Under the Hood

App Friday: The Supplier Quarterly Business Review (SQBR) App

Today’s feature App I’m showcasing is known as SQBR or: Supplier Quarterly Business Review. This is a single workspace that comes complete with calculations that help you track and monitor Supplier performance. Think of it as a historical report card for evaluating your vendors/suppliers/distributors.

First step: go to the Administration menu in Fusion Lifecycle and select App Store. Browse and look for the Supplier Quarterly Business Review (SQBR) App. Note that this is also adjacent to the Supplier Corrective Aciton Request (SCAR) App. We’ll discuss this in a future post, as these can work together. Select the SQBR app and check out the synopsis and sample images. Next, click Install to begin the process.

For full instructions, view the complete post on our new Fusion Lifecycle blog here.

We'll see you over there!

 

– Brian Schanen, Product Manager, Autodesk Fusion Lifecycle

What's New in the Oct 2017 Release of Fusion Lifecycle

Our October 2017 Fusion Lifecycle release brought lots of enhancements to our Modern User Interface and improved performance to My Outstanding Works.

 

Here’s What’s New:

• Multiple User-Interface Enhancements for the Modern User Interface
• Project Management Feature Now Available for Modern User Interface.
• Attachments Tab Updates for the Modern User Interface.
• Grid Tab Enhancements for the Modern User Interface.
• Improved Change Log for the Modern User Interface.
• Improved Performance of the My Outstanding Work Refresh Time when Using Precondition Scripts.

For a full list of new features and enhancements, visit What’s New in Fusion Lifecycle. You can also see a detailed list of Resolved Issues in the Release Notes.

Join us on the new Fusion Lifecycle blog - I'll be giving more details on using precondition filters to replace the isOwner and Users, all by name pick-list precondition scripts in workflows for additional performance benefits.  Stay tuned!!

App Friday: What is the Fusion Lifecycle App Store?

Before we get started, I wanted to let you all know about our new dedicated Fusion Lifecycle Blog. In the future, we'll be posting full content in this new location, so make sure to check it out and get subscribed.

With that said: Welcome to App Fridays! This segment of our blog will showcase Fusion Lifecycle's App Store. First, some background on this topic. The App Store has been around and available in Fusion Lifecycle for some time. Even in the "before-times" back when it was called PLM 360. 

Trivia time: what was the product called before PLM 360? Perhaps we need some giveaways for anyone who recalls...

Now, an App is defined here as one or more Fusion Lifecycle workspaces that solve a business purpose. Engineering Change Management for example contains two common workspaces - Change Request and Change Order - where as Field Service Request is a solo workspace, targeting just that specific need. See also FMEA, or Accident Reports, or Return Merchandise Authorization – the list goes on…

Of course, once installed in your tenant, you can connect the new workspace(s) to other processes inside Fusion Lifecycle, as if you've created a new workspace from scratch. You see, that's the beauty of the App Store. You can hit the ground running with a new process to solve a need. You get more than just a Workspace - any adjacent/dependent workspaces come along, as well as scripts, picklists, and roles needed to function properly. A true turn-key solution.

What's more, you can modify at will, as this is just a workspace like all the others. Or - and just consider this - you can leave it as is, and you might find it works just fine the way it is. And that's where this new App Store effort lies - making sure that the Apps in the store are up-to-date, relevant, and use the latest and greatest functionality, scripts, and industry best practices.

I know what you're thinking - what's the catch? How much are they? Good news is if you are a Fusion Lifecycle subscriber, you can access the App Store at anytime and install as many as you need. No per-app pricing, just log in, be an Administrator, and browse + install. Once in, just add the new role(s) to your group and begin sampling the App.

So, what's next? Well, some Apps need updating. There are much needed Apps that are missing, and some that have been taken offline or otherwise gone dormant. We're waking these up, clearing off the cobwebs, and will showcase them weekly. Tune in and sample these as they become available. As always, feedback is welcome. 

- Brian Schanen, PLM Product Manager, Autodesk

Tip Tuesday! Getting a Quick View in Fusion Lifecycle

During our Accelerate conference, I was reminded of a tip I first discovered while prepping for an Autodesk University class several years ago (and a good plug in to remind you guys that AU 2017 is coming up!  Need help convincing your boss you should go?  Use the cost calculator and sample email in the preceding link).

Back to the tip - I tend to rely on email notifications when I have work to do, rather than my My Outstanding Work queue on my dashboard.  That said, I know I have quite a few end users that do manage their day by reviewing that.  So I’ll be adding this tip to my training content for sure.  If you are in a workspace and bring up your dashboard this gives a dashboard quick view and will give you a list of your outstanding work in the active workspace.

You can refresh right from there to to see if there is anything new you need to work on so you’re not the bottleneck!  You can also see your bookmarked items and recently viewed ones too.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: We have a new blog! If you want thought-leadership articles around product development, the latest on upcoming events such as Autodesk University, and news / best practices for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), make sure to check out and subscribe to our new blog here.

- Michelle, Fusion Adoption Team, Autodesk

Tip Tuesday! Spacing_Out_with_Scripts in Fusion Lifecycle

Today’s post involves one of those feature enhancements that while seemingly small, pays off in a big way. Truly one of those “it’s the little things” type of improvements. This involves scripting, and a change made in Fusion Lifecycle to allow for spaces in the script name.

First, a look at the current state of most of the tenants out there. Let's take a quick journey to the Admin side of Fusion Lifecycle (note that you’ll have to be a site Admin to follow along) and navigate to Administration>System Configuration>Scripting

 Welcome to the Scripting area!

There are loads of scripts in here – from Condition to Validation to Action and Library scripts. While the new feature here applies to all scripts, we’re going to focus on Action scripts, as they have a front-end user interface if you choose to use it.

Take a look at the sample screen cap to one of my tenants below. Note_the_liberal_use_of_underscores_to_call_out_script_names. AlsoNoteTheScriptsNamesThatAreCollapsedTogether. Note the most visually appearing, eh?

Now, as an Administrator, on any given Workspace in Fusion Lifecycle, you can set Action scripts to fire at record creation, upon edit of the record, or at any time on demand. Set these in Administration>Workspace Manager and this is under the Behaviors entry in any given Workspace.

The drop down list pulls from the Action scripts in the tenant, and inherit the exact names of the scripts. So what, right? Well, as an Admin, you can edit the script in the script editor, remove the _underscores, add spaces instead, and save/close. This change permeates through the system, updating everywhere.

Here’s why this is nice. Users on the front end of Fusion Lifecycle may use push button scripting – a nifty little function that is on the same toolbar as Create, Delete, Clone, etc. Upon picking that button, a list of available Action scripts – configured by the site Admin – will list out. Instead of the barrage of underscores and concatenated words, you re greeted with nice, readable names of on-demand Action scripts to choose from.

So, take some stock of your scripts, maybe plan a cleanup day. I know I’ll be tidying up the new default tenant configuration launching soon. Getting this sorted may take time, but does provide a more polished look throughout the tenant. Enjoy!

- Brian Schanen | Product Manager | Autodesk Fusion Lifecycle

Tip Tuesday! Escalating with Permissions in Fusion Lifecycle

Enabling escalations in your workflow is a handy way to eliminate bottlenecks in a workflow that can occur when action isn’t taken.  There are several escalation types:

• Escalate using permissions
• Execute a transition
• Run a script

For today’s tip I want to focus on escalating using permissions – this will allow additional users to perform a pending transition after a specified amount of time has passed.  To select the additional users for a transition, administrators assign an ad hoc workflow permission to the transition in order to give those users the required rights only during the time the escalation is in effect.

This is great to use if you need to add additional users to perform a pending transition in the workflow if it’s not acted on within a certain time frame – eliminates bottlenecks in your processes!

you can disable any pre-condition scripts if necessary by selecting the checkbox:

--Michelle, Fusion Adoption Team

Accelerate 2017 Session Highlight: Breaking the PLM Mold

The countdown is on - only 26 days until our 4th annual Accelerate conference in Boston, MA. We still have hotel rooms available at the Seaport Hotel at our $299/ni special rate, but they won't be available for long, so if you're planning on joining us, I would suggest getting registered and getting hotel booked soon.

Today we're highlighting another of our customer breakout sessions - this one led by Boa Technology. 

Boa Technology Inc., creators of the revolutionary, award-winning Boa System, delivers closure and adjustment solutions purpose-built for performance footwear. Boa’s patented system consists of three integral parts: a micro-adjustable dial, super-strong lightweight laces, and low friction lace guides. Each unique configuration is engineered to optimize fit and provide precision, adaptability, and control, and The Boa System dials and laces are backed by The Boa Guarantee. From humble beginnings on the ski slopes of Steamboat Springs, Colorado – the Boa System now powers over 83 million footwear and special applications.

Check out just one of their applications: snowboarding, in the video below from their website:

2 years ago, Boa reached a tipping point where further global expansion required a top tier PLM solution that would be able to expand with them, for both Product Lifecycle Management and custom workflow solutions. Come hear from David Clifton (Manager of Document Control) and Lem Tingley (VP of Quality) and learn how Boa Technology has taken full advantage of Fusion Lifecycle’s ability to customize – creating a truly unique system. BOA’s adoption of PLM has given them the power to intelligently link together global suppliers, making their project management collaboration, data flow, and overall manufacturing processes more efficient. 

For more information on the event, visit our event page here. 

- Kimberly Stout, Community Manager

Using Workflow Permissions in Fusion Lifecycle

There are several ways to determine who can perform workflow transitions.  If no script or just a general permission is used, anyone can do the work.  Typically we see a condition script that blocks the transition and then will allow a user (usually based on a field set on item details).

Another method is to use a separate workflow permission; assign that permission to a role and group and have that drive who has the rights to promote a workflow (this works best when it’s not record level dependent, but more across the entire workspace where anyone in the group can review and make the workflow decisions). 

In this example, I set up a separate permission in my Change Order workspace for just Change Analysts; I assign this to the relevant workflow transitions and a different role (so just those in the groups that have that role can perform):

This way you aren’t using a named user, but it’s more controlled from the security settings.

A third option is to consider using a reference workspace (maintained by admins or power users) with the team list of users.

Want to learn more about how other Fusion Lifecycle customers are setting up access controls for their sites?  Join us in Boston next month for our fourth annual Accelerate Conference.

--Michelle, Fusion Adoption Team

Advanced Change Order Reporting in Fusion Lifecycle

A few weeks ago Sven Dickmans gave us a great way to add a watermark to an Advanced Print View.  Well, he’s topped that by giving us a super advanced Advanced Print View - making a report to find all the items that need to be added to the Change Order in order to have all the products’ components released.

Full details on how to set this up (including the files needed to set up the Advanced Print Views) are included in this Autodesk Knowledge Network article: How to Create an Advanced Change Order Report.

Also, if you're new to reporting in Fusion Lifecycle, or are looking for a refresher, get registered for our next PLM Talk here.

--Michelle Stone, Fusion Adoption Team

Quick Tip: How to Delete & Find Deleted Records in Fusion Lifecycle

This recently popped up on the Forums...

To respond: deleting records is pretty straightforward - just hit the delete command right in the application.

But, how do you view all those deleted records and how do you search them? Or, delete them entirely?

Check out the quick tip video below to learn how to do it!

- Tyler Beck, Technical Marketing