Users can change a work, instruction, or contact type into another. Use the Change Type feature if one of these types has been created in error or a different contact type is preferred.
The Change Type action in the burger menu (More Options menu) of one of these types is only available when a change rule has been configured for the type and the user has the appropriate permissions.
When changing a type, ShareDo assists with fixing mandatory data and warns you about other data that needs to be changed for the type change to work. ShareDo also prevents you from performing risky work type changes.
The work type change tool cannot start relevant processes for the new work type at a particular point in time.
Warnings about changing types
As work types are highly configurable, converting one type to another could create inconsistencies or even data leakage. Carefully consider the complexities involved in changing one work type to another.
This table lists a few examples of the complexities of changing types.
| ShareDo area | Complexities |
|---|---|
| Phase plans | Different work types may have different phase plans. A work type change would be simplified if the phase plans were similar. |
| Participants | Different work types may have different participants. Are the participant roles valid for the target transformation? |
| Data capture | The data capture configuration might differ; the blades and portals may be configured differently. |
| Child work types | Are these valid for the target, e.g. are the offers, tasks, proceedings, and incidents that exist already, valid for the target type? |
| Parent work types | Check if the changed type is still valid under statement of work rules. For example, has bespoke pricing been configured? |
| Reserves/account configuration | Different work types can have different reserve type configurations, resulting in potential financial differences. |
| Scorecards | Different work types may have different scorecard configurations. |
ShareDo manages some of this complexity, but an administrator/configurator must configure work type change rules that define the changes. There are two types of work type changes rules:
- Allow children to change type to each other
- Change to specified types
These are detailed in the next section.
Configuring change rules
Before users can use the Change Type function, an administrator/configurator must set up work type change rules and validation rules using the Work type change rules menu item in Modeller: Launchpad > Open Modeller > Work types > Work type change rules.
Click Edit Rule in the Action menu next to the rule you want to edit to edit existing rules.
The Edit Change Rule blade opens, showing the existing rule configuration. Make any changes you need and click Save. The validation rules are detailed below.
Add a change rule
To add a change rule, click the + icon at the top-right side of the work type change rules page and select the rule type, work type, permissions, and required phase, as needed. Once you click Save, the system name is auto-generated. The following table explains the fields.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Rule Type: Allow children to change type to each other. |
 This lets you set that children of a parent type can be changed to each other. For example, in this image, Matter - Private Client children can be changed to other children. |
| Work Type | Choose the work type whose children are allowed to change to other children. Only the types that support conversion are listed. |
| Rule Type: Change to specified types. | This rule type allows a user to change the source work type to one of the target types in the list. |
| Source Type | Choose a source work type that can be changed to one of the work types listed in the Target Types field. Only the types that support conversion are listed. |
| Target Types | Choose what types the source type can be changed into. |
| Display & Permissions | |
| Required Permission | Select any permissions users must have to see this rule. |
| Required Phase |
In both cases, multiple phases can be selected. |
Validation rules
ShareDo allows you to configure rules to validate work type changes. If the validation fails, the rules can be set to warn the user and allow them to fix the issue or prevent the change altogether. The two mandatory validation rules are for phase mapping and sup-type mapping (see the image below). In general, when a work type change would cause a serious break in the system and a validation rule for that change is enabled, the only Action on Failure available for that rule is Prevent transition. For work type changes that would cause a problem, the rules also allow the Warn user, allowing them to fix if appropriate action. It is best practice to enable the validation rule and configure the action on failure of that rule for any work type change rule you set up. See the help text for each validation rule for specific information on that rule.
Changing work types
A user can change a work type as long as a change rule has been configured for it and they have the necessary permissions. If these conditions are met, the Change Work Type link is available in the burger (More options) menu.
When the user clicks the link, the Change Type blade opens. The options in the Type dropdown depend on the configuration of the change type rule. It is mandatory to enter a reason for the change. This reason is added to the chronology entry.
Review and fix validation issues
When the user clicks Next, ShareDo validates the type change based on the validation rules configured with the change rule. If any of the validation rules fail, they are listed. Take note of warnings and correct any issues listed. If all checks pass, click Confirm to proceed.
The user will receive a toast message that the change has been successful, and a chronology entry with the detail of the change is made.
It is essential to check that the data in the changed work type is correct after the change. Remember to use any warnings that came up during the change validation as a guide.