, and click Apply. Your selection is added after the task or task list you selected in the previous step.
Repeat search select and apply to add additional tasks or task lists, as required. Click Done when you finished to return to your implementation project.

Reorder Tasks

To reorder setup tasks of an implementation project, follow these steps.

Click Navigator > My Enterprise > Setup and Maintenance.
In the Setup and Maintenance work area, select Manage Implementation Projects from the Tasks panel tab.
On the Manage Implementation Projects page, open the implementation project you want to modify to view its task list hierarchy.
Select the task you want to move.
Click Actions > Reorder.

Follow the same steps to move a task list.

Remove Tasks

To remove setup tasks from an implementation project, follow these steps.

Click Navigator > My Enterprise > Setup and Maintenance.
In the Setup and Maintenance work area, select Manage Implementation Projects from the Tasks panel tab.
On the Manage Implementation Projects page, open the implementation project you want to modify to view its task list hierarchy.
Select the task or task list you want to remove.
Click the Remove icon.

Note: When you remove a task, any setup data you entered using the task isn't removed.

Assign Setup Tasks

If users with various functional responsibilities within your organization are entering setup data related to their functional expertise, then assign the appropriate setup tasks to those users. Assign due dates to monitor their progress. If needed, you can also reassign tasks from one user to another.

Initial Assignment

To assign setup tasks to functional users for the first time, follow these steps:

Click Navigator > My Enterprise > Setup and Maintenance.
In the Setup and Maintenance work area, select Manage Implementation Projects from the Tasks panel tab.
On the Manage Implementation Projects page, open the implementation projects whose tasks you want to assign to users.
Select one or more tasks or task lists from the task list hierarchy.
Click Assign Tasks to go to the Assign Tasks window.
Search and select one or more users to whom you want to assign your selected tasks or task lists and click Apply. Selected users are added to the Assigned Users table in the Assign Tasks window.
Repeat search, select and apply to add additional users if needed. Click Done when you finish adding to return to the Assign Tasks window.
To assign the same due date to all the assigned users, select the Assign same date check box.
To assign a different due date to each assigned user, click the Due Date column in the Assigned Users table and select a due date for each assigned user.
Add notes for your assigned users, if necessary. Click Save and Close to return to the implementation project.

Reassignment

To reassign setup tasks from one user to another, follow these steps:

Click Navigator > My Enterprise > Setup and Maintenance.
In the Setup and Maintenance work area, select Manage Implementation Projects from the Tasks panel tab.
Click Overview.
On the Implementation Projects: Overview page, from the Assigned Users table, search and select the implementation project whose assignment you want to change.
Click the Assignment Details tab in the Implementation Project Details region.
Search and select the task whose assignment you want to change and click Reassign Tasks.
In the Reassign Tasks window, select the user to whom you want to reassign the task from the New User menu.
Select a new due date if necessary.
Click Save and Close.
Repeat the steps to reassign more tasks if necessary.

How You Use Assigned Tasks to Enter Setup Data

If you're a user to whom setup tasks from an implementation project have been assigned, then a consolidated list of all of your assigned tasks is presented to you. Use each task from the list to enter setup data that the task represents. If you have a long list of assigned tasks, you can filter the list by due date, task status, or implementation project name to find a task more easily. In addition, you can search for a specific task in the list by the task name.

Note: You must have the proper security privileges to perform a task.

Tasks with Scope

If any setup data is segmented by a specific attribute or scope, you may need to perform the task iteratively. If so, you must select a qualifying scope value prior to performing the task. You can pick a scope value that was previously selected, select a new scope value, or create a new scope value and then select it. The selected value is a qualifying attribute of the setup data and therefore, different setup data can be entered for the different scope values.

Predecessor Tasks

Some setup tasks may represent setup data that are a prerequisite for other setup data. These setup tasks are known as the predecessor tasks.

Your assigned task list will indicate if any of the tasks has dependency on a predecessor task and will provide the following information:

Which tasks are the predecessors of a given task.
What are the present statuses of the predecessor tasks.
What statuses are recommended for each of the predecessor task before entering setup data.

Setting Task Status

By default the status of all assigned tasks are set to Not Started. When you start to enter data for a task, you can change the task status to In Progress and when you finish entering data you can change it to Completed. Although status of a task doesn't determine whether or not you can continue to enter setup data for the task or whether you can export and import the data, it helps the implementation manager monitor the progress of the assignments.

Adding Notes

You can add a file, URL, or free-format text as notes to your assigned tasks. These notes are accessible not only to you, but also to the implementation manager and other assignees if multiple users are assigned to the same task. This helps you communicate and collaborate with others assignees.

Enter Setup Data Using Assigned Tasks

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You can enter setup data using assigned tasks from the Assigned Implementation Tasks page.

To enter setup data using assigned tasks, follow these steps:

Click Navigator > My Enterprise > Setup and Maintenance.
In the Setup and Maintenance work area, select Assigned Implementation Tasks from the Tasks panel tab.
On the Assigned Implementation Tasks page, find the task for which you want to enter data. Use filters if necessary to help you find the task.
Check if the task has dependencies on predecessor tasks. If so, check the statuses and recommended statuses for the predecessor tasks.
Click Go to Task to go to the page for entering setup data for the task. You need task-specific privileges to perform this step. Refer to the Oracle Applications Cloud Security Reference for Common Features guide for more details on task-specific privilege requirements.
If the task requires a scope, then select a scope value. If you previously selected a scope value then that value is listed in the Scope column. Verify that the correct scope value is selected and if needed, select a different value by clicking it. You can Create a new value, Select and Add an existing value, or select one from the list of previously selected values. Click Apply and Go to Task when you finish your selection. The selected scope value is used for all tasks that use the same scope unless you change it.
Enter the setup data. When you finish, close the page to return to the setup task list.
Click the icon in the Status column to change status
Click the number in the Notes column to add a note if necessary.
Select other tasks from the list and repeat the steps to enter setup data for them.

How You Monitor Progress of Implementation Projects

Several graphical reports are available for you to monitor and analyze the progress of the assigned tasks in your implementation project. You can drill down on the graphs on the Overview page to get all of the information you want to track the progress of your project.

Assignment by Status

This pie chart shows the statuses of the assigned tasks as percentages of the total number of tasks in the implementation project. The pie chart also shows the actual number of tasks with the specific status. The task statuses are predefined and used to indicate the progress. The available statuses are as follows:

Not Started
In Progress
Completed
Execution Frozen
Submitted
Completed with Errors
Completed with Warnings

Assignment by Due Dates

This stacked column graph shows the number of assignments with due dates in various predefined time periods, broken down by different task statuses. Time periods are represented by columns while task statuses are represented by stacks within each column. The report compares due dates of the assigned tasks with the current date to determine which time period a task belongs to. The predefined due date periods are as follows:

Past Due (one week or more)
This Week
Next Week
In 3 Weeks
In 4 Weeks
After 4 Weeks
None (no due date)

Task Status by Task List

This stacked column graph shows the total number of tasks for each of the task lists in an implementation project as columns. The total number includes tasks from all subsequent levels of the task list. Each column is further broken down by task statuses, which are represented by stacks within a column. Since the task lists are organized in a hierarchy in an implementation project, the graph displays only the root nodes of an implementation project at first. You can drill down on each graph to view the next level of details.

Top 5 Assigned Users with Incomplete Tasks by Due Dates

This stacked column graph shows the top five users who have the most number of incomplete tasks, such as tasks with a status anything other than Completed, as columns. Each column is further broken down by due date periods, which are represented by stacks within a column.

Top 5 Task Allocations

This stacked column graph shows the top five users with the most assignments and is filtered by due date periods. Each user's allocation is further broken down by task statuses, which are represented by stacks within a column. The default filtering is set to This Week.

Monitor Progress of an Implementation Project

Use the Implementation Projects: Overview page to monitor the progress of an implementation project. You need the Review Implementation Project Overview privilege (ASM_REVIEW_IP_OVERVIEW_PAGE_PRIV) to perform this procedure.

Monitor Implementation Progress

To monitor the progress of an implementation project, follow these steps:

Click Navigator > My Enterprise > Setup and Maintenance.
In the Setup and Maintenance work area, select Manage Implementation Projects from the Tasks panel tab.
On the Manage Implementation Projects page, click Overview.
On the Implementation Projects: Overview page, search and select the implementation project you want to monitor from list of projects.
In the Implementation Project Details region:
- Click the Assignment Status tab to view the Assignment by Status and the Assignment by Due Date reports.
- Click the Assignment Status by Task Lists tab to view the Assignment Status by Task List report.
- Click the Resource Status tab to view the Top 5 Assigned Users with Incomplete Tasks by Due Dates and the Top 5 Task Allocations reports.

FAQs for Manage Setup Using Implementation Projects

Why doesn't my implementation project show the tasks for a functional area or feature I recently enabled?

If you enabled a functional area or feature after creating the implementation project, then the implementation project won't show the tasks related to the newly enabled functional area or feature. The task list for an implementation project is created based on the enabled status of the functional areas and features at the time you created the implementation project. Once the task list is generated, it doesn't change if the opt-in configuration changes at a later time.

Why do my implementation projects include some common tasks regardless of which offering I use to create it?

Every offering is self-contained, for example, its default setup task list contains all tasks, including the prerequisites, to complete its end-to-end implementation. If there are setup tasks that are needed by multiple offerings, then each of them include those tasks.

Does a common task duplicate setup data if I use it in multiple implementation projects?

No, a task used in multiple implementation projects doesn't create duplicate data. Setup data isn't segmented by an implementation project or any other method you use to enter it. Each task points to the same setup data irrespective of the implementation project from which you perform it. Therefore, when you use a task from a different implementation project, you can also review the existing data and update it if necessary.

How can I see what types of setup data I enter using an implementation project?

An implementation project shows the hierarchy of setup tasks by default. You can toggle to view the business object hierarchy instead. Each business object represents a type of setup data. The sequence of the business objects in the hierarchy indicates the order in which the setup data is exported and imported when the implementation project is used for export or import processes.

Why didn't the task show as completed when I returned to my assigned task list after entering data?

After entering setup data, when you return to the assigned task list, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have completed entering data. You may need to return to the task to enter additional information. Therefore, a task is never marked as completed automatically. When you know that you finished entering all data necessary for the task, you can set the task status to completed.

Why did a common task I already performed and set to completed not show as completed in every instance of the task across multiple implementation projects?

You must set the task status individually for each task in each implementation project. The setup data for a task might need a different set of data for a different implementation. The status of a task doesn't update based on its status in a previous implementation. For example, you implement Financial Control and Reporting and complete the currency setup. Later, when you implement Procurement, you want a few additional currencies for paying suppliers but not for financial reporting.

What happens if I change the task list of an implementation project after I start entering data?

You can modify an implementation project's task list at any time. Your changes become effective immediately. If you add a new task, it becomes immediately available for assignment, status reporting, and execution. If you remove any task, it doesn't remain a part of the task list any longer. However, any data entered using the task isn't removed.

How can I view implementation-specific reports?

You can download and print a set of reports at each level of the implementation task list hierarchy. These reports show the relevant information for the task list and all dependent task lists and tasks. The available reports are the Setup Task Lists and Tasks report, the Related Business Objects report, and the Related Enterprise Applications report.