2020R2 Release Notes

The 2020R2 version of Eclipse PPM will be deployed to customers on April 4. The primary focus of this release is to implement our customer-driven roadmap focusing on areas like Upland Analytics, project planning, program management, and improving the project intake process. This release includes over 110 enhancements and fixes.

Application Changes

UI - Allow custom timeout options per environment

Description:

We have implemented an option that allows organizations to customize the timeout in Eclipse through our support team.

Benefit:

Organizations are free to change the timeout period according to their own discretion - those with strict policies are free to reduce the value. Our default timeout remains as-is.

API - Schedule + Task Endpoints

Description:

The following schedule/task/resource API endpoints have been added/updated with this release:

- [GET] = /api/projects/[id]/schedules/current/

- [GET] = /api/schedules/projectschedules/[projectid]/

- [GET] = /api/schedules/[id]/tasks/

- [POST] = /api/schedules/[id]/tasks/

- [GET] = /api/schedules/[id]/resources/

- [POST] = /api/schedules/[id]/resources/

- [PUT] = /api/schedules/[id]/resources/[resourceuniqueid]/

- [DELETE] = /api/schedules/[id]/resources/[resourceuniqueid]/

- [GET] = /api/tasks/[id]/

- [PUT] = /api/tasks/[id]/

- [GET] = /api/tasks/[id]/resources/

- [POST] = /api/tasks/[id]/resources/

- [PUT] = /api/tasks/[id]/resources/[resourceuniqueid]/

- [DELETE] = /api/tasks/[id]/resources/[resourceuniqueid]/

For further details on what has been changed, please access our online API help at [https://eod(1/2).ecl.eclipseppm.com/help|https://eod(1/2).ecl.eclipseppm.com]

Benefit:

These endpoint changes allow customers to build tighter integrations with other task management tools like ServiceNow or JIRA.

Email Notification Cleanup

Description:

Email Notifications older than one month will be removed from the database on a periodic basis.

Benefit:

Eclipse stores a record of all email notifications sent out to users. This table grows over time and uses up a potentially significant amount of space.

Eclipse Docs Control

Description:

The third-party document control we use for Eclipse Docs has been updated to support internal changes required for .NetCore upgrades.

Benefit:

The document control supports the same feature set as previously, but has a slightly different visual appearance.

New / Enhanced Features

Upland Analytics Integration (2020R2)

We have made several enhancements to the Upland Analytics (UA) tool.

  • Notification Preferences: We have built a new dashboard complete with several drill-down reports allowing users to inspect the notification preferences of users/resources across the application. This is a very common request from administrators looking to make preferences consistent across the user base.
  • Health Indicators: Both project and program health indicators are now available as data fields, including a colored icon and a customized indicator name to match your custom settings. Previously, the indicators were labeled "Health Indicator 1", "Health Indicator 2", etc, which was less than ideal.
  • Custom Properties: We have also exposed custom project and program properties as data fields. Properties are available in the "Project List" and "Program List" data source, and are organized by property type. Customers will see 200 properties of each type listed, even though they may not have 200 configured. Properties that are not configured will return empty data.
  • Report Writer Restrictions: The initial release of UA (2020R1 - November 2019) allowed unrestricted access for report writers. Going forward, "Standard" customers will be restricted to 5 report writers and "Platinum" customers will remain unrestricted.
  • Data Source and Data View Enhancements: The following data sources and views have been created/updated with the 2020R2 release - Project Resource Plan, Program Portfolio, Program Status Update, Project Work Plan, User List, and Resource List.

  • User Permissions: The first release (2020R1 - November 2019) allowed unrestricted permissions for users. With this update, user-level permissions will be applied, meaning, users that don't have "Project - View" permission, will not be able to see those projects inside UA reports.

Upland Project Planner Integration (2020R2)

We have made several improvements and fixes to the Upland Project Planner (UPP) tool.

  • Custom Views: The biggest change is the addition of custom views. All users will be able to create their own specific views, allowing them to define the column selection, column widths, and column order. Users with appropriate permissions will also be able to share views across the user base.
  • Detailed Time: An incorrect permission check was restricting users from entering detailed time.
  • Assigned By: When creating tasks outside the planner, the "Assigned By" field was not set correctly.
  • Microsoft Project Import: When importing a schedule from a Microsoft Project XML file, we were incorrectly adding task comments about all task constraints, instead of just unsupported ones.
  • Work Plan Header: Several important pieces of information have been added to the plan header area including "End Date", "% Complete", and "Project Status". This information can be helpful when making edits to projects.
  • Milestone Flag: Users are now able to toggle a "milestone" directly from the worksheet. Prior to this change, the only way to set a milestone manually was to open the task pop-up.

Programs

Programs - Dashboard - Allow users to copy dashboards

We have added the ability to copy an existing program dashboard.

Benefit:

Users spend valuable time configuring their dashboards to be "just right". In many instances, they would like multiple versions of the same program dashboard with slight tweaks. By copying an existing program dashboard, this process is significantly faster.

Filters - Programs - Create "[Active Programs]" system filter

We have added a new system filter called "[Active Programs]" that will return the list of programs which are currently in an "Active" status type.

Benefit:

When looking for active programs, it's easier to use the system search than creating your own.

Programs - "Edit Program" option missing from context menus

Several context menus for programs have been updated to include an "Edit Program" option for users that have appropriate permissions.

Benefit:

Users can quickly and easily update a program without having to navigate away from their current context.

Reports

Many minor updates have been made to reports with the 2020R2 release.

  • Repeated Column Headers: In several reports, we display tables that can span multiple pages. When the table stretches over to a new page, we have updated the design to repeat the column headers. This allows users to quickly scan their data and prevents them from "losing their place". Affected reports are:
    • User Login Report
    • Project Status Report
    • Resource Histogram Report
    • Resource Schedule Sheet
  • Improved Item Selection: In almost all canned reports, and when running report templates, a user is required to select a filter for projects, resources, issues, or risks. We have enhanced the selection mechanism so that users can select multiple filters and specific items to be included. Prior to this enhancement, a user was only able to select a single filter. Affected reports are:
    • Report Templates
    • Baseline Extract Report
    • Issue Detail Report
    • Risk Detail Report
    • Project Activity Report
    • Project Alignment and Evaluation Report
    • Project Executive Summary Report
    • Project Financial Extract Report
    • Project Portfolio Financial Summary Report
    • Project Portfolio Gantt Report
    • Project Resource Roles (By Project) Report
    • Project Resource Roles (By Resource) Report
    • Project Status Report
    • Project Timesheet Report
    • Resource Histogram Report
    • Resource Schedule Sheet Report
    • Resource Time Report
    • Resource Timesheet Report
    • Resource Extract Report
    • Timesheet Compliance Report
    • Timesheet Note Summary Report
  • Filter Preference: In the "Reports" page, the Eclipse Reports filter is now stored as a user preference. This allows users that work with a specific set of reports, for example, only resource reports, to apply a filter that helps them locate their report faster.
  • "Project Portfolio Gantt Report" Updates: As one of our more popular reports, the "Project Portfolio Gantt" received some more attention with this release.
    Users are now able to include the "Business Priority" and custom project properties in the report allowing them to pivot/group their projects like never before.
    We recently upgraded the architecture of the "Project Portfolio Gantt" report with a new rendering engine that significantly increased performance. There were some initial tradeoffs made in the report formatting that have now been resolved. Users who preferred the visual appearance of the previous report will appreciate the returned similarity, while still being significantly faster than the original.
  • "Project Financial Extract Report" Updates: The "Project Financial Extract" report also now includes the "GL Account" linked to the budget category. Organizations are now able to see the GL Account which enables them to pivot, and/or exchange information other systems that might require this information.
  • "Resource Extract Report" Updates: The "Resource Extract" report now includes the "Project ID" that the time is planned/logged against. This provides users with a reliable field for pivoting/grouping data. Prior to this enhancement, they could use "Project Name" but in some organizations with duplicate project names, it would lead to confusion.
  • "Project Schedule Sheet Report" Updates: The "Project Schedule Sheet" report was updated to show "Late" instead of "Needs Attention" on tasks. The calculations used to determine the task status have not been changed. Using consistent verbage across the application is much more comforting to users.
    The report is also more configurable than before, allowing users to select the columns they would like to display. Prior to this enhancement, the column list was fixed and could not be changed.
  • "Project Financial Detail Report" Updates: The "Project Financial Detail" report now allows users to output multiple financial plans at once.
    For organizations that like to report on forecasted and approved plans, having to run a report multiple times was a poor experience.
  • "Project Status Report" Updates: Users are now able to define the sort of projects by ID, Name, or Number on a multi-project status report. Prior to this change, projects were sorted alphabetically by name which wasn't always the best option for users.
  • Adhoc Report Updates: Users can resume editing of an adhoc report directly from the report results screen by clicking the "Edit" button. It is common for users to run adhoc reports to "try-and-see" their definition changes. Unfortunately, once they run the report it was several clicks to get back into the definition screen to continue making changes. After this enhancement, the user can do it with one click.

Requests

Requests - Allow users to customize the "Requested By" text

Eclipse PPM users are now able to customize the "Requested By" text on a project request form.

Benefit:

Some organizations like to include specific instructions in the "Requested By" area, for example, "Please enter the email address of your direct manager."

Requests - Allow routing requests to a different address

Eclipse PPM users are now able to setup project request forms so they will be routed to a specific approver, and not the "Requested By" person.

Benefit:

In some organizations, any person is allowed to submit project requests, but a specific person is designated as the "gatekeeper" for approving requests.

Requests - Allow customers to choose which project properties are exposed on the request form (instead of all or none).

Eclipse PPM users are now able to configure which project properties are exposed on the project request form.

Benefit:

Projects may have several properties that are not used during the request process, for example, a property like "Go Live Date" might not be known until the project is approved and scheduled. Exposing the extra properties on the request form was creating noise that distracted users.

Requests - Allow user to adjust "Environment Name" and "Form Name" on request header

The "Environment Name" and "Form Name" fields on the project request form are now configurable by administrators. Users can choose to display the existing value, no value, or a completely custom value.

Benefit:

Some organizations have requested the ability to customize these fields making the request forms look like something internal to their organization, and not part of Eclipse.

Requests - Populate the "Requested By" field with the email address of logged in ECL user when launched from application

When working with project request forms, the "Requested By" field will now be pre-populated using the email address of the logged in user if we can detect a login session.

Benefit:

For users creating multiple project requests from inside Eclipse, this will save them valuable time re-keying their email address.

Requests - Add "Submit Another" button on request results page

After successfully submitting a project request, users with non-zero pending requests remaining will see a "Submit Another" button which takes them back to the request form.

Benefit:

Many of our customers enter several projects requests at one time during month-end or quarter-end. The "Submit Another" button will save them time navigating back to the request form.

Requests - Can we use a datepicker for the date fields?

We had added a datepicker control to the project request form for entering date properties.

Benefit:

Prior to this fix, users had to type a string in a specific format which was error-prone and time-consuming.

Requests - A user who creates a project through a request and has "Create Project" permission should get permissions on the resulting project

When creating a project manually, the project creator is added to the default security policy on the project. This ensures that at least one user has access to every project in the system. When creating projects via project request, we have turned this into an option so that administrators can decide whether or not to add the submitter to the default policy.

Benefit:

This option allows administrators stricter controls on project requests and which users might end up with permissions on projects that have been created.

Requests - Allow user to enter color code via typing (instead of just by picker)

We have updated the color-picker controls used when building project request forms to support entering colors via keyboard.

Benefit:

For some users trying to theme their project requests to match corporate colors, it was difficult to select a specific color. With this enhancement, users will be able to type color codes directly.

Requests - Allow users to CC a project request to others

Administrators now have the ability to configure CC users on a project request so that whenever a request is submitted using a specific form, those users will receive a notification.

Benefit:

Some organizations want to monitor project requests using an "approval group". With this enhancement, they can send a notification to a group of people any time a request is submitted.

Requests - Add an "unblock" action to UI allowing an administrator to unblock a previously blocked request

We have added the ability for users to "unblock" a rejected project request.

Benefit:

There are instances where it would be helpful to unblock a project request, for example, it may have been accidentally rejected, or rejected due to reasons that are no longer valid. With this enhancement, the request can be unblocked and approved instead of re-creating the entire request.

Requests - Show the proposed project name for blocked project requests

The requested project name will now be displayed in the "Project Name" column when looking at blocked project requests.

Benefit:

When reviewing requests that you may want to unblock, it's helpful to see the request project name. Without that piece of information, the user will not have enough information to decipher one request from another.

Requests - Special Instructions

We have added a section to the top of the project request form called "Special Instructions" that allows administrators to enter free-form text to be included with the request.

Benefit:

Some organizations want to provide extra instructions to their users submitting projects requests to help guide them through the process.

Customer Driven Enhancements

Through the Upland Enhancement Request process and ongoing dialogue with users, the Eclipse PPM product team has delivered 30+ enhancements for this release.

Reference

Description

Notes
ECL-6175 Filters - Allow "adhoc filters" on the filter results pages Description:
The filter results grids now support adhoc filtering on most columns (text, numeric, flags, and picklists).

Benefit:
Users will be able to isolate specific items on an adhoc basis without having to build new filters.
ECL-6472 Login - Can we handle direct linking and SSO? Description:
Users who access Eclipse through SSO are now able to link directly to specific pages inside the application. To navigate to a specific dashboard (for example, one with ID=1234), the user would navigate to this link: https://eod(1/2).ecl.eclipseppm.com/#/dashboards/1234?dl={CustomerSpecificGUID}

Benefit:
Prior to this fix, the SSO redirects would drop the redirect parameter and users would always land on their home page.
ECL-6624 UI - Add "refresh" to all panels Description:
Many panels across the application will now have a "Refresh" button.

Benefit:
Users can now refresh specific panels on a page to see updated data, instead of having to refresh the entire application or navigate away and return.

ECL-8118

Project - Alignment & Evaluation - Group applicable grids by criteria type

Description:
Inside a project, the Risk Scoring, Portfolio Prioritization, and Portfolio Evaluation grids are now grouped by "Criteria Type".

Benefit:
Users wanting to review alignment/evaluation data will find it easier to manage large lists of items with like-items grouped together.

ECL-8466

Task Lists - Include task sequence number on task lists

Description:
Task Lists will now display the "Task Sequence Number" and "Task WBS".

Benefit:
In areas where tasks from multiple projects were listed, or areas that showed tasks with potentially duplicate names, the "Task Sequence Number" and "Task WBS" will help users identify exactly which task they are looking at.

ECL-8824

Dashboards - Add column freezing for non portfolio summary panels

Description:
All list type dashboard panels now support column freezing.

Benefit:
Users can freeze important data columns on the left so they stay permanently visible while scrolling horizontally.
ECL-9240 Project - Create - Give users the option to view project templates in list form Description:
Users now have the ability to choose "List" or "Tree" when selecting project templates to create new projects.

Benefit:
For organizations with small amounts of templates or a large organization hierarchy, showing the templates in a simple list can speed up the selection process.

ECL-9245

Risk - Activity Feed - Track changes for "Score" and "Score Label"

Description:
The "Risk Activity Feed" will now show audit records for "Score" and "Score Label" as risks are updated.

Benefit:
Users can inspect the audit trail of a risk to see the when and why risks increased/decreased their importance.
ECL-9292 Quick Search - Allow users to filter out closed/archived/complete/inactive items Description:
The quick search now allows users to filter out complete/archived/inactive items where appropriate.

Benefit:
For organizations with lots of older data, the quick search can be overwhelmed with results making it difficult to navigate. By excluding, for example, archived projects a user can quickly locate the project they are searching for.
ECL-9362 UI - Increase width of resource type-ahead Description:
The width of the resource type-ahead has been increased from 240px to 360px, and a tool-tip has been added to show the full name of the item.

Benefit:
For organizations using generic resources with potentially long and/or repeating names, it was difficult to select the exact resource.
ECL-9389 Approvals - Add a column showing comment count in each of the approvals grids Description:
There is a new column in the approvals grids that indicates the number of comments on a particular approval.

Benefit:
Seeing a count of the comments can be helpful when reviewing and resolving an approval workflow.
ECL-9391 Dashboards / Project Dashboards - Additional data columns Description:
Simple list panels on the dashboard page and project dashboard page have been enhanced to include the "Created By", "Created Date", "Modified By", and "Modified Date" information for projects, risks, issues, and tasks.

Benefit:
Users are now able to inspect and report on this information quickly and easily without navigating through an activity feed.
ECL-9463 Project Dashboard - Replace "Overview" with new "Snapshot" panel Description:
The Project Overview panel on the Project Dashboard page has been upgraded to match the panel from the Project Home page.

Benefit:
The recently introduced snapshot provides more information in a more compact space.
ECL-9486 Project - Documents - Allow user to sort document lists Description:
Inside the Project Documents page, users can now sort the document lists. The sort options are retained as a user preference.

Benefit:
For projects with longer lists of documents, having the ability to customize the sorting options allows users to locate documents with less visual scanning.

ECL-9772

Project - Resources - Add "delete" action to context menu on card view

Description:
The Project Resources page now supports removing a resource from the context menu in card.

Benefit:
Some users prefer to see a textual representation of the action they are taking. Placing the "delete" item inside the context menu allows us to write a proper description which is not always possible with a simple icon.
ECL-9789 Column Selection - Add a quicker way to remove selected columns Description:
Users can now remove columns from the selected list by clicking the "X" button on the selected list.

Benefit:
Prior to this fix, the only way to remove a column from the selected list was to uncheck it on the available list. For panels with large lists or lists segregated into sections, this was sometimes a slow experience. With this change, the user can quickly and easily remove a column with a single click.

ECL-9829

Timeline - Add custom properties and health indicators to timeline screen

Description:
The timeline page now supports health indicators and custom properties.

Benefit:
Users are now able to include health indicators and custom properties on their timelines to help them pivot/group/view their data however they see fit.
ECL-10017 Timesheet - Add "Project Number" to project column Description:
The Timesheet page now lists the "Project Number" instead of just "Project Name".

Benefit:
For users with larger timesheets, or duplicate project names, having the project number available allows them to isolate the project they want to enter time for.

ECL-10086

Environment Metrics - Show physical size values (for example "20% / 3.8GB")

Description:
The "Environment Metrics" screen now displays the absolute storage metrics in addition to the percentage values.

Benefit:
Prior to this enhancement, a user would only know that they had "20%" remaining. This might be a cause for concern depending on the total space allowed. By adding the absolute values, users have a better idea of the actual space remaining.

ECL-10201

Timeline - Replace the "Resource Type" picker (in the "Edit Resource" pop-up) with our typeahead tree picker control

Description:
We have updated the control used for picking Resource Types inside the Resource Plan to a type-ahead tree picker.

Benefit:
For organizations with long lists of resource types, the simple drop-down control was overwhelming. With the new type-ahead tree picker control, users are able to locate and select a specific type more easily.

ECL-10211

Resource Plan - Availability Panel - Adjust the behavior of the "Include current plan in value" checkbox

Description:
The "Include this plan in value" option is now included in the resource availability calculations whether the availability data is sourced from Work Plans or Resource Plans.

Benefit:
Prior to this change, the current plan was only affecting availability calculations when the user was viewing Resource Plan data, not Work Plan data.

ECL-10214

Resource Plans - Changing zoom is extending plan duration

Description:
When working with Resource Plans, a user that continually switched between "Weekly" and "Monthly" zooms was actually increasing the duration of the plan. This was related to the fact that weeks and months don't line up perfectly.

Benefit:
After this change, the zoom does not affect the dates of the resource plan.
ECL-10306 User Administration - Show the "Last Login" on the user list page Description:
We have added a "Last Login" column to the User Administration page that will show the date and time of the most recent login for each user.

Benefit:
This gives administrators a quick way to view users who may or may not be logging in on a regular basis.
ECL-10347 Project - Risk Register - Add "ID" to the risk register table Description:
The formatting of the custom property description was not properly followed on the request pages.

Benefit:
The "ID" is useful when discussing / collaborating on risks. Also, for technically savvy users, the "ID" can be used to directly hyperlink to a risk inside Eclipse.

ECL-10348

Project - Issue Register - Add "ID" to the issue register table

Description:
The Project Issue List now includes a column to show the "ID" of the issue - a system-generated unique identifier across the entire application.

Benefit:
The "ID" is useful when discussing/collaborating on issues. Also, for technically savvy users, the "ID" can be used to directly hyperlink to an issue inside Eclipse.
ECL-10404 Timesheet - Add a "non-current tasks" filter Description:
Users will now have the option to filter out "non-current" tasks from their timesheets.

Benefit:
Some organizations maintain multiple schedules on their projects, one of which is marked "current". When switching between current schedules, it's possible that a user ends up with a non-current task on their timesheet. With this option it's easy for users to hide those tasks.
ECL-10538 Following Preferences - Add an option to automatically follow items if you are mentioned in a comment on it Description:
We have updated the "auto-follow" options to allow a user to automatically follow an item if they are mentioned in a comment linked to the item.

Benefit:
It was great to automatically follow items that you will need to deal with, but with this improvement, it's easier to follow an item that somebody wants you to know about within the system.

ECL-10543

Health Indicator Trends - Add information to tooltip describing trend analysis rules

Description:
The Health Indicator trend arrows have been adjusted to be less eye-catching and provide more information via tooltip.

Benefit:
Users complained that the arrows were too noticeable causing them to lose focus on the information they were providing. We have made some subtle size and color changes, and added some prior state information into a tooltip that should alleviate their concerns.

ECL-10728

UI - Provide an option to hide inactive/closed items from type-aheads

Description:
As organizations evolve over time, their resource list naturally increases. We have given users the option to filter out inactive resources in several places throughout the application.

Benefit:
With this enhancement, it is now possible to hide "inactive resources" so they will not bloat lists, and/or potentially be assigned new work.
ECL-10734 UI - Improve screen-reader support Description:
We have added "aria-label" attributes to several areas of Eclipse.

Benefit:
All users will benefit from the most accessible experience we can provide.