Creating Relationships Between Enterprise Objects

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Creating relationships between enterprise objects allows powerful reporting on the state of your enterprise, including impact analysis, RACI reporting, risk mitigation, etc.

When you view or check out a diagram or a document from the repository, the diagram and its shapes update to reflect current enterprise relationships in the repository that the diagram and shapes describe.

Before you may use enterprise objects, you must have an active connection with the repository and have the rights to see the objects. If you do not see the objects or commands indicated, please be aware that the repository administrator(s) or owner can control access to enterprise objects. The administrators may use the Repository Options or Rights commands to specify what enterprise objects are visible in the Explorer, and which objects may be created or edited.

Enterprise Objects List

Please see the Enterprise Objects Overview section for definitions of Enterprise Objects. As a brief review, an Enterprise Object (EO) is defined to be one of the following (listed in alphabetical order):

This Object Type	Has this definition or function
Activity	A step in, or child of, a process in the process landscape.
Business Rule	A control on the enterprise; an action required to ensure, or the test for, compliance.
Class	The programming classes used to implement systems.
Goal	A child of a Strategy; a projected state of affairs.
Interface	The interface offered by a resource; often a physical resource such as a computer system.
Operation	The operation (transaction or functionality) of a resource defined by a service or interface.
Performance Indicator	A specific measurement on the enterprise such as inventory level. Can exist anywhere in the model.
Process	A sequence of operations and events that produce an outcome. Can be composed of other processes or activities, and arranged in a landscape.
Requirement	Statement of an expectation to be fulfilled.
Resource	Used to perform the work of the enterprise.
Risk Template	Used to provide consistent setup in identifying risks to successful enterprise functioning.
Roll-up Performance Indicator	An aggregation of similar performance indicators, to summarize the state of similar measurements. Typically located under the goals that they measure.
Service	The service provided by a system resource interface.
Strategy	Describes a long-term plan of action to achieve a particular goal.
Work Product	A physical good, information, or data that is an input or output to processes or activities.

Creating Relationships from Enterprise Objects

The following table gives procedural information for creating a relationship from an Enterprise Object (EO) to another EO; or to a repository item or web page for ‘Documented By’ relationships:

Not all relationships may be created from an Enterprise Object (EO). Please see the Enterprise Objects Relationships Reference section for specific relationships that can be made from EO’s to other objects.

Task	Procedure
Create a Documented By relation to a repository file, iGrafx component, or web page	Right-click the EO you want to make a ‘Documented By’ relationship from and choose Properties. The Item Properties dialog box appears. Click the Documentation page. Click the Documented By tab. Click the Add button. The Documentation Link dialog box appears. Under Link To, select the type of link: URL: Link to a web page. You have the option to provide a name for the link, so the entire URL does not show. Repository Item: Click Browse, choose an iGrafx document component (e.g. a diagram), iGrafx file, or other file from the resulting Choose Repository Item dialog box, then click OK. Click OK to close the Documentation Link dialog box. Click OK or Apply to save your changes to the Item Properties. Note: Linking to an iGrafx diagram for project documentation is different than ‘describing’ an Enterprise Object with a diagram or shape. Please see the Creating and Using Describes Relationships (Describing Enterprise Objects) topic for more information.
Create a RACI relation to a Resource	Right-click the EO you want to make a RACI relationship from and choose Properties. The Item Properties dialog box appears. Click the RACI page. Click the Add button and choose the RACI category, or simply click the "Add..." text under the RACI category. Choose a Resource from the Choose Object dialog box. Click OK to close the Choose Object dialog box. Click OK or Apply to save your changes to the EO Properties.
Create an ‘Object For’ relation from a: Strategy Goal Requirement Business Rule	Right-click the Strategy, Goal, Requirement, or Business Rule you want a relationship from and choose Properties. The Item Properties dialog box appears. Under the category for the object, click the ‘Object For’ page; where Object is a Strategy, Goal, Requirement, or Business Rule. For example, in the Strategy category, click ‘Strategy For’ Click the Add button. In the Choose Object dialog box, Select an EO. For example, select a Process. Click OK in the Choose Object dialog box. Click OK to save your changes and close the Properties dialog box (or you can click on another object, or click Apply if you want to make more edits to this object).
Create a Strategy/Goal relation to a Strategy or Goal	Right-click the EO you want a Strategy/Goal relationship from and choose Properties. Click the More page. Click the Strategies/Goals tab. Click the Add button and choose the Strategies or Goals, or simply click the "Add..." text under the Strategies or Goals list. Choose a Strategy or Goal from the Choose Object dialog box. Click OK to close the Choose Object dialog box. Click OK or Apply, to save your changes to the EO Properties.
Create a Supported By relation from a: Activity Class Interface Process	Right-click the EO (Activity, Class, Interface, or Process) you want a Supported By relationship from and choose Properties. The Item Properties dialog box appears. Click the Support page. Click the Add button and choose the Supported By, or simply click the "Add..." text under "Supported By" in the relationships list. Choose the appropriate object from the Choose Object dialog box: For an Activity: Process/Activity, Resource, or Operation. For a Class: Process, Resource, or Operation. For an Interface: Resource. For a Process: Class, Process/Activity, Resource, or Operation. Click OK to close the Choose Object dialog box. Click OK or Apply, to save your changes to the EO Properties.
Create a Supports relation from a: Activity Class Operation Process	Right-click the EO (Activity, Class, Operation, or Process) you want a Supports relationship from and choose Properties. The Item Properties dialog box appears. Click the Support page. Click the Add button and choose the Supports, or simply click the "Add..." text under "Supports" in the relationships list. Choose the appropriate object from the Choose Object dialog box: For an Activity: Process/Activity. For a Class: Process. For an Operation: Process/Activity, Class. For a Process: Class, Process/Activity. Click OK, to close the Choose Object dialog box. Click OK or Apply to save your changes to the EO Properties.
Create a Work Product relation from a Process or Activity	Right-click the Process or Activity you want a Work Product relationship from and choose Properties. The Item Properties dialog box appears. Click the Work Products page. Click the Add button and choose the direction of the work product flow: Inflow: The work product flows into this object; it is an input to (used by) the process or activity. Outflow: The work product flow out of this object; it is an output (result) of the process or activity. Choose a Work Product, and the process or activity the work product is coming from or going to, in the Setup Workflow dialog box. Click OK to close the Choose Object dialog box. Click OK or Apply to save your changes to the EO Properties

Creating Risks Using Templates

Enterprise Objects can have Risks associated with them. In addition, you may use Risk Templates to standardize the creation of, and value ranges for, the Risks that you create.

The following table gives procedures to create risks on enterprise objects, using templates:

Task	Procedure
Create a Risk using a Risk Template	Right-click the EO you want a Risk on, and choose Properties. The Item Properties dialog box appears. Click the Risk page. Click the Add button. In the Risk Setup dialog box, click the Choose button in the Template section. In the Choose Object dialog box, select Risk Template from the list and click OK. The object name is listed as the template in the Risk Setup or Measurement Setup dialog box. Select the Include Name check box, the Include Description check box, or both. Click the Pull setup from template button to copy the name or description to the current risk or measurement definition. The name and description of this risk is copied from the risk template. Set the Risk ranges if desired. Click OK to close the Risk Setup dialog box. Set the Risk Value as desired. Click OK or Apply to save your changes to the EO properties.
Remove template settings from a Risk	Right-click the EO you want to edit, and choose Properties. The Item Properties dialog box appears. Select the Risks page. Click the Edit button. In the setup dialog box, click the Clear button, then click OK.

Task

Procedure

Create a Risk using a Risk Template

Right-click the EO you want a Risk on, and choose Properties. The Item Properties dialog box appears.
Click the Risk page.
Click the Add button.
In the Risk Setup dialog box, click the Choose button in the Template section.
In the Choose Object dialog box, select Risk Template from the list and click OK. The object name is listed as the template in the Risk Setup or Measurement Setup dialog box.
Select the Include Name check box, the Include Description check box, or both.
Click the Pull setup from template button to copy the name or description to the current risk or measurement definition. The name and description of this risk is copied from the risk template.
Set the Risk ranges if desired.
Click OK to close the Risk Setup dialog box.
Set the Risk Value as desired.
Click OK or Apply to save your changes to the EO properties.

Remove template settings from a Risk

Right-click the EO you want to edit, and choose Properties. The Item Properties dialog box appears.
Select the Risks page.
Click the Edit button.
In the setup dialog box, click the Clear button, then click OK.