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The Knowledgebase

Study Abroad: Process Version Management (Classic)

Important Note: This article discusses classic functionality. For information on the modern applicant experience, refer to the Applicant Experience Knowledgebase article.

 

Process Version Management (PVM) is a system that allows a Terra Dotta Software application process to change over time and maintain accurate records of the past application activity. As process elements change, get added, or get removed, Terra Dotta's PVM system will transparently maintain the proper versions of the process elements as they existed at the time they were completed by the applicants.

 
The core of the system is the Application Cycle Process Map. Each application cycle in Terra Dotta software contains a process map that indicates which questionnaires, signature documents, material submissions, learning content and assessments (process elements) are applicable to the applicants for that application cycle. When viewing a process map by editing an application cycle via Process > App Cycles, you will see a grouped list of items each with a checkbox. If the checkbox is marked, the process element is applicable to the applications in that application cycle. If it is not checked, the process element does not apply to the applications in that application cycle.
 
In addition to maintaining which process elements apply to an application cycle, the process map also allows you to track the version of each of the process elements in that application cycle. Clicking on the process element's 'preview' link will display the version of the process element that is to be deployed to the applicants in that application cycle. If that version is an older version that the administrator wishes to update to the most current version of the process element, there is an 'update' link to the right of the preview link. Clicking on this link will update the process element to the version that currently exists (in Process > Questionnaires / Materials / Learning Content / Assessments).
 
When new application cycles are created, they will, by default, have all the process elements that are currently active in Process > Questionnaires / Materials / Learning Content / Assessments checked off.

There are three basic activities involved in maintenance of your process elements that are affected by PVM: 
1.) Adding a new process element to your application process
When you wish to add a new process element to the applications on your site, you will be performing the following actions:
  1. Create the new questionnaire/material/learning content/assessment in Process > Questionnaires / Materials / Learning Content / Assessments.
  2. Go to Process > App Cycles and edit the currently existing application cycles to which you wish to deploy this new process element - when you click to edit the app cycles, you will find your new process element without a check in the box to its left. Mark this checkbox and update the app cycle.
  3. The applicants in those application cycles will then see the new process element on their application pages. All new app cycles that are created will have this new process element included by default


2.) Removing a process element from your application process
When you have a process element that you no longer wish to have deployed to applicants on your site, you will be performing the following actions:

  1. Go to Process > Questionnaires / Materials / Learning Content / Assessments and click on the retire icon for the process element you wish to remove. Note: This does NOT delete the process element, but only retires it so that it will not be included in any future application cycles.
  2. Go to Process > App Cycles and edit the currently existing application cycles from which you wish to remove this process element - when you click to edit the app cycles, you will find the retired process element with a check mark in the box to its left. Unmark this checkbox and update the app cycle.
  3. At this point, the applicants for these application cycles will no longer see the process element on their application page. All new app cycles you create will not have the retired process element included by default.


3.) Editing an existing process element in your application process
When you have an existing process element that needs to be updated for current/future applicants, you will be performing the following actions:

  1. Go to Process > Questionnaires / Materials / Learning Content / Assessments and edit the existing process element
  2. When you click to update the process element, you will be given a list of application cycles that were using the current version of that process element in their process maps. You will check the app cycles for which you wish to deploy the new version of the process element and click update.
  3. If there were app cycles for which you wished to deploy the new version of the process element that did not appear in the list of application cycles that were using the current version of that process element in their process maps, go to Process > App Cycles and edit the currently existing application cycles to which you wish to deploy this new version of the submission. When viewing the app cycle process maps, click on the relevant tab and you will see an 'update' link to the right of the name of the process element. Click that link and update the application cycle.
  4. The applicants in the application cycle that have not yet completed the process element will see the new version of the process element in their applications. The new version of the process element will be automatically included in new application cycles.

Important notes:

  • When you edit a process element and update it in an application cycle's process map, if applicants have already completed (or even 'saved' in the case of a questionnaire) the submission, they will have the older version still applying to their application. The process element will need to be reset (un-received for materials; responses erased for questionnaires and assessments, marked as unread for learning content) in order for the new version to be deployed to the applicant.
  • PVM does NOT keep versions of the process element's program, program group, when to display, term-specific or applicant parameter filter assignments. If the current version of a process element has these aspects of the configuration changed, it will affect ALL applicants in your system - not just the ones with applications in the app cycles with that version of the process element.

 

Question Items and Process Version Management

Like the process elements themselves, question items have a version history, and a new version of the question item is created each time the question item is edited. This is done to preserve the integrity of questionnaires that have question items that have changed over time as well as maintaining the linkages of responses to their proper versions of the question items.

When a question item is edited, there is a routine that checks to see if the version of the question item you are editing is currently being used in any of the questionnaires.  If any are found, the admin is presented with the option of updating those questionnaires with the new version of the question item being edited.  NOTE: When you cascade a change to a questionnaire, you are cascading that change to ALL VERSIONS of that questionnaire... while it will not affect legacy data, it will affect the older versions of the questionnaire (See last section of this article for more details).

However, not all questionnaires that use that particular question item will be represented in this cascade wizard.  It will not include the questionnaires that have older versions of that question item deployed.  Should you need to update a questionnaire with a new version of a question item, but it does not appear in the cascade wizard when you update the question item, the following process can be used:

  1. After updating the question item, go to Processes > Questionnaires.
  2. Click to edit the questionnaire that needs the new version of the question item
  3. Click on the question item folder that contains the question item and 'uncheck' that question item (removing it from the questionnaire)
  4. Click to update the questionnaire to create a new version without the question item
  5. Do NOT deploy this new version of the questionnaire out to the application cycle process maps
  6. Click to edit the questionnaire again
  7. Click on the question item folder that contains the question item and check that question item again (putting it back into the questionnaire)
  8. Click to update the questionnaire to create a new version with that question item
  9. Do deploy this new version of the questionnaire out to the application cycle process maps

This new version of the questionnaire will have the current version of that question item included in it.

How should I update my question items?
There are three ways that a question items can be updated, and the method that you chose will be dictated by the specifics of the edit:

1. Spelling correction / Verbiage clarification / Option value update
These are the types of edits where it doesn't really matter if the older versions of the questionnaires display the old or new versions of the question item. If you are not making substantial changes to the question item itself (for example: a spelling correction), you can simply go directly to the question item, click the edit pencil, make the changes, and then use the cascade wizard to push those changes out to all versions of the questionnaire.  If the questionnaire(s) you wish to update do not appear in this cascade wizard use the process described above to get the updates pushed out.

2. Substantial change to question item / Do not require legacy data reporting
These are the types of edits where you need to make a substantial change to the question item, and it will matter that the older versions of the questionnaire show the older version of the question you want to ask.  However, it is not necessary for you to have the ability to have the older responses available through the reporting wizard.

In these cases, it is recommended to create a new question item altogether - NOT edit the existing question item. Then, go to the questionnaire(s) that need this new question item and edit them, remove the old question item from the questionnaire, and assign the new question item to the questionnaire.  Update the questionnaire and only cascade that new version to the desired application cycle process maps.

The older applications will show the older version of the questionnaire with the older question item that was responded to. However, that older question item won't be an output column available to you in the reporting wizard. The reporting wizard only shows the current question item versions assigned to the most current version of the questionnaire.

3. Substantial change to question item / Will require legacy data reporting
These are the types of edits where you need to make a substantial change to the question item, and it will matter that the older versions of the questionnaire show the older version of the question you want to ask.  In addition, it will be necessary to have the legacy responses to this question item be reportable through the report wizard.

In these cases, you should go directly to the question item and make the edit, but you should NOT cascade this new version of the question item to the questionnaire(s).  After making the edit, follow the procedure outlined above for deploying the new version of the question item out to the questionnaire(s).

The older applications will show the older version of the questionnaire with the older question item that was responded to, and the responses submitted will be reportable.