Lifecycle Templates

Lifecycle Templates are reusable sets of lifecycle activities. Apply a template to a Special Project or a MICE Project and the system seeds its Lifecycle Jobs grid in one click — no more typing the same Pre-Show / Logistics / On-Site / Post-Show / Closed rows on every new programme.

To open the master: Awesome Bar → Lifecycle Template.

1. What a template contains

Each row in Activities is one Lifecycle Job that will be appended to the target doc:

2. Building a template

1. Awesome Bar → + New Lifecycle Template.
2. Give it a clear name (e.g. Trade Show Standard, Container Inbound, MICE Move – 3 Day).
3. Tick For Special Project and / or For Exhibits depending on where the template should be applicable.
4. Add Activities rows in the order you want them to appear. The Sort Order column governs the insertion order; rows with the same sort order keep their grid order.
5. Save.

Rules enforced on save:

• Tick at least one of For Special Project / For Exhibits.
• Add at least one Activity row.
• Each activity row needs a Lifecycle Stage and a Service Type.
• If you also pick an Activity Code, the system verifies its lifecycle_stage matches the row's stage.

3. Applying a template to a Special Project or MICE Project

1. Open the Special Project or MICE Project form (must be saved).
2. Click Lifecycle → Apply Lifecycle Template in the toolbar.
3. Pick a template (only templates whose applicability flag matches the parent type are listed).
4. (Optional) Tick Replace existing lifecycle rows (without job) to clear out rows that have not yet generated a booking/order. Rows that already have a job_no set are always preserved.
5. Click Apply.

The result alert summarises what happened:

• N added — number of activity rows appended.
• K removed — number of empty lifecycle rows removed (replace mode only).
• L kept (linked) — number of existing rows preserved because they already have a booking/order linked.
• M skipped — activity rows whose Lifecycle Stage is not flagged for the parent type and were therefore skipped.

If any activity rows were skipped, a follow-up orange banner names the offending stages so you can fix the template.

4. What seeded rows look like

Each seeded row is created with:

• lifecycle_activity_status = Not Started
• Blank job_type and job_no (so you can later click Create → Booking / Order to spawn the actual operational doc)
• Any optional service defaults from the template copied over.

The user fills in the per-deal fields (ports, airline, addresses, etc.) after applying.

5. Worked example

Template Trade Show Standard (for Special Project), 6 activity rows:

Applying this to a fresh Special Project:

• 6 rows appear in Lifecycle Jobs in the listed order, each with the right Stage and Service Type.
• All rows start at Not Started, with Job No blank.
• The user fills in the per-row trucking details, then clicks Create → Booking / Order on each row to spawn the Transport Order / Project Order, exactly as before.

6. Tips and troubleshooting

• Picker is empty — the template you want either is disabled, or its applicability flag does not match the parent (e.g. you opened the dialog on a MICE Project but the template is For Special Project only).
• "Skipped N activity row(s)..." appears in orange — an activity row references a Lifecycle Stage that is not flagged for the parent type. Open the stage master and tick the relevant box, or edit the template to use a stage that is flagged.
• Replace mode wiped fewer rows than expected — rows with a job_no (already linked to a booking/order) are always preserved. Cancel the booking/order first if you want the row removed.
• Reorder rows on the target — drag rows in the Lifecycle Jobs grid; templates only seed the initial order via Sort Order.

7. Related topics

• Special Project — Fulfillment (Packages & Deliveries)
• Special Projects Module
• MICE Module
• Lifecycle Stage
• Activity Code