1. CYCLES: What Every WEAVEonline Administrator Should Know
Kristin Rice
Director of Member Support & Development Management

2. During this session: Terminology Data Elements ID Numbers Lifespans
Enhanced Cycle Functionality
New Cycle Creation
What happens in Admin Tools
What happens in Assessment
Orphan Tools and the Lifespan Manager
Common Pitfalls

3. Terminology: Data Element
We use the phrase ‘data element’ to refer to:
Mission/Purpose Statements
Goals
Outcomes/Objectives
Measures
Achievement Targets
Action Plans, etc.

4. Terminology: ID Numbers
ID Numbers are visible to WEAVEonline Administrators via a rollover for:
Entities
Goals
Outcomes/Objectives
Measures
Targets
ID Numbers are unique
ID Numbers are the same for a data element’s entire lifespan

5. Terminology: Lifespans
Lifespans control in which cycles a data element is active using:
Established in Cycle
Active Through Cycle
Lifespans control if a data element will be copied into a new cycle
Select the last cycle in which that Data Element should be Active OR
Select ‘Keep Active’ if this Data Element should be copied into new cycles

6. Terminology : Lifespans
Lifespans are like taffy:
A B C
It is the same piece of taffy, same ID#, and should be the same general idea/theme within the data element

7. Lifespans: Admin Tools
Entities
General Education/Core Curriculum
Institutional Priorities
Strategic Plans
Standards & Standards Sets
Analysis Questions
Annual Report Sections
Local News (Start/End dates, not effected by cycles)
Lifespans apply to several areas – this first list applies to items the WOA has access to; almost all of these also have lifespans (local news has dates).

8. Lifespans: Assessment
Mission
Goals
Outcomes/Objectives
Measures
Targets
Findings (single cycle lifespan)
Action Plans
Documents
These data elements on the assessment tab (that users enter) also have lifespans.

9. Lifespan: Example 1 I have three cycles:
If I create an Outcome/Objective that was Established in ‘A’ and is set to ‘Keep Active’
This Outcome/Objective will exist in:
When a new cycle is created, it will automatically be copied from the most recent cycle (C) into a newly created cycle (D)
This Outcome/Objective will have the same ID number in all cycles

10. Lifespan: Example 2 I have three cycles:
I need to create an Entity that was established in the prior cycle (B), will be in the current cycle (C), and will be in future cycles:
Once saved, this Entity will now exist in*:
When a new cycle is created, it will automatically be copied from the most recent cycle (C) into a newly created cycle (D)
This Entity will have the same ID number in all cycles

11. Terminology: Enhanced Cycle Functionality
Edits made in one cycle are NOT automatically reflected in other existing cycles
Small changes, edits, tweaks are therefore accurate to the cycle in which they were made
This preserves the data so that the wording/naming is accurately reflected in each cycle
The Cycle Text Viewer can be used to review wording in all cycles

12. Enhanced Cycle Functionality: Example

13. Copy Edits Forward
On the Assessment Tab: If you edit a Data Element in one cycle and you want this identical change made in other subsequent editable cycles you can use the Copy Edits Forward functionality
Admin Tools: This feature does not exist in Admin Tools

14. Enhanced Cycle Functionality: Admin Tools
Entities*
General Education/Core Curriculum*
Institutional Priorities*
Strategic Plans*
Standards*
Analysis Questions*
Annual Report Sections*
* Enhanced Cycle Functionality

15. Enhanced Cycle Functionality: Assessment
Mission*
Goals*
Outcomes/Objectives*
Measures*
Targets*
Findings
Action Plans*
Documents
* Enhanced Cycle Functionality

16. Creating a New Cycle Before creating a new cycle – Review & Plan!
Cannot be deleted
Start/End Dates must not overlap
The Cycle Display is what users will see
Cycles cannot be rearranged chronologically
New cycles cannot precede existing cycles chronologically

17. Creating a New Cycle
Click on Add New Cycle
Enter Details
Press ‘Save’

18. Cycles
WEAVEonline Administrators choose which cycle should be the ‘current’ cycle for their institution

19. What Happens when a New Cycle is Created?

20. New Cycle: Admin Tools Entities:
All existing entities that have their lifespan set to ‘Keep Active’ will be stretched from the most recent cycle into the new cycle
If an entity is added to an earlier cycle and is set to ‘Keep Active’ it will automatically populate into all existing cycles
After the cycle is added, edits made to an entity in any cycle are NOT made to that entity in any other cycle (Enhanced Cycle Functionality)

21. New Cycle: Admin Tools Entities:
Cycles are meant to be added when needed
If you have several future cycles and an entity’s name is edited in the current cycle, this change will need to be made in every future cycle
If an entity’s placement in the tree changes in the current cycle, you may drag/drop or cut/paste this entity to its new position, this change will need to be made in every future cycle
Use the cycle text viewer to view the ID#, name, and parent for the entity in all cycles.

22. New Cycle: Admin Tools Entity Tree Editing Tip
If you will be making large scale/restructuring changes to your entity tree:
Print the entity tree for each existing cycle
Mark editing/placement changes on the printout
Make edits to entity names in all appropriate cycles within the application
Re-parent all child entities prior to ending the lifespan of a parent entity
Move entities into correct placement in tree

23. New Cycle: Admin Tools General Education* Standards* Strategic Plans*
Analysis Questions*
Institutional Priorities*
Annual Report Sections*
Each data element in these areas have a lifespan
These areas have Enhanced Cycle Functionality
Edits made in one cycle STAY in that cycle
Use the magnifying glass to see the wording over all existing cycles
When a new cycle is created, all data elements that were set to ‘Keep Active’ will be stretched into the new cycle
When editing a data element, the edit stays in the cycle where the edit was made
Use the Cycle Text Viewer to see the wording in different cycles

24. New Cycle: Assessment Mission* Measures* Goals* Targets*
Outcomes/Objectives*
Action Plans*
All data elements that are set to ‘Keep Active’ are copied from the most recent cycle into the new cycle
If a data element is added to an older cycle and is set to ‘Keep Active’ it will automatically populate into all of the cycles in its lifespan
From this point forward, edits made to a data element in one cycle are NOT automatically made to that data element in any other cycle (Enhanced Cycle Functionality)

25. New Cycle: Assessment Mission/Purpose Targets Findings
An entity can only have one Mission/Purpose per cycle
You may edit an existing mission or choose to alter its lifespan
Targets
Can only have one per cycle per Measure/Objective pair
You may edit or choose to alter its lifespan
If you wish to see Findings from prior years (trend data) then you would choose to edit as opposed to altering the lifespan
Findings
You must have a Target before you can enter a Finding
Can only have one Finding per Measure/Objective pair
Findings exist in only one cycle
A word about deleting. Deleting – only WOA/EA can do this. We often get questions about why; deleting an item if different that altering a lifespan. When changing a lifespan, we are only changing where the data exists – even if alter such that it disappears from the Asumm screen/reports, it still exists in the database (often as an orphan, more on that soon). However, deleting removes the data permanently from the database forever – there is rarely a way to recover it.
A scenario: someone is working in a new cycle and has decided they don’t want to work on ouctome 1 this year (they’ve been working on it for 5 years). Rather than edit the lifespan so that it is retired in the previous cycle, they delete. The outcome and all of it’s data (FINDINGS) are gone in ALL cycles and cannot be recovered. It is for this reason the delete button is not throughout the application for all users.

26. New Cycle: Assessment
When a new cycle is created, the following are automatically copied into that new cycle:
Numbering for Goals, Outcomes/Objectives and Measures
Associations of Outcomes/Objectives with General Education/Core Curriculum elements, Strategic Plans, Institutional Priorities, and Standards
Relationships for Outcomes/Objectives, Measures and Goals
Relationships between a Measure/Objective pair and its Achievement Targets and Action Plans
Connections with Documents

27. New Cycle: Assessment
If a user is working ‘out of sequence’ (not in the most recent/newest cycle) and makes a change to:
Associations (ASSOCIATIONS between and Outcome/Objective and Goals, Standards, Strategic Plans, General Education/Core Curriculum, Institutional Priorities and RELATIONSHIPS between Measure-Outcome/Objective pairs and Targets and Action Plans)
Connections (Documents)
Those changes can be brought forward into a cycle using:

28. New Cycle: Example 1 Cycle C is created
In the prior cycle (B) a user adds a document that is set to ‘Keep Active’ and connects that document to an existing O/O that is also set to ‘Keep Active’
The document and the O/O have lifespans and therefore exists in cycles B and C
But, the connections between the document and the O/O only exist in the prior cycle (B)
The document ( ) can be copied into the new cycle by navigating to cycle C and clicking on:

29. New Cycle: Example 1
Associations, Relationships & Connections are added using check boxes
Associations of Outcomes/Objectives with General Education/Core Curriculum elements, Strategic Plans, Institutional Priorities, and Standards
Relationships for Outcomes/Objectives, Measures and Goals
Relationships between a Measure/Objective pair and its Achievement Targets and Action Plans
Connections with Documents
These check box choices get copied into NEW cycles automatically
But if a user is working out of sequence, these need to be PULLED forward using

30. New Cycle: Assessment
If a user is working ‘out of sequence’ (not in the most recent/newest cycle) and makes a change to:
Data Elements (Mission, Goals, Outcomes/Objectives, Measures, Achievement Targets, and Action Plans)
These changes can be pushed forward into other subsequent editable cycles using ‘Copy Edits Forward’

31. Lifespan Manager
The purpose of the Lifespan Manager is to allow WEAVEonline Administrators the ability to review lifespan data and relationships within entities
The Lifespan Manager is accessed through three different paths:
Via Admin Tools> Orphan Tools> Orphan Index
Via Admin Tools> Orphan Tools> Lifespan Manager
Via Assessment Pages > Lifespan Manager button
This tool is currently just for WEAVEonline Administrators
WEAVEonline Administrators can use this tool to align data, fix orphans, and view text in multiple cycles

32. Lifespan Manager Example of aligned data
Please view the Orphan Tools Webinar (Online Learning Community) and/or the Orphan Tools Tutorial (Help > FAQs and Other Info) for more details.

33. Lifespan Manager
Use the Lifespan Manager to review wording in all cycles
The Cycle Text Viewer can also be utilized

34. Common Pitfalls
Pitfall Example# 1: Changing the Theme/Meaning/Idea of a Data Element that exists in multiple cycles
Editing the wording of an existing data element (ex. O/O) into a completely different idea so that it no longer resembles what existed in prior cycles
Then editing the lifespan

35. Pitfall Example #1
Original O/O
Changing the Theme of a Data Element

36. Pitfall Example #1 (continued)
Changing the Lifespan :
Removes this data element from
Removes all records of the original wording of this Outcome/Objective
If you were to extend the lifespan back to , all wording would be copied from

37. Pitfall #1 Synopsis In this scenario:
A Data Element had one underlying ID number, but after editing had more than one theme/concept
This can then lead to users making further and more drastic changes such as changing the data element’s Lifespan
The consequences can be:
Loss of wording specific to a cycle(s)
Creation of Orphaned Relationships, Targets and Findings (see next example)

38. Common Pitfalls Example 2: Changing the Lifespan/Orphaning Data
Editing the ‘Established in Cycle’ or ‘Active through Cycle’ dates without regard to data that exists in those cycles and thereby creating orphans

39. Pitfall Example #2
Original Data

40. Pitfall Example #2
Original Data in the lifespan manager

41. Pitfall Example #2 (continued)
Original Data Schematically

42. Pitfall Example #2 (continued)
If the lifespan of the Objective is altered

43. Pitfall Example #2 (continued)
Original Data in the lifespan manager

44. Pitfall Example #2 (continued)
If the lifespan of the Objective is altered

45. Pitfall Example #2 (continued)
If the lifespan of the Measure is altered

46. Pitfall Example #2 (continued)
If the M/O Relationship is removed

47. Pitfall Example #2 (continued)
If the M/O Relationship is removed

48. Pitfall Example #2 (continued)
If the lifespan of the Target is altered

49. Pitfall #2 Synopsis
Anytime the lifespan of an Objective, Measure, or Target is altered, there is a potential to orphan data
Anytime a relationship between a Measure-Outcome/Objective pair is removed, there is a potential to orphan data
A warning exists in the application as well as in the ‘Adding/Editing Data in a New Cycle’ document

50. Pitfall #2 Synopsis
Despite warnings…. users still change the ‘Established in Dates’ of data elements
It is hoped that WOAs will be able to choose to either show/hide the Established in Date to their users via a setting

51. Pitfall #2 Synopsis
To prevent orphans, users should work in the following order:
Remove un-needed Findings
Alter the lifespan of Targets
Remove M--O/O relationships
Alter lifespans of Measures
Alter lifespans of Objectives
The following warning exists in the ‘Adding/Editing Data in a New Cycle’ document
NOTE: Do not change the ‘Established in Cycle’ without first reviewing related data that may be affected. Please ask your WEAVEonline Administrator if you have questions.
WEAVEonline Administrators can find and fix orphans via Orphan Tools

52. For More Information: Help > FAQs and Other Info > Cycle Primer
Help > Getting Started > Adding & Editing in a New Cycle
Help > FAQs and Other Info > Orphan Tutorial
Orphan Tools Webinar
Encore Training - EVERY MONTH (2nd Friday)
Contact Support or