Scoring

Scoring is an assessment of a project’s attractiveness by questions that designated people (responders) answer. The answers are turned into points in two dimensions, Benefits and Complexity, and the result is visible in the question table and on a chart. The assessment follows a scoring template that defines the questions, weights and responders. One template can be assigned to many projects.

A project’s scoring is on the project’s Scoring tab, provided the Scoring module is switched on for your organization (main menu: System settings, Scoring tab, the Enable / Disable switch; switching it off does not delete data) and ticked in the project (project menu, Functionalities; see Project functionalities). The tab is visible to users with the Scoring project permission (View or Admin) and to responders, who get access to the project for the duration of the assessment. Scoring templates are in the main menu, under Scoring, for users with the scoring templates permission (see Users and permissions).

Project scoring

Assigning a template

1. Open the Scoring tab in the project.
2. Click the Choose scoring template button (visible to users with the Admin permission for scoring).
3. Choose a template from the list in the Scoring template window and click Save.

If the organization has no template yet, the tab shows the message No scorings defined in the system. After a template is assigned, a copy of its questions appears in the project. People named in the template as responders get access to the project, and project managers become responders in the questions where Project manager was chosen.

Changing and removing a template

The button with the template name in the Scoring template field opens the same window. Changing the template to another one creates the scoring anew; if anyone has already answered any question, the message The changing of the scoring template will delete all answers for current scoring. Do you want to change the scoring template? appears. Previous responders lose the project access granted for scoring. The Delete button in the window removes the current scoring from the project, together with the scores; archived versions stay (see Archived scores).

Tab layout

• the Displayed scoring list switches between the current version (Current) and archived versions,
• the Information section with the template, the list of responders (Responders) and the Required update date (see Managing responders and Notifying responders),
• a chart of results history in the Benefits and Complexity dimensions, with points for consecutive versions,
• the question table, where the View button switches between the Aggregate view and the Comparative view. The aggregate view shows the Average and Percent for each question. The comparative view puts the answers of chosen responders side by side (up to three people at once).

Scoring templates

Scoring templates are in the main menu, under Scoring. The list has the Name and Description columns; click a name to open the template on the Questions tab. A template has three tabs: Questions, Responders and Publish.

Adding a template

1. Click Add in the template list.
2. In the Add scoring template window, enter the name (required) and optionally a description, and click Add.

Renaming, changing the description, deleting

The template menu (the gear icon next to the name) has the Edit (name and description) and Delete options. Deleting a template cannot be undone and removes the current scoring in all projects the template is assigned to (the message The removal is irreversible and will delete the current scoring from all elements it is assigned to. Do you want to delete scoring?). Archived versions in projects stay.

Publishing changes

Changes to questions and responders are saved in the template at once, but projects see them only after publishing. The Publish tab shows the Last publish date and the list of projects that use the template, with their managers. The Publish button updates the current scoring in all those projects:

• new questions are added, deleted ones disappear, changed ones are updated,
• answers to the remaining questions stay. An answer whose chosen scale value is no longer active in the question is deleted,
• all responders return to the Not updated status.

Criteria and questions

The Questions tab of a template shows a tree: the dimension (Benefits or Complexity), criteria in it, and questions in the criteria. The columns are Name, Weight, Maximum score and Responders. Click the Name or Maximum score header to sort the tree.

Adding a criterion

1. Click the arrow next to the Add question button and choose Add criterion.
2. In the Add criterion window, enter the name (required), choose the dimension (Scope) and optionally a description.
3. Click Save.

The window of an existing criterion shows the number of questions and the maximum score. Deleting a criterion also deletes all its questions (Deleting the criteria will delete all questions assigned to the criteria. Are you sure you want to delete the criteria?). Questions can be added only after a criterion has been added in the given dimension.

Adding a question

1. Click Add question. The Add question window opens.
2. Enter the Name (required), choose the Scope and Criteria, the Weight (from 1 – Very small to 5 – Very big) and optionally a Description.
3. In the Answers table, tick in the Active column the scale values (from 0 to 10) that a responder will be able to choose, and enter a description for each. The Score column shows the scale value multiplied by the weight. At least two active answers are required (The scoring question must have at least two answers.).
4. Choose people in the Responders field (see Managing responders).
5. Click Save.

Click a question in the list to open the Edit question window, where you can also delete it. Changes take effect in projects after publishing (see Scoring templates).

Managing responders

Responders, the people who answer the questions, are set in the template. A responder can be a user with a full license or the Project manager (a dynamic value: in each project the responders are its managers).

In a question

In the question window, the Responders field lets you choose one or several responders for that question (see Criteria and questions).

On the Responders tab

1. Open the template’s Responders tab. The list shows all responders of all questions. While there are no questions, the tab shows No questions in the scoring. To edit the responders, you must first define the questions.
2. Click Add. The Responder window opens.
3. Choose a user or the Project manager and click Save.
4. In the next window, tick the questions the chosen person is to assess (the Select all switch ticks all of them) and click Save.

Click a person in the list to open the same question selection window; the Delete button in the window takes all questions from them. A responder must have at least one question assigned (Responder must be assigned to at least one question). Changes reach projects after the template is published.

In a project, a responder gets project access (the permission to assess) for the duration of the current scoring and sees their questions on the Scoring tab.

Notifying responders

Responders are notified by setting a deadline for updating scores.

1. Assign a template to the project (see Project scoring).
2. Click the date in the Required update field in the Responders section. The Required update window opens.
3. Choose a date and, optionally, turn on the Change the status for all answers to “Not updated” switch.
4. Click Save.

A notification in the application, and an email for people who have the Scoring Update notification on, goes to all responders of the project when:

• the deadline is set for the first time, or
• the status switch is on, which resets all scores to the Not updated status.

Changing the date alone to a later one, without the switch, notifies nobody. Notifications are not sent in an archived project or when the Scoring module is switched off. The deadline can be changed only for the current version, by users with the Admin permission for scoring.

Entering a score

1. Open the Scoring tab in the project, or use the link in the email.
2. Click your own name in the Responders list. The Score window opens.
3. Choose an answer from the list for every question. The question description is visible when you hover over the info icon next to its name.
4. Click Save.

Saving sets the Updated status, with the date and a green dot next to the responder’s name. You can change only your own score. The score of another responder and an archived version are visible but cannot be edited. Questions that were not assigned to the responder show a lock icon.

The window also shows the score status (Updated or Not updated) and the Expected update: deadline. The results of all responders are in the question table on the Scoring tab.

Archived scores

Archiving

1. Open the Scoring tab in the project (the current scoring is displayed).
2. Click Archive. The Scoring window opens with a proposed name (the current date and time).
3. Check or change the name and save.

Archiving saves the current state of the scoring in the history: the template, questions, responders and their answers. The current scoring keeps its scores, so after archiving you can set a new deadline and reset statuses (see Notifying responders) for responders to update their scores. Saved versions make up the history shown on the chart.

Viewing and renaming

On the Displayed scoring list, choose an archived version. You then see the Scoring archived date, the responders’ scores and the results in the question table, all read-only. The Rename button renames the version.

Deleting

The Delete button next to an archived version deletes it after confirmation (Do you want to delete archived scoring?). Deletion cannot be undone. Archiving, renaming and deleting need the Admin permission for scoring.