Backdating Updates

Backdating in Envisio is a useful and helpful way to ensure that your updates reflect the right reporting period. However, Envisio wants to ensure that your update history is accurate and well maintained. For this reason, we have separated out SYSTEM updates from USER updates. This is reflected in both Plans and Projects.

 

Definitions

BACKDATING

• Selecting a different date to enter your updates for. You can backdate until the last narrative update. Backdating allows you to enter updates to better reflect the date something happened (eg- adding updates for last month during this month).

USER UPDATE

• A user has entered a narrative description of the work done, updated the status or progress, and/or has completed a checklist item.

SYSTEM UPDATE

• Operations done by Envisio, such as progress calculations or adding/removing checklist items. These were originally coupled with the User Updates but have been decoupled to provide a better log of operations on the plan element. System updates will track user updates by displaying an “Update Created” record.

 

Notifications

Envisio will continue to send notifications based on the last USER update.

 

Reports and Dashboards

Envisio will continue to show USER updates on your Reports and Dashboards. This is the information that is most valuable to you and to those you share these artifacts with. Our SYSTEM updates are a log within the Updates module, and will be only visible there.

 

Workflows

Scenario 1- You perform updates regularly and don’t need to backdate

You can continue to provide updates as usual. You’ll be able to see your narrative (or descriptive) updates under the USER tab, and you can see a log of the updates under the SYSTEM tab. The SYSTEM tab will also document any status or progress changes for you.

Scenario 2- You perform updates but need to backdate to the appropriate reporting period

Envisio still allows backdating, but you cannot backdate past the USER last update.

For example,

If today is June 30, and the last update was April 30, you can backdate until April 30. 

This is to ensure that the updates you provide are in the correct order.

You’ll notice that under the SYSTEM tab, your updates are recorded with the date of the update and the date you’ve backdated to. This is to help document when an update was submitted vs the date the update is for.

Scenario 3- You have a linked Project in your Plan

Backdating is allowed for linked projects. The logic is the same as backdating in a plan, where you can backdate up until the last USER update.

Scenario 4 (Plans-only) - You need to update or edit checklists

Updating and editing checklists has gotten a lot easier! Previously, if you updated a checklist (added or removed items– not checking items), it would limit your ability to backdate. Since introducing USER vs SYSTEM updates, this limitation no longer exists.

Adding or removing checklist items will be tracked in SYSTEM updates and not in the USER updates section. Only completing a checklist item will count as a USER update and display as a narrative update.

(Note- if you complete a checklist item while editing a plan element, not within the Submit Updates module, it will count as a SYSTEM update since it’s done during the element editing and not during the user update.)

Scenario 5 (Projects-only) - You need to mark tasks as complete and provide an update on your Project

Marking a task as complete is a lot easier now as well! When you mark a task as complete, it will count as a SYSTEM update and no longer block your USER updates on the Project. You can mark tasks as complete while still being able to backdate narrative updates to the last USER update.