Lock Metrics in Bulk

The Metric Bulk Actions page allows users to perform a Metric Lock on the Metrics of multiple work items in a Portfolio at once. This saves users from having to manually lock the same Metric one-by-one on a large number of work items, which is unnecessarily tedious and time-consuming.

Note: Metric data can be locked and unlocked at any time by PowerSteering users with the "Lock Metrics" Project Task permission.

Example: Imagine you have a Metric template named "Expenses" that is attached to a number of your Projects within a Portfolio. Within the "Expenses" Metric, you have a "Projected" view that displays all of the costs you are planning to spend. Once all of these costs are approved at the end of each month, they move into the "Actual" view. However, you want to ensure that the "Projected" values do not get changed after approval so they can serve as a reliable reference. Performing a bulk lock on the "Projected" view for each instance of the "Expenses" Metric in a specific Portfolio will prevent other users from mistakenly editing the approved values.


Additionally, some of the "Projected" values may not have been approved on every Project. In this case, a PowerSteering administrator can create a Tag named "Financials Approved" that can be set to "Yes" whenever the "Projected" values have been approved. This Tag can then be used to filter out Projects during the bulk lock, ensuring that only approved Metrics are included in the lock.

Tip: After locking Metrics in bulk, they can always be unlocked in bulk through the Metric Bulk Actions page.

PowerSteering currently features two Metric Bulk Actions interfaces that can be used to lock Metric values:

  • The Metric Bulk Actions wizard (default)

  • The Legacy interface

    Note: The legacy Metric Bulk Actions page is still temporary available for users who are unfamiliar with the new page, but it will soon be deprecated in a future PowerSteering release. The new Metric Bulk Actions wizard is the recommended option, but reach out to your PowerSteering representative if you would like to use the legacy page in the meantime.

 

Locking Metrics in bulk using the updated wizard

A new Metric Bulk Actions interface has recently been introduced to PowerSteering. Along with a cleaner and fresher look, the new interface breaks down the process of creating new Metric Bulk Actions into separate steps, alleviating the informational overload that comes with lengthy webpages.

Additionally, the new wizard offers additional functionality that is not available on the legacy page. Users can save their Metric Bulk Actions to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page and schedule them to run automatically. This saves users from having to tediously create identical Metric Bulk Action jobs whenever they need these jobs to repeat themselves. This will also prevent any issues that occur due to forgetting to run a Metric Bulk Action.

Note: After bulk lock jobs are created, you can use the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page to edit them. Simply navigate to the page (Review → Metric Bulk Actions from the Navigation Menu), select one of the listed jobs, and follow the steps below starting from Step 3.

 

To lock Metric values in bulk using the updated wizard:

Before You Start: Metric Bulk Actions are open to all PowerSteering by default, but users will only be able to change Metrics that they have permission to change. For instance, if you are planning to lock data on a group of Metrics using a bulk action but you do not have the "Lock Metrics" permission on all of the work items in the Portfolio, only the Metrics you have permission to lock will be affected.

Tip: Consider designating a specific PowerSteering administrator to create and schedule Metric Bulk Actions Jobs. Users who belong to the Admin Group have permission to edit Metrics on all work items, so this will ensure that all Metrics in the chosen Portfolio will be affected when the job runs.

  1. Select Review → Metric Bulk Actions from the Navigation Menu:

    Note: If you do not see the Metric Bulk Actions option, it may be limited to select users in your organization. Reach out to a PowerSteering administrator for more information.

  2. Select the Create button in the top right-hand corner of the page.

  3. Select which Portfolio of work items you will conduct the Metric Bulk Action on.

  4. Decide which Portfolio Tags should be used to filter the work items that will be included in the Metric lock:

    Note: The Portfolio Tags will consist of Tags that have been associated with work items that belong to the Portfolio.

    The following options are available for each Tag:

    • Omit this tag (default): The value of this Tag will have no impact on which work items are included in the Metric lock.

    • Any value for this tag: Work items will only be included in the Metric lock if a value has been chosen for the Tag.

    • No value for this tag: Work items will only be included in the Metric lock if no value has been chosen for the Tag.

    • Select values: Work items will only be included in the Metric lock if they contain the chosen value(s) for the Tag.

      Tip: To make sure that the correct work items get included in the Metric lock, it might be wise for PowerSteering administrators to create a specific Tag for it. For example, a Tag called "Ready for Metric Lock" can be used to indicate whether or not a work item is ready to have it's Metrics locked:

      Contact your PowerSteering administrator if you think this would be helpful.

  5. Select the Next button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

  6. Select the Metric Template that will be affected by the Metric lock.

  7. Use the "Apply to" drop-down menu to determine whether to include or exclude Metric instances marked "Ready for Rollup".

    Note: "Ready for Rollup" is a replaceable term. It may be represented by another term in your PowerSteering environment. Contact a PowerSteering administrator if you are unsure.

    • All: Each Metric instance will be affected by the lock regardless of its "Ready for Rollup" status.

    • Ready for Rollup: Only Metric instances marked "Ready for Rollup" will be included in the lock.

    • Not Ready for Rollup: Only Metric instances that are not marked "Ready for Rollup" will be included in the lock.

  8. Select the Next button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

  9. Use the "Ready for Rollup" drop-down menu to determine how each Metric's "Ready for Rollup" status will be affected by the Metric lock.

    Note: "Ready for Rollup" is a replaceable term. It may be represented by another term in your PowerSteering environment. Contact a PowerSteering administrator if you are unsure.

    • No Change: The Metric lock will have no effect on the "Ready for Rollup" status of the Metrics.

    • Set: Each Metric affected by the lock will automatically be set to "Ready for Rollup".

    • Clear: Each Metric affected by the lock will automatically not be set to "Ready for Rollup".

  10. Continue the procedure with one of the following lock actions:

 

Lock entire Metric views

Follow this procedure to totally lock one or multiple views (sheets) on the included Metrics. Every column and line item on the indicated views will be locked when the Metric Bulk Action runs.

Note: This option will only lock numeric data on the Metric. It will not affect Custom Fields or Tags.

To lock entire Metric views:

  1. Select Lock entire sheet from the "Action" menu.

  2. Select which Metric views you would like to lock using the "Views" menu.

    Tip: Selecting the top checkbox will automatically select every Metric view.

  3. Determine how you would like the Metric Bulk Action job to run.

    • Run: The Metric Bulk Action job will run immediately. It will not be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page and it will never run again.

      Note: Selecting this will end the procedure; your bulk lock will be complete. You may skip the remaining steps.

    • Next: You will be navigated to the "Save & Schedule" page. From here, you will be able to create a schedule for your bulk lock to automatically run. It will be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page.

      Note: If you select this option, continue through the rest of the procedure.

  4. Enter a name for your saved Metric Bulk Action job.

  5. Enter an informative description for your saved Metric Bulk Action job.

  6. Use the "Frequency" drop-down menu to determine the job's run schedule.

    • Never: The Metric Bulk Action job will be saved, but it will not have any scheduled run times in the future.

      Tip: This option should only be selected if a run schedule has not been determined yet or if a temporary pause should be placed on the job.

    • Weekly: The Metric Bulk Action job will run on a weekly basis. The fields that appear can be used to specify the run schedule.

      • Start: Select a start date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes active. It will run based on the "Every" and "On" selections below.

      • Time: Select the time of day the Metric Bulk Action job will run.

        Tip: It is best to schedule jobs to run outside of working hours. This will reduce the likelihood of users editing their Metrics during a Metric Bulk Actions job.

      • End: Select an end date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes inactive. It will run based on the "Every" and "On" selections below.

      • Every: Determine the weekly interval for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Example: If "2 Weeks" is selected from the "Every" menu and "Tuesday" and "Friday" are selected from the "On" menu (below), the job will run on the Tuesday and Friday of every second week. During the first week, the job will run on Tuesday and Friday. During the second week, the job will not run. During the third week, the job will run on Tuesday and Friday again. This pattern will continue until the "End" date is reached.

      • On: Determine which days of the week the job will run on.

    • Monthly: The Metric Bulk Action job will run on a monthly basis. The fields that appear can be used to specify the run schedule.

      • Calendar: Determine which Calendar will be used to schedule the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: Administrators can create Alternative Calendars in PowerSteering.

      • Start: Select a start date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes active. It will run based on the fields below.

      • Time: Select the time of day the Metric Bulk Action job will run.

        Tip: It is best to schedule jobs to run outside of working hours. This will reduce the likelihood of users editing their Metrics during a Metric Bulk Actions job.

      • End: Select an end date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes inactive. It will run based on the fields below.

      • Schedule By: Determine how the schedule will search for the day to run the Metric Bulk Action job.

        • Fixed day of the month: A fixed date of the month will be used to identify when the job runs. This will open up drop-down menus that can be used to specify when the job will run.

          Example: Selecting "5" from the "Day" menu and "2 months" from the "Of every" menu will cause the Metric Bulk Action job to run on the 5th of every second month.

        • Relative day of the month: A relative day of the week will be used to identify when the job runs. This will open up drop-down menus that can be used to specify when the job will run.

          Example: In the image above, the Metric Bulk Action job will run on the third Thursday of every second month.

  7. Select the Save button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

    Note: If Run is selected instead, the Metric Bulk Action job will run immediately and the job will not be saved. All of the "Save & Schedule" settings will be discarded.

    Note: When a Metric Bulk Action job is scheduled, there is no way to temporarily delay it without editing the schedule. If a user requests more time to edit a Metric before a Metric Bulk Action job occurs, it is best to wait for the job to complete and then manually edit the Metric afterward.

If Run was selected, the job will run immediately. A "Results" page will appear with a report on which Metrics were successfully affected by the bulk lock.

Tip: Select any of the listed work items or Metrics to navigate to them.

If Save was selected, the new job will be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page.

From here, it can be edited at any time. It will run based on its schedule.

Tip: Use the "Next Run" column to see when the job is scheduled to run again.

In either case, you can navigate to one of the Metrics and see that the selected views have been totally locked.

 

Lock Metric columns

Follow this procedure to lock Metrics by their numeric columns up to a specific period whenever the job runs.

Note: This option will only lock numeric data on the Metric. It will not affect Custom Fields or Tags.

To lock Metrics by columns:

  1. Select Lock columns from the "Action" menu.

  2. Select which of the Metric views should be included in the lock.

    Tip: Selecting the top checkbox will automatically select every Metric view.

  3. Use the "Period To" drop-down menu to determine which Metric columns will be included in the lock.

    • Prior to Date: A "Date" field will appear. The selected Metric view(s) will be locked until the specified date.

      Note: The Metric period that contains the date will also be locked. For example, if the selected date is July 30th and the Metric uses monthly periods, the month of July will be included in the lock.

    • Previous Period: The selected Metric view(s) will be locked up until the previous period.

      Example: If the Metric uses monthly periods, the selected view(s) will be locked until the previous month. The current month and every period to its right will remain unlocked.

    • Current Period: The selected Metric view(s) will be locked up until the current period.

      Example: If the Metric uses monthly periods, the selected view(s) will be locked until the current month. Every column to the right of the current month will remain unlocked.

    • Next Period: The selected Metric view(s) will be locked up until the next period.

      Example: If the Metric uses monthly periods, the selected view(s) will be locked until the next month. Every column to the right of the next month will remain unlocked.

  4. Determine how you would like the Metric Bulk Action job to run.

    • Run: The Metric Bulk Action job will run immediately. It will not be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page and it will never run again.

      Note: Selecting this will end the procedure; your bulk lock will be complete. You may skip the remaining steps.

    • Next: You will be navigated to the "Save & Schedule" page. From here, you will be able to create a schedule for your bulk lock to automatically run. It will be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page.

      Note: If you select this option, continue through the rest of the procedure.

  5. Enter a name for your saved Metric Bulk Action job.

  6. Enter an informative description for your saved Metric Bulk Action job.

  7. Use the "Frequency" drop-down menu to determine the job's run schedule.

    • Never: The Metric Bulk Action job will be saved, but it will not have any scheduled run times in the future.

      Tip: This option should only be selected if a run schedule has not been determined yet or if a temporary pause should be placed on the job.

    • Weekly: The Metric Bulk Action job will run on a weekly basis. The fields that appear can be used to specify the run schedule.

      • Start: Select a start date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes active. It will run based on the "Every" and "On" selections below.

      • Time: Select the time of day the Metric Bulk Action job will run.

        Tip: It is best to schedule jobs to run outside of working hours. This will reduce the likelihood of users editing their Metrics during a Metric Bulk Actions job.

      • End: Select an end date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes inactive. It will run based on the "Every" and "On" selections below.

      • Every: Determine the weekly interval for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Example: If "2 Weeks" is selected from the "Every" menu and "Tuesday" and "Friday" are selected from the "On" menu (below), the job will run on the Tuesday and Friday of every second week. During the first week, the job will run on Tuesday and Friday. During the second week, the job will not run. During the third week, the job will run on Tuesday and Friday again. This pattern will continue until the "End" date is reached.

      • On: Determine which days of the week the job will run on.

    • Monthly: The Metric Bulk Action job will run on a monthly basis. The fields that appear can be used to specify the run schedule.

      • Calendar: Determine which Calendar will be used to schedule the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: Administrators can create Alternative Calendars in PowerSteering.

      • Start: Select a start date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes active. It will run based on the fields below.

      • Time: Select the time of day the Metric Bulk Action job will run.

        Tip: It is best to schedule jobs to run outside of working hours. This will reduce the likelihood of users editing their Metrics during a Metric Bulk Actions job.

      • End: Select an end date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes inactive. It will run based on the fields below.

      • Schedule By: Determine how the schedule will search for the day to run the Metric Bulk Action job.

        • Fixed day of the month: A fixed date of the month will be used to identify when the job runs. This will open up drop-down menus that can be used to specify when the job will run.

          Example: Selecting "5" from the "Day" menu and "2 months" from the "Of every" menu will cause the Metric Bulk Action job to run on the 5th of every second month.

        • Relative day of the month: A relative day of the week will be used to identify when the job runs. This will open up drop-down menus that can be used to specify when the job will run.

          Example: In the image above, the Metric Bulk Action job will run on the third Thursday of every second month.

  8. Select the Save button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

    Note: If Run is selected instead, the Metric Bulk Action job will run immediately and the job will not be saved. All of the "Save & Schedule" settings will be discarded.

    Note: When a Metric Bulk Action job is scheduled, there is no way to temporarily delay it without editing the schedule. If a user requests more time to edit a Metric before a Metric Bulk Action job occurs, it is best to wait for the job to complete and then manually edit the Metric afterward.

If Run was selected, the job will run immediately. A "Results" page will appear with a report on which Metrics were successfully affected by the bulk lock.

Tip: Select any of the listed work items or Metrics to navigate to them.

If Save was selected, the new job will be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page.

From here, it can be edited at any time. It will run based on its schedule.

Tip: Use the "Next Run" column to see when the job is scheduled to run again.

In either case, you can navigate to one of the Metrics and see that columns in the selected views have been locked up until the designated period.

 

Lock specific Metric line items

Follow this procedure to lock line items (rows) up to specific periods on the selected Metrics.

Note: This option will only lock numeric data on the Metric. It will not affect Custom Fields or Tags.

To lock specific Metric line items:

  1. Select Lock rowsfrom the "Action" menu.

  2. Select which of the Metric's views should be included in the lock.

    Tip: Selecting the top checkbox will automatically select every Metric view.

  3. Use the "Line Item" drop-down menu to select which line item to lock.

  4. Use the "Period To" field to select a date to lock the line item's columns up to.

    Note: The lock will be applied up to the column that contains the selected date. For example, if July 9th is selected (like above) and the Metric uses monthly periods, the line item will be locked up to July. Every column to the right of the "July" column will remain unlocked.

    Note: Leave the field empty to lock the entire line item.

  5. Use the "Filter by Tags" option to filter the line items by their Tags. Only line items that meet the criteria will be included in the lock.

    • Omit this tag (default): The value of this Tag will have no impact on whether the line item is included in the Metric lock.

    • Any value for this tag: Line items will only be included in the Metric lock if a value has been chosen for the Tag on the line item.

    • No value for this tag: Line items will only be included in the Metric lock if no value has been chosen for the Tag on the line item.

    • Select values: Line items will only be included in the Metric lock if they contain the chosen value(s) for the Tag.

      Example: Imagine Select values is chosen and "Blue" and "Green" are selected.

      The line item lock will only be applied to line items with "Green" or "Blue" selected for the Tag.

      Note: Line item Tags will not be locked. Only the line item's numeric data will be locked.

  6. Select Add Line Lock to include another line item in the Metric lock. Repeat Steps 3-5 for the new line item.

  7. Determine how you would like the Metric Bulk Action job to run.

    • Run: The Metric Bulk Action job will run immediately. It will not be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page and it will never run again.

      Note: Selecting this will end the procedure; your bulk lock will be complete. You may skip the remaining steps.

    • Next: You will be navigated to the "Save & Schedule" page. From here, you will be able to create a schedule for your bulk lock to automatically run. It will be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page.

      Note: If you select this option, continue through the rest of the procedure.

  8. Enter a name for your saved Metric Bulk Action job.

  9. Enter an informative description for your saved Metric Bulk Action job.

  10. Use the "Frequency" drop-down menu to determine the job's run schedule.

    • Never: The Metric Bulk Action job will be saved, but it will not have any scheduled run times in the future.

      Tip: This option should only be selected if a run schedule has not been determined yet or if a temporary pause should be placed on the job.

    • Weekly: The Metric Bulk Action job will run on a weekly basis. The fields that appear can be used to specify the run schedule.

      • Start: Select a start date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes active. It will run based on the "Every" and "On" selections below.

      • Time: Select the time of day the Metric Bulk Action job will run.

        Tip: It is best to schedule jobs to run outside of working hours. This will reduce the likelihood of users editing their Metrics during a Metric Bulk Actions job.

      • End: Select an end date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes inactive. It will run based on the "Every" and "On" selections below.

      • Every: Determine the weekly interval for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Example: If "2 Weeks" is selected from the "Every" menu and "Tuesday" and "Friday" are selected from the "On" menu (below), the job will run on the Tuesday and Friday of every second week. During the first week, the job will run on Tuesday and Friday. During the second week, the job will not run. During the third week, the job will run on Tuesday and Friday again. This pattern will continue until the "End" date is reached.

      • On: Determine which days of the week the job will run on.

    • Monthly: The Metric Bulk Action job will run on a monthly basis. The fields that appear can be used to specify the run schedule.

      • Calendar: Determine which Calendar will be used to schedule the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: Administrators can create Alternative Calendars in PowerSteering.

      • Start: Select a start date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes active. It will run based on the fields below.

      • Time: Select the time of day the Metric Bulk Action job will run.

        Tip: It is best to schedule jobs to run outside of working hours. This will reduce the likelihood of users editing their Metrics during a Metric Bulk Actions job.

      • End: Select an end date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes inactive. It will run based on the fields below.

      • Schedule By: Determine how the schedule will search for the day to run the Metric Bulk Action job.

        • Fixed day of the month: A fixed date of the month will be used to identify when the job runs. This will open up drop-down menus that can be used to specify when the job will run.

          Example: Selecting "5" from the "Day" menu and "2 months" from the "Of every" menu will cause the Metric Bulk Action job to run on the 5th of every second month.

        • Relative day of the month: A relative day of the week will be used to identify when the job runs. This will open up drop-down menus that can be used to specify when the job will run.

          Example: In the image above, the Metric Bulk Action job will run on the third Thursday of every second month.

  11. Select the Save button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

    Note: If Run is selected instead, the Metric Bulk Action job will run immediately and the job will not be saved. All of the "Save & Schedule" settings will be discarded.

    Note: When a Metric Bulk Action job is scheduled, there is no way to temporarily delay it without editing the schedule. If a user requests more time to edit a Metric before a Metric Bulk Action job occurs, it is best to wait for the job to complete and then manually edit the Metric afterward.

If Run was selected, the job will run immediately. A "Results" page will appear with a report on which Metrics were successfully affected by the bulk lock.

Tip: Select any of the listed work items or Metrics to navigate to them.

If Save was selected, the new job will be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page.

From here, it can be edited at any time. It will run based on its schedule.

Tip: Use the "Next Run" column to see when the job is scheduled to run again.

In either case, you can navigate to one of the Metrics and see that the line items have been locked up until the selected columns.

 

Lock specific Custom Fields and Tags

Follow this procedure to lock Custom Fields and / or Tags on specific line items (rows) for the selected Metrics. Users will not be able to edit the values of locked Custom Fields or Tags.

To lock specific Custom Fields and Tags

  1. Select Lock Custom Fields and Tags from the "Action" menu.

  2. Select which of the Metric views should be included in the lock.

    Tip: Selecting the top checkbox will automatically select every Metric view.

  3. Use the "Custom Fields and Tags" drop-down menu to select a Custom Field or Tag to lock.

  4. Use the "Line Item" drop-down menu to select which line item (row) the Custom Field or Tag will be locked on.

  5. (Optional) Select Add Field Lock to lock a Custom Field or Tag on another line item. Repeat Steps 3-4 for the new lock.

  6. Determine how you would like the Metric Bulk Action job to run.

    • Run: The Metric Bulk Action job will run immediately. It will not be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page and it will never run again.

      Note: Selecting this will end the procedure; your bulk lock will be complete. You may skip the remaining steps.

    • Next: You will be navigated to the "Save & Schedule" page. From here, you will be able to create a schedule for your bulk lock to automatically run. It will be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page.

      Note: If you select this option, continue through the rest of the procedure.

  7. Enter a name for your saved Metric Bulk Action job.

  8. Enter an informative description for your saved Metric Bulk Action job.

  9. Use the "Frequency" drop-down menu to determine the job's run schedule.

    • Never: The Metric Bulk Action job will be saved, but it will not have any scheduled run times in the future.

      Tip: This option should only be selected if a run schedule has not been determined yet or if a temporary pause should be placed on the job.

    • Weekly: The Metric Bulk Action job will run on a weekly basis. The fields that appear can be used to specify the run schedule.

      • Start: Select a start date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes active. It will run based on the "Every" and "On" selections below.

      • Time: Select the time of day the Metric Bulk Action job will run.

        Tip: It is best to schedule jobs to run outside of working hours. This will reduce the likelihood of users editing their Metrics during a Metric Bulk Actions job.

      • End: Select an end date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes inactive. It will run based on the "Every" and "On" selections below.

      • Every: Determine the weekly interval for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Example: If "2 Weeks" is selected from the "Every" menu and "Tuesday" and "Friday" are selected from the "On" menu (below), the job will run on the Tuesday and Friday of every second week. During the first week, the job will run on Tuesday and Friday. During the second week, the job will not run. During the third week, the job will run on Tuesday and Friday again. This pattern will continue until the "End" date is reached.

      • On: Determine which days of the week the job will run on.

    • Monthly: The Metric Bulk Action job will run on a monthly basis. The fields that appear can be used to specify the run schedule.

      • Calendar: Determine which Calendar will be used to schedule the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: Administrators can create Alternative Calendars in PowerSteering.

      • Start: Select a start date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes active. It will run based on the fields below.

      • Time: Select the time of day the Metric Bulk Action job will run.

        Tip: It is best to schedule jobs to run outside of working hours. This will reduce the likelihood of users editing their Metrics during a Metric Bulk Actions job.

      • End: Select an end date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes inactive. It will run based on the fields below.

      • Schedule By: Determine how the schedule will search for the day to run the Metric Bulk Action job.

        • Fixed day of the month: A fixed date of the month will be used to identify when the job runs. This will open up drop-down menus that can be used to specify when the job will run.

          Example: Selecting "5" from the "Day" menu and "2 months" from the "Of every" menu will cause the Metric Bulk Action job to run on the 5th of every second month.

        • Relative day of the month: A relative day of the week will be used to identify when the job runs. This will open up drop-down menus that can be used to specify when the job will run.

          Example: In the image above, the Metric Bulk Action job will run on the third Thursday of every second month.

  10. Select the Save button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

    Note: If Run is selected instead, the Metric Bulk Action job will run immediately and the job will not be saved. All of the "Save & Schedule" settings will be discarded.

    Note: When a Metric Bulk Action job is scheduled, there is no way to temporarily delay it without editing the schedule. If a user requests more time to edit a Metric before a Metric Bulk Action job occurs, it is best to wait for the job to complete and then manually edit the Metric afterward.

If Run was selected, the job will run immediately. A "Results" page will appear with a report on which Metrics were successfully affected by the bulk lock.

Tip: Select any of the listed work items or Metrics to navigate to them.

If Save was selected, the new job will be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page.

From here, it can be edited at any time. It will run based on its schedule.

Tip: Use the "Next Run" column to see when the job is scheduled to run again.

In either case, you can navigate to one of the Metrics and see that the Custom Fields and Tags have been locked on the specified line items.

 

Lock all Custom Fields and Tags

Follow this procedure to lock all Custom Fields and Tags on specific views of the selected Metrics. Users will not be able to edit the values of locked Custom Fields or Tags.

To lock all Custom Fields and Tags:

  1. Select Lock all Custom Fields and Tags from the "Action" menu.

  2. Select which of the Metric views should be included in the lock.

    Tip: Selecting the top checkbox will automatically select every Metric view.

  3. Determine how you would like the Metric Bulk Action job to run.

    • Run: The Metric Bulk Action job will run immediately. It will not be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page and it will never run again.

      Note: Selecting this will end the procedure; your bulk lock will be complete. You may skip the remaining steps.

    • Next: You will be navigated to the "Save & Schedule" page. From here, you will be able to create a schedule for your bulk lock to automatically run. It will be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page.

      Note: If you select this option, continue through the rest of the procedure.

  4. Enter a name for your saved Metric Bulk Action job.

  5. Enter an informative description for your saved Metric Bulk Action job.

  6. Use the "Frequency" drop-down menu to determine the job's run schedule.

    • Never: The Metric Bulk Action job will be saved, but it will not have any scheduled run times in the future.

      Tip: This option should only be selected if a run schedule has not been determined yet or if a temporary pause should be placed on the job.

    • Weekly: The Metric Bulk Action job will run on a weekly basis. The fields that appear can be used to specify the run schedule.

      • Start: Select a start date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes active. It will run based on the "Every" and "On" selections below.

      • Time: Select the time of day the Metric Bulk Action job will run.

        Tip: It is best to schedule jobs to run outside of working hours. This will reduce the likelihood of users editing their Metrics during a Metric Bulk Actions job.

      • End: Select an end date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes inactive. It will run based on the "Every" and "On" selections below.

      • Every: Determine the weekly interval for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Example: If "2 Weeks" is selected from the "Every" menu and "Tuesday" and "Friday" are selected from the "On" menu (below), the job will run on the Tuesday and Friday of every second week. During the first week, the job will run on Tuesday and Friday. During the second week, the job will not run. During the third week, the job will run on Tuesday and Friday again. This pattern will continue until the "End" date is reached.

      • On: Determine which days of the week the job will run on.

    • Monthly: The Metric Bulk Action job will run on a monthly basis. The fields that appear can be used to specify the run schedule.

      • Calendar: Determine which Calendar will be used to schedule the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: Administrators can create Alternative Calendars in PowerSteering.

      • Start: Select a start date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes active. It will run based on the fields below.

      • Time: Select the time of day the Metric Bulk Action job will run.

        Tip: It is best to schedule jobs to run outside of working hours. This will reduce the likelihood of users editing their Metrics during a Metric Bulk Actions job.

      • End: Select an end date for the Metric Bulk Action job.

        Note: The job will not necessarily run on this day. This date determines when the job becomes inactive. It will run based on the fields below.

      • Schedule By: Determine how the schedule will search for the day to run the Metric Bulk Action job.

        • Fixed day of the month: A fixed date of the month will be used to identify when the job runs. This will open up drop-down menus that can be used to specify when the job will run.

          Example: Selecting "5" from the "Day" menu and "2 months" from the "Of every" menu will cause the Metric Bulk Action job to run on the 5th of every second month.

        • Relative day of the month: A relative day of the week will be used to identify when the job runs. This will open up drop-down menus that can be used to specify when the job will run.

          Example: In the image above, the Metric Bulk Action job will run on the third Thursday of every second month.

  7. Select the Save button in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

    Note: If Run is selected instead, the Metric Bulk Action job will run immediately and the job will not be saved. All of the "Save & Schedule" settings will be discarded.

    Note: When a Metric Bulk Action job is scheduled, there is no way to temporarily delay it without editing the schedule. If a user requests more time to edit a Metric before a Metric Bulk Action job occurs, it is best to wait for the job to complete and then manually edit the Metric afterward.

If Run was selected, the job will run immediately. A "Results" page will appear with a report on which Metrics were successfully affected by the bulk lock.

Tip: Select any of the listed work items or Metrics to navigate to them.

If Save was selected, the new job will be saved to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page.

From here, it can be edited at any time. It will run based on its schedule.

Tip: Use the "Next Run" column to see when the job is scheduled to run again.

In either case, you can navigate to one of the Metrics and see that all of the Custom Fields and Tags have been locked on the specified Metric views.

 

Locking Metrics in bulk using the legacy interface

The legacy Metric Bulk Actions interface is still available for users who are not yet familiar with the new Metric Bulk Actions wizard. However, these users should learn how to use the new interface as soon as possible because the legacy page will soon be made unavailable in a future release.

Additionally, the new wizard offers new functionality that is not available on the legacy page. Users can save their Metric Bulk Actions to the "Metric Bulk Action Jobs" page and schedule them to run automatically. This saves users from having to tediously create identical Metric Bulk Action jobs whenever they need these jobs to repeat themselves. This will also prevent any issues that occur due to forgetting to run a Metric Bulk Action.

Note: If you would like to use this page, you will need to reach out to a PowerSteering representative. Please be aware that it will eventually be deprecated, so users should learn how to use the new Metric Bulk Actions page as soon as possible.

To lock Metric values in bulk using the Legacy interface:

Before You Start: Users will require the "Lock Metrics" Project permission to lock or unlock Metric data.

  1. Select Review → Metric Bulk Actions from the Navigation Menu:

    Click to enlarge.

  2. Select a Portfolio from the drop-down menu to filter the Work Items by.

  3. Decide which tags should be used to filter the Work Items:

    Omit this tag (default): The value of this tag will have no impact on which Work Items are included in the Metric lock.

    Any value for this tag: Work Items will be included in the Metric lock only if a value has been chosen for the tag.

    No value for this tag: Work Items will be included in the Metric lock only if no value has been chosen for the tag.

    Select values: Work Items will be included in the Metric lock only if they contain the chosen value(s) for the tag.

    Tip: To make sure that the correct Work Items get included in the Metric lock, it might be wise for PowerSteering Administrators to create a specific tag for it. For example, a tag called "Financials Approved" can be used to indicate whether or not a Work Item is ready to have it's Metric views locked:

    Contact your PowerSteering Administrator if you think this would be helpful.

  4. Decide whether or not to include/exclude Work Items marked Ready for Rollup using the "Apply to" menu:

    Note: Ready for Rollup is a replaceable term in PowerSteering. Your company may have replaced Ready for Rollup with a different term that will appear as an option in this list.

    All: Every Metric instance will be included in the copy, regardless of whether or not it is Ready for Rollup.

    Ready for Rollup: Only Metric instances that are marked Ready for Rollup will be included in the copy.

    Not Ready for Rollup: Only Metric instances that are not marked Ready for Rollup will be included in the copy.

  5. Select the Metric with the Metric view that you would like to copy to other Metric views:

    Note: Once you choose a Metric template, you can see how many Metric instances will be affected below the drop-down menu.

  6. Select Metric Lock from the "Action:" menu.

  7. Select a date to lock the Metrics prior to using the "Period Prior To" calendar.

    Note: If the "Period Prior To" field is left empty, the entire Metric view will be locked.

    Note: The Metric period containing the selected date will be included in the lock. For example, imagine a Metric that contains monthly periods (every column represents a month). If August 20th is selected from the calendar, the entire month of August will be included in the lock.

  8. Select which Metric views you would like to lock using the "Views" pop-up checklist:

    In this example, the values from the "Prj Plan" Metric view before August 20th, 2021 will be locked.

  9. Decide whether or not to change the "Ready for Rollup" status of the Metric instances:

    No change: The Metric copy will not affect the "Ready for Rollup" status of any of the Metrics.

    Set: The Metric copy will set the "Ready for Rollup" status of the Metrics to "Yes."

    Clear: The Metric copy will set the "Ready for Rollup" status of the Metrics to "No."

  10. Click the Run button.

After clicking Run, a progress bar will indicate the percent complete as well as the number of items being processed. Below the progress bar is a log of what was impacted during the bulk procedure. You can click on the links in either the Project or the Metric column to directly access those Projects and Metrics:

If you click on one of the Metric links, you will see that the values from the selected Metric views are locked prior to the selected date:

In this example, the Metric view "Prj Plan" has been locked prior to August 20th, 2021, indicated by the white-colored cells up until September.

Note: PowerSteering users will be able to unlock the Metric themselves if they have been given the "Lock Metrics" Project Task permission.