10.1. Introduction to Lifecycles

Engineering Knowledge Manager

Administration Guide | Chapter 10: Defining and Configuring Lifecycles |

Chapter 10: Defining and Configuring Lifecycles |  | 10.2. Lifecycle Terminology
Prev |  | Next

## 10.1. Introduction to Lifecycles

A lifecycle is a set of sequential stages that an object such as a file or folder moves through during its lifetime. Lifecycles are defined in terms of stage and transition elements, where each stage is connected by one or more transitions. In the lifecycle definition, you can define policies for each stage. These include setting permissions for who can access, modify and perform other operations on an object and setting criteria for automatic deletion of the object from the EKM repository.

You can define a lifecycle for any object type in EKM and you can use the lifecycle to track an object as it matures. Figure 10.1: Sample Lifecycle Graph shows an example of a four-stage lifecycle graph.

Figure 10.1: Sample Lifecycle Graph

Lifecycle stages are promoted and demoted automatically by EKM or by a user/group based on completion criteria that are specified in the lifecycle definition. For example, you can specify completion criteria that require an object to undergo review and approval by committee members before the stage can be changed. This is referred to as a signoff process. A signoff process is automatically generated by EKM whenever a request for stage promotion or demotion is made. Individuals and/or committee members are sent an email notifying them that action is required. The email provides a link to the task for easy access and the task is also placed on the assignee's My Tasks page. An object can also require multiple levels of review and approval before it can be promoted (or demoted) to the next stage. For example, you can define a stage that requires an initial level of signoff by, say, all members of a Design Review Team and Project Manager followed by a second level of approval from, say, the VP of Engineering.

You can define lifecycle templates in two different ways: graphically in EKM Studio, and using XML. The easiest method is to use EKM Studio. When saved to your local file system or an EKM repository, the lifecycle you define in EKM Studio is converted to XML and the file is typed as a `Lifecycle` object and given the `.lc.xml` file extension.

You can also define a lifecycle file in XML, using any XML or text editor. See Appendix C: Lifecycles: Defining and Configuring Using XML for details.

Lifecycle files behave like any other object in EKM with respect to being able to be tagged with user-defined properties, placed under version control, and searched for using a keyword and advanced search criteria.

Once a lifecycle has been defined and saved as an XML file, it will need to be configured for your workspace before it can be used. The configuration process associates the lifecycle with all the object types that it is defined for. The lifecycle then either gets automatically enabled for all objects in the repository belonging to that type, or the lifecycle will require manual enabling for individual object, depending on how it has been defined. See the Restricted and Unrestricted Configuration of Workspaces chapter in the Administration Guide for more details.

Contains proprietary and confidential information of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.

Prev | Up / Contents | Next

Release 18.2 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.