Creating master lifecycles

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You can create a process for the lifecycle of an asset, which you can use to create a customized process for the governance, visibility, and collaboration of assets from the repository level.

Before you begin

To create a master lifecycle, you must be a repository administrator.

About this task

Learn more about custom lifecycles:

Custom lifecycles are flexible and can be used for several purposes:

Provide a workflow for assets to develop over time: All lifecycles use a workflow. Repository administrators define the workflow when a master lifecycle is created. A workflow consists of states and the transitions between states. For example, the Standard workflow has three states. Assets enter the Draft state and can then be moved to a Review state. After the asset is reviewed and approved, it can move to the Approved state. For each state, you can modify who can view, review, or vote on the asset, and you can configure policies to run.
You can use the workflows that are included in the product, or you can create additional workflows for the repository.
Specify which assets can enter a lifecycle: You can configure conditions to specify that assets of a particular asset type or categorization must enter a specific master or community lifecycle. For example, you can specify that assets of the Documentation type must enter one master lifecycle, and that assets of the Documentation type that are also categorized as a Presentation must enter a different master lifecycle. In a community-level lifecycle that uses the Presentation master lifecycle, you can add a condition that assets that are categorized as Slides must use this lifecycle.
Assign users to guide assets through lifecycles: For each lifecycle at the repository, community, and asset levels, you can assign a user to be a lifecycle manager. A lifecycle manager guides an asset through its lifecycle by adjusting the lifecycle and managing the reviewers of the asset. For more information about lifecycle managers, see Additional roles for lifecycles for assets. For more information about how to adjust the lifecycle for a single asset, see Modifying the lifecycles for individual assets.
Assign users to comment on, modify, or approve assets: For every state in the workflow of a lifecycle, you can assign subject matter experts or other interested parties to be reviewers. Reviewers can view, comment on, and, optionally, modify or vote on assets. For more information about reviewers, see Additional roles for lifecycles for assets.
Configure policies that test or modify assets: In every state of the asset, you can configure policies. Policies are scripts or macros that can test or modify an asset. For example, you might test an asset to ensure that it has a unique name. You can control when and how frequently a policy runs. You can use policies to enforce restrictions and programmatically govern assets. For more information about which policies are available and how to configure them, see Policies for lifecycles in Rational Asset Manager.
Configure requirements for assets to move between states: For every transition, you must configure exit conditions that must be met for the asset to move between states. For example, for an asset to move from the Review state to the Approved state, you might require that at least three reviewers approved the asset and that it has passed all of the test policies.

Draft comment:
To watch a free movie and learn more about the benefits of creating custom lifecycles, see this On Demand Demo on IBM.com.

Procedure

Log in to the web application.
Click Administration.
Click Master Lifecycles.
In the Lifecycles section, click New Master Lifecycle.

Select a basic workflow template to customize. The following table describes each of the workflow templates.

Option	Description
Business case	A workflow for business cases. Drafts are approved or rejected based on their feasibility.
Business solution	A workflow for charters that propose new business solutions. The solutions can be approved or rejected.
Document of Understanding (DoU)	A workflow for documents of understanding. Drafts are scoped, revised, and approved.
Implementation	A one-way workflow for the final implementations of applications or web applications.
Migrated	A workflow that mirrors the default lifecycle in versions of IBM® Rational® Asset Manager before version 7.2.
Open Source Package Draft comment: UI is capitalized this way	A workflow for reusable open source software components. After a review, the asset can be rejected, approved for limited use, or approved for open use.
Release	A one-way workflow for a release asset, from identification and scoping to realizing, staging, and certifying.
Simple	A simple workflow with a submitted and approved state.
Specification	A workflow for specifications of concepts and schemas with four stages to identify, scope, specify, and approve an asset.
Standard	A typical workflow that includes a full review and evaluation process. This workflow also includes asset retirement and archival, and the option to skip the review and submit an asset as-is.

In the Enterprise edition, the web server administrator can create additional workflows. For more information, see Creating or modifying a workflow by using the Rational Team Concert client.

To begin customizing the workflow, click Next.
Name and describe the lifecycle:
1. In the Name field, type an appropriate name for the lifecycle.
2. In the Description field, type a description for the lifecycle. For example, describe which assets are part of this lifecycle, or who is to be on the review board.
3. Optional: To require users to type a comment when updating an asset that is part of the lifecycle, click Require comment when updating asset.
Define which asset types or asset categories this lifecycle applies to:
1. To navigate to the general configuration for the lifecycle, in the workflow diagram, click the name of the lifecycle at the top. Alternatively, from the Currently configuring list, select the first item.
2. Click Add condition.
3. In the Conditions section, from the list, select Asset type or Categorization.
4. From the next list, select is or is not.
5. Select a category or asset type.
6. Click Add.
  The condition is displayed.
7. To add more conditions, select AND or OR and click the Add icon .
  You can nest conditions to build complicated queries.
8. To remove conditions that you created, click Remove.
Add or modify lifecycle managers.
Lifecycle managers can adjust the lifecycle for individual assets and invite more reviewers:
1. To navigate to the general configuration for the lifecycle, in the workflow diagram, click the name of the lifecycle at the top. Alternatively, from the Currently configuring list, select the first item.
2. Click Add Lifecycle Managers.
3. In the Add Lifecycle Managers window, from the Search scope menu , select Users or User groups. Type any part of a user or group name and click Search. Select a user or group, and then click Add.
4. To automatically assign the role of lifecycle manager to the owners of the assets in this lifecycle, select Include asset owners as lifecycle managers.
5. To remove users or user groups that you added, click the Remove link for the user or group.
Add users or user groups to review the asset while the asset is in a certain state. Reviewers can view and comment on assets, and optionally modify and vote on assets. To add reviewers:
1. In the workflow diagram, click a state to modify, or select a state from the Currently configuring list. Click Go.
  The details for that state are displayed.
2. Optional: To make this review visible only to the reviewers and lifecycle managers, select the Private review check box.
  When this check box is selected, a locked icon is added to the state in the workflow diagram.
3. Optional: To select whether to use community permissions for viewing or updating assets in the selected state, in the Permissions section, select one of these options:
  - No change:
    - Users can view the asset if they have a role in the community that can view the asset.
    - Users can view and modify the asset if they have a role in the community that can update the asset.
    - Users can view the asset if they are Asset reviewers in this lifecycle state.
    - Users can view and modify the asset if they are Asset reviewers in this lifecycle and the Allow Editing check box is selected.
    - This option is the default selection.
  - Override modify permissions:
    - Community roles do not affect whether users can modify assets.
    - Users can view the asset if they have a role in the community that can view the asset or they are Asset reviewers in this lifeycle state.
    - Users can modify the asset if they are Asset reviewers in this lifecycle and the Allow Editing check box is selected.
  - Override all:
    - Community roles do not affect whether users can view or modify assets.
    - Users can view the asset if they are Asset reviewers in this lifecycle state.
    - Users can modify the asset if they are Asset reviewers in this lifecycle state and the Allow Editing check box is selected.
4. Click Add reviewers.
5. In the "Add Reviewers" window, from the Search scope menu , select Users or User groups. Type any part of a user or group name and click Search. Select a user or group, and then click Add.
6. To allow a user or user group to modify the asset while it is in this state, select Allow editing.
7. To allow a user or user group to approve or reject this asset, select Approver.
8. To clear all approvals and rejections when the asset is modified, from the Restart review list, select On asset update.
9. To remove users or user groups that you added, click the Remove link for the user or group.
Tip: When reviewers and lifecycle managers are added to a master or community lifecycle, their names include the term (Inherited) in the community or asset lifecycle configuration. You can see which lifecycle the reviewer or lifecycle manager is inherited from by hovering your cursor over the (Inherited) text.
Add additional instructions for reviewers.
You can provide additional context or specific details for the reviewers to refer to when they review the asset.
1. After you add users as reviewers, go to the Reviewer Instructions section.
2. Click Add.
3. Enter instructions for the reviewers.
  You can use the rich text editor to edit the styling, create links, or include images or .swf video files with the instructions. These instructions are inherited by every community lifecycle and asset lifecycle that uses this master lifecycle.
  Reviewer instructions are also included in the email notification that users receive when they are added as reviewers.
Add or modify policies to run automatically during a state. Policies are scripts that can modify assets or test that conditions are met. For more information about the default policies, see Policies for lifecycles in Rational Asset Manager.
1. In the workflow diagram, click a state to modify, or select a state from the Currently configuring list. Click Go.
2. Click Add Policies.
3. In the Add Policy window, select a policy.
  To filter the list of policies, type keywords in the text field. Do not use wildcard characters, such as asterisks (*).
4. Click Add.
5. Click Configure to select options for the policy.
  For more information about the options for the default policies, see Policies for lifecycles in Rational Asset Manager.
6. Select when you want the policy to run:
  - To run the policy every time the asset is modified while it is in this state, select Asset save.
  - To run the policy when the asset enters this state, select Entrance to state.
  - To run the policy when a lifecycle manager changes the state of the asset, select Action.
  - To run the policy when someone tries to delete the asset while it is in this state, select Delete. If the policy runs successfully or with a warning, the asset is deleted.
  - To run the policy after a specified amount of time, select Timer and then click the View Timer Configuration icon. You can specify a time period for the policy to run or use an asset attribute to control the time period after which the policy to run. You can select from a list of numeric attributes or date attributes to control the timer. To control the timer by using a numeric attribute or date attribute, select Bind to attribute and then select an attribute from the list. For numeric attributes, select a unit of time as well as an attribute. The timer begins when an asset enters this asset state.
7. Optional: Configure an exit condition that uses the policy.
  When you add a policy and click Save to save the lifecycle configuration, you are notified that the policy is not being used in an exit condition. You are not required to add an exit condition, but if you do add a policy condition in step 13, the message is not displayed.
8. Policies run in the top-to-bottom order. To move a policy up or down, use the arrow icons .
9. To remove a policy, click the Remove link for the policy.
Define the conditions that must be true for assets to change states, either automatically or manually:
1. In the workflow diagram, click an action arrow between states, or select the action from the Currently configuring list. Then, click Go.
2. In the Conditions section, select an action from the list:
  Manual action
  
  A lifecycle manager attempts to change the state. For more information, see Changing the state of the lifecycle for assets.
  Tip: If you remove the Manual action condition, an asset change states automatically if the asset meets all of the conditions that you specify. A user does not have to manually change the state of the asset.
  
  Asset type
  
  The asset must or must not be of this asset type to change states.
  
  Categorization
  
  The asset must or must not have a category to change states.
  
  Number of approvals
  The least number of approvals that is required from users or from user groups to change states. You can specify an absolute number of approvals, or a percentage such as 50% or 100%. You can specify one of the following options:
  
  The number of approvals from all approvers, both those added individually and those in groups
  
  The number of approvals from individually assigned approvers
  
  The number of approvals from each assigned user group
  
  The number of approvals from a specific user group
  Number of rejections
  The least number of rejections that is required from users or from user groups to change states. You can specify an absolute number of rejections, or a percentage such as 50% or 100%. You can specify one of the following options:
  
  The number of rejections from all approvers, both those added individually and those in groups
  
  The number of rejections from individually assigned approvers
  
  The number of rejections from each assigned user group
  
  The number of rejections from a specific user group
  Approved by
  
  One user who must approve the asset to change states. If the user that you select is not already a reviewer for the appropriate state, that user is added automatically.
  
  Rejected by
  
  A user who must reject the asset to change states. If the user that you select is not already a reviewer for the appropriate state, that user is added automatically.
  
  Policy: policy name
  
  The specified policy must or must not pass, warn, or fail to change states. To use this action, add policies to the lifecycle state that the asset is transitioning from. When you add a policy to a state, you are prompted to add an exit condition. You are not required to add a condition. However, if you add a condition to the transition, the message is no longer displayed.
3. Configure the action and click Add.
4. To add more conditions, select AND or OR and click the Add icon .
  You can nest conditions to build complicated queries.
5. To remove conditions that you created, click Remove.
Remember: If you do not configure conditions for an action between states, assets move to the next state automatically.
Click Save. To save the lifecycle and close the configuration, click Save and Finish.

Results

The master lifecycle is available and applies to the assets in the community with the conditions that you defined.

What to do next

Users can review and manage assets with your master lifecycle at the community or asset level. For more information, see Reviewing and approving assets.

To locate a lifecycle to modify, enter the name of the lifecycle in the Filter field.