Roles, Invitations, and Connections

One of the most powerful (and patented) aspects of the iLiv system is its system of Roles and Invitations.

Together these provide the levels of abstraction and flexibility that allow composers to do their best thinking about how the organization delivers value. They also seamlessly manage permissions, which are critical for data integrity and security.

Roles

Roles are descriptors of people, reflecting what skills, talents, and interests they have.

Most Roles in Performer are created by users, but there are two built in Roles.

Performer built-in Roles:

• Performance Admin
• Group Admin

Both Performance Admins and Group Admins are empowered to create Roles, but where they are created, as well as their scope, are different.

Creating Roles

In Performer, an Admin can create a Role anytime. These ad hoc Roles belong to only that Performance; even if they have the same label as another Role in another Performance, those two Roles are not connected. If you are running a one-off Performance, or if you need to add a Role to a Composed Performance that only applies to that one instance, an ad hoc Role is the way to go.

In Composer, a Group Admin can also create a Role anytime. Composed Roles are more powerful than ad hoc Roles, because when used across Compositions and Composed Performances, the multiple instances of the Role are connected.

The first time a Role defined in Composer is instantiated in a real Performance in Performer, it is automatically given a type by the system. We say: the Role is typed. Each Typed Role is unique from all other Typed Roles, and, every time you use a Types Role it is related through its type with all other uses of the same Role.

Composed Roles (Typed Roles) allow the system to track and compare the use of those Roles across many Performances, as well as the performance of individuals in those Roles across many Performances (very useful for optimizations and reports).

Invitations

Invitations are how people get permissions and take responsibilities on a Performance. Groups can be invited to a Role too.

The power of Roles and Invitations:

• In iLiv's world, you never assign a person to a Task. You assign a Role or Roles to a Timeline, Task, Milestone, or To-do, then you invite a person or Group to accept the Role.

• Not only is this a nicer way to do business, it's also a more powerful way to engage people in collective effort. Assigning a Task would be a one-way command. Sending and accepting an Invitation is a two-way contract, and a more polite and engaging way to get people working together.

• An uninvited or unaccepted Role Invitation is not a show-stopper. Use it as a placeholder for someone who will take responsibility in the future. You can get the team going without requiring that all Roles are filled.

• When someone leaves a Role, their future responsibilities do not walk out the door with them. They remain with the Role. The history of that person's work on the Performance also remains, for the person who will accept the Role next to see and learn from. Onboarding and offboarding are much more streamlined, and things are much less likely to fall through the cracks.

Connections

A Connection is established between two iLiv members who have interacted in some way. Having a connection allows members to invite one another to a Role on a Performance. The system automatically creates connections between people who are either collaborating on a Performance or are both members of the same Group.

You can also create a direct connection with other iLiv members if a connection does not currently exist. This is most often used to invite members to a Role on a Performance who are new to iLiv and may not have any established connections, without needing to invite them to a Group.

Viewing Your Connections

The "People I Work With" list, located in the Team Pod (Pod 2), displays all the iLiv members with whom you are connected. This list includes connections made in a few ways:

• People you work with on a Performance will have a Performance icon to the right of their name. Clicking this icon opens a foldout showing a list of the Performances that you have in common.
• People who are members of the same Group(s) as you will have a Group icon to the right of their name. Clicking this icon opens a foldout listing the Group(s) you share.
• People with whom you have established a direct connection (as described above) will also appear on this list.

Requesting a New Direct Connection

If you want to connect directly with another iLiv member:

1. Navigate to the Team Pod (Pod 2).
2. Click the "People" menu item located above the pod.
3. Click the "New Connection" button near the top of the pod to open the foldout.
4. In the New Connection foldout, choose how you want to search for the user (by their name, headline, or email address).
5. Use the search bar to find the right user.
6. The results matching your search will appear in a list below. You will see your current connection status with each user listed on the right. If you are not connected, it will show "No Connection".
7. Once you've found the iLiv member you want to connect with, hover over their name and click the "Connect" button.
8. After you send the request, their connection status will change to "Requested".
9. The connection becomes active ("Connected") once the other person accepts your request. Active connections will appear on your "People I Work With" list in the Team Pod.

Managing Direct Connection Requests

If someone sends you a connection request:

1. Navigate to the Team Pod (Pod 2).
2. Click the "People" menu item located above the pod.
3. Click the "Connection Requests" button near the top of the pod to open the foldout.
4. Any new requests you have will be shown here in the New Connection foldout.

You have a few options for handling a request:

1. If you want to accept the request, simply hover over the requester's name and click the "Accept" button.
2. If you do not want to accept the request, hover over the name and click the "Decline" button. Declining returns your connection status with that person to "Not Connected". Either person is free to send another connection request later.

3. If you do not want to accept the request and you want to prevent the requester from sending you any future requests, hover over their name and click the "Block" button.

   • When you block someone, the requester's connection status on their side will continue to show as "Requested". They will not know that you have blocked the request.
   • Blocking prevents them from sending subsequent requests.
   • If you change your mind about blocking a member, you can send a new connection request to that member at any time to initiate a connection.