What is an Attribute?

An Attribute is a custom tag that can be assigned to Items and Impacts allowing you to classify and categorize your improvement work. 

How is an Attribute different from a Field?

Both Fields and Attributes are the building blocks of a Template. Fields are free text boxes that allow Users to type any answer into the Field, while Attributes have custom dropdown menus that prompt Users to choose an answer from a list of preset options. 

In the examples above, the left image shows a free text box Field named Outcome, while the right image shows an Attribute named Priority with High, Medium, and Low as the Attribute Values. 

Although both Fields and Attributes assist Users to capture information when working with an Item, the main purpose of an Attribute is to tag, categorize, and filter. When working with lists of Items, you can filter by specific Attributes (the questions), Attribute Values (the answers), and Attribute Types (the categories that organize the answers). 

Impact Attributes

Attributes can also be added to Impact Types to provide additional categorization. For example, adding a "Production Phase" Attribute to the "Staff Safety" Impact Type would be useful if you want to compare safety improvements between different phases in your production process. 

When you submit a Resolution and select the Staff Safety Impact, you will be prompted to select a Value for the Production Phase Attribute.

Reach out to your Customer Success Manager if you are interested in adding an Attribute to an Impact!

What can I customize with an Attribute?

• Attributes can be configured as either Optional or Required to be filled out at different stages of an Item’s lifecycle, such as during Create, Assign, or Complete. 
• Customize the visibility of your Attributes within a Template by choosing to:
  • Have certain Attributes appear on the Template only after they have been filled out with information.
  • Have all Attributes appear on the Template regardless of whether or not they have been filled out.
  • Have certain Attributes appear on a Template after the selection of a specific Attribute Value. To learn more, visit Conditional Fields.
• When dealing with lists of Items, you can have these Attributes show up as a column option on List, Tree, or Gantt view directly within the List section or from an Item List Card on a Board. 

What are Attribute Types?

There are four Attribute Types:

• Value Attributes allow you to build a custom list of options for users to select from as they interact with the Attribute. 

  • For example, many of our customers use a Value Attribute called "Priority" that is broken down into Attribute Values such as "High" and "Low". 

• Weighted Score Attributes allow users to assign a numerical score, known as a Weighted Score, to the Attribute. Check out this article for more information on Weighted Scores. 

• Person Attributes allow you to select from a customized List of users when responding to the Attribute. This is a great way to associate people with an Item without adding them as official members of the Team. 

  • You can restrict the Values for a Person Attribute by Persona, User Type, or any other specification available in the User Filter. 

• Location Attributes allow you to select from a list of your organization's Locations when responding to the Attribute. This is a great way to associate Locations with an Item without making them the official, Originating, Responsible, or Impact Location. 

  • A Location Attribute will always allow people to pick between every existing Location - they cannot select a deleted Location.

Where can Attributes be used? 

Attributes can be placed in the Work Panel of an Item, in an Ad Hoc Field, or in an Impact Type. It is possible for the same Attribute to be used in all three ways. 

When you are filtering an Item List or Report, you can differentiate between the three placements for an Attribute using the Item Filter. If an Attribute is used in more than one way, then an additional dropdown selection called Attribute Type will appear. 

Use the dropdown to choose whether you only want the List or Report to reference Items with the Attribute associated with the Item’s Work Panel, Adhoc Fields, or Impact Types. Leaving this dropdown blank will reference all uses of the Attribute.