Project Statuses and Workflow
- Stacy Reno (Unlicensed)
- Jorge Raya-Navarro
e-PlanReview® (EPR) displays a Project Status for each project application record, allowing staff to track the overall application status across the life of a project. While some project statuses are set automatically based on EPR workflow, others are only updated when a user manually updates the project application.
For agencies using goPost, once the project status is updated in EPR it will trigger an equivalent project status update in goPost for that project application.
For agencies using an integrated permitting system, the workflow will likely be managed by the permitting system itself rather than EPR.
What are Project Statuses?
Project statuses are displayed in EPR to indicate the current stage of the overall project application. Some project statuses are set automatically by EPR, but others require staff to manually set them.
For agencies using EPR standalone or EPR with goPost, the “Project Status” field gives agency staff a way to track the overall status of the project application as a whole.
For agencies using EPR with an integrated permitting system, tracking the “Project Status” in EPR may not be as necessary, especially if that status is already tracked within the permitting partner system. On the other hand, keeping the EPR project status up-to-date can help staff maintain better long-term records and allows for easier filtering and searching through project records in the future.
How Are Project Statuses Used in EPR?
Project statuses are used to display which one of six (6) distinct workflow scenarios apply to each project application within EPR.
Each workflow scenario has a Parent Item value which EPR uses for internal tracking.
Parent items are not configurable.
Each workflow scenario has a configurable Label value that is displayed to staff within EPR.
EPR provides default labels which can be used as-is.
If a default label will be confusing to staff, the default can be made ‘Inactive’ and an alternative label can be configured. See Managing List Types and List Items for details.
During implementation, staff are advised to review the default labels and consult with the e-PlanSoft Implementation Team if they want to replace or create alternative project status labels.
The Six Project Workflow Scenarios
The six project workflow scenarios are described below:
Workflow Scenario | Parent Item | Label (Default) | Label (Sample Alternatives) | Is Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|
This is a new project application or an existing project has received additional files or resubmittals. | Open | Open | In Review, Received | Automatically by EPR |
All existing project plan review tasks have been given an appropriate final assignment status. | Cycle Complete | Cycle Complete | Review Complete, Reviewed | Automatically by EPR |
This project application has been approved and/or a permit can be issued. | Pass | Approved | Conditional Approval, Final Approval, Issued | Manually by staff |
This project application has not been approved and may require additional information or resubmittal(s). | Fail | Corrections Required | Corrections, Resubmit, Resubmittal Required | Manually by staff |
Pause all work on the project application and its related files until further notice, but work may be resumed at a later date once issue(s) have been addressed. | OnHold | On Hold | Review On Hold, Review Paused | Manually by staff |
This project application will not proceed. | Withdrawn | Canceled | Abandoned, Not Applicable | Manually by staff |
There must always be an active project status for each value that is set automatically by EPR.
Setting a project to an “On Hold” status will prevent the ability to upload, intake, or review files as well as prevent staff from making any assignment or project changes until the project status is changed back to an “Open” status. (Changing the project status is the only update allowed.)
Setting a project to a “Withdrawn” status will prevent the ability to upload, intake, or review plans unless the status is changed back to an “Open” status. Project details can still be updated, but the project is essentially canceled.
Create a Project Status
To create a new project status within EPR:
Navigate within the EPR menu to Settings > Configuration > Lists.
Click within the “Purpose” dropdown and select either For Permitting or For Design Review.
Click within the “List Type” dropdown and select Project Status.
To add a project status, click the (Add) button in the lower right corner.
Type the project status name into the “Label” field.
Can use alphanumeric characters, as well as “-”, “_” or “/” characters.
The full label displays in project headers, within drop-downs, and in reports that include project status.
Type the project status abbreviation into the “Item Abbreviation” field.
Can use alphanumeric characters only.
Abbreviation length should be between 1-4 characters at maximum.
Abbreviation is displayed wherever space is limited, such as in table columns.
Select a Parent Item from the “Parent List Item” drop-down to determine how this status should behave.
Order can be ignored ignored since project status will sort alphabetically in dropdowns (based on the label).
Key will be created automatically after creating a new status.
Either type in a hex color value into the “Item Color” field or click on the circle next to it to select one from the color picker.
The status abbreviation will be displayed in EPR tables using the selected color.
Click on the List Item is Active/Inactive toggle to enable or disable the project status.
If more than one project status label exists for a single Parent Item, make sure to define which one should be the default choice for automated actions by clicking on List Item is not/is Default.
Click SAVE to complete.
List Items > Project Status Layout | Add Project Status Window |
|---|---|
 List Item Page Displaying Project Status Table
|
 Project Status Window |
Edit a Project Status
Most project status information can be edited as needed, though because of how information is tracked behind the scenes, updating an existing “Label” is not recommended.
To edit other existing project status information within EPR:
Navigate within the EPR menu to Settings > Configuration > Lists.
Click within the “Purpose” dropdown and select either For Permitting or For Design Review.
Click within the “List Type” dropdown and select Project Status.
This will load the existing project status value table.
Click (Edit) to open an existing project status.
Update Abbreviation, Parent Item, or Color as needed.
If necessary, click on the List Item is Active/Inactive toggle to disable or re-enable the project status.
If necessary, click on on the List Item is not/is Default toggle to update.
Click SAVE to complete the update or CANCEL to close the form without making any changes.
Updating an existing project status’s label after it has been saved is not recommended. Instead, create a new project status with the desired label and set it to default (as appropriate). If the old status is no longer needed, make it inactive.
Delete a Project Status
If a project status has not been used, it can be safely deleted from EPR. However, deleting should be reserved as a last resort.
To delete a Project Status:
Navigate within the EPR menu to Settings > Configuration > Lists.
Click within the “Purpose” dropdown and select either For Permitting or For Design Review.
Click within the “List Type” dropdown and select Project Status.
This will load the existing project status value table.
Click (Delete) next to a project status to remove it from EPR.
Deleting the project status will be successful as long as it has not been used anywhere within EPR. For project statuses that have been used already, go ahead and inactivate the project status instead.
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