In this article, you will find the main information needed to use the platform in your daily routine. From the index below, you can go directly to the specific topic of your question. To do this, simply click on the option that best fits your need. 😉
- Accessing the Platform
- How to register/update users?
- How to Create Portfolios and Projects
- Project Import via Spreadsheet
- Task mirroring
- Integration with Other Modules
- Where to monitor portfolio indicators?
- Other Settings
- What data can be exported?
- What notifications and emails are triggered by the platform?
- What to do if you need help?
Accessing the Platform
We have an article covering all login scenarios: How to Log In to the Platform.
How to register a user?
Currently, there are several ways to register and update users on the Innovate platform. It is possible to:
- Update in bulk using an import spreadsheet;
- Manually, directly on the user edit page; and
- Through automatic integration (AD).
Using the import spreadsheet
The first step to register or update employees in bulk is to fill out the Import Template Spreadsheet, available in the Gear Menu 👉 Users 👉 Import Users.
In this spreadsheet, only the fields Name, Username, Department, and Active are mandatory; the others are optional and serve to complement the employee's registration.
Regarding the spreadsheet, it's important to note that:
- The field Username is the user's identification key, which the system uses to check whether a user with the same username already exists on the platform. The most common data used in this field are email, CPF, or employee ID.
- The field Department refers to the company area the employee belongs to, and since it can be used in the approval flow, it is very important that the managers of each Department are also properly mapped.
- The field Password is not mandatory because, if the spreadsheet is imported with this field left blank, a random password will be automatically generated for the employee. If you choose to fill in this field, the password must meet the following requirements:
1. Be at least 6 characters long;
2. Contain at least one uppercase letter;
3. Contain at least one lowercase letter;
4. Contain at least one number;
4. The column Active indicates whether the employee should be updated or deactivated. To do so, use 1 to Update/Register and 0 to deactivate.
After filling out the spreadsheet, simply upload it by clicking on Import Spreadsheet right afterward. At this stage, the system will read and identify possible errors: duplicated username, incorrectly formatted email, password shorter than the minimum limit, etc.
If no errors are found, a new screen will appear indicating the new departments and employees that will be added, updated, or deactivated. It’s important to highlight that when new departments are identified, the system automatically assigns the default department manager as the manager of these newly created ones.
It will also be possible to update employees’ access permissions through it.
Finally, just click on Import without sending Email or Import and send Email to choose whether or not to notify employees by email about the login and password created within the platform.
Through AD integration
The automatic user integration allows employees to access AEVO Innovate using the same credentials they use to access internal company applications and systems such as SharePoint, Intranet, etc. With this integration, instead of having to create a new login and password for the employee, their everyday credentials are used, thus enabling easier, more secure, and more transparent access to the platform.
Through this integration, user management on the platform also becomes easier, since any update to the employee’s profile within the company, except for termination (see note below), is automatically reflected on the platform upon each new user login.
With AD integration, there is the advantage that the manager does not need to pre-register or manually update users.
When automatic user integration is active in an environment, at every new login, user information is automatically updated based on the data in the client’s AD. This means that any change to the employee’s profile must first be made in the client’s environment, and then it will be mirrored on the platform.
| Important: if an employee is terminated from the company and is also automatically removed from the AD, this inactivation is not mirrored in the user’s profile on the platform. In other words, the user must be manually inactivated by the manager within the platform. |
Manual update
This is a quick and practical way to make changes or create a small number of users. Simply follow the path: Gear Menu 👉 Users, where you will have access to the list of all users registered on the platform.
On the top bar, in the right corner, you have access to two icons. With the 🔍, you will have access to filters to find users:
And the ➕ icon, which directs you to the new user creation page:
On this page, simply enter the required information in the indicated fields and add the desired permissions.
It is also possible to enhance user security by enabling the two-factor authentication option.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an authentication method that requires two or more independent forms of verification to confirm a user's identity. This method is adopted to enhance system security, protecting against unauthorized access even if a user's credentials are compromised.
To learn more, check out our article:
🔐 Safer login with two-factor authentication (MFA) on AEVO
At the bottom of the page, you will find the following options:
- Register without sending email: by clicking this option, the user will be registered without receiving the registration email; and
- Register and send email: by using this option, the user will receive a registration confirmation email.
To make changes to already registered users, simply search for the user on the listing page and click the Pencil icon ✏️, which will take you to the user edit page, where you can change the desired information. At the end, click Save to complete the editing action.
If your intention is to deactivate a user, click on the ✖ icon. If the user has any pendency on the platform, a pop-up will be displayed and you must assign an active user to inherit the pending items from the deactivated user.
How to Create Portfolios and Projects
To create a project within the Initiatives Hub, the first requirement is having the permissions to View Initiatives Hub and Create Portfolios.
Before actually creating a project, it is important to understand that projects are allocated within portfolios in the Initiatives module. Therefore, if the goal is to create a project that is not linked to any existing portfolio, it is necessary to create a new Portfolio.
To create a portfolio, simply click the (+) icon and select “Create Portfolio.
If the intention is to create a project within an existing portfolio, simply click the same icon and select “Create Project.” A modal will open, requesting the project name and the portfolio to which the project will belong.
| Note: It is important to mention that after selecting the portfolio, a field will appear next to it showing the stages that this portfolio contains, allowing you to select which stage the project will be added to within the portfolio. |
Once this is done, the project will be created and can be configured by clicking the arrow next to the name of the created project:
Project Import via Spreadsheet
Another way to update or create projects in bulk is with the new Project Import Spreadsheet feature. If you're interested, check out the following article that explains step by step how to use this powerful feature: How to bulk import projects into my Portfolio?
Task Mirroring
With the Task Mirroring feature, you can synchronize tasks that are in different projects and portfolios, so that any update to one task is automatically reflected in the mirrored one.
Use Cases
1) User restrictions in projects
Mirroring can be used when part of the team working on a project cannot view all the tasks.
Two projects will be created — one with only the 'public' tasks and the users who should not see the others, and another with users who have full permissions. The 'public' tasks can then be mirrored into the restricted project so that their information and progress are shared between both projects.
2) Management of cross-functional tasks
Tasks that involve two teams can be managed simultaneously in each team’s project, without any team member needing to input information in two places.
Example: Tasks initiated by the design team can be created in a “Design Roadmap” project and mirrored into the developers’ project, sharing the information.
3) Managerial view of “milestones”
Managers in a department can mirror tasks considered 'milestones' from multiple projects into a macro project and quickly access the most relevant information about the area’s progress without needing to open each individual project.
How to mirror tasks?
The “Mirror” option is available to all users in the options menu (three dots), both on the task card and in the task modal.
To mirror a task, the user must select the project and the stage in which they want to mirror the task.
| Important: Only active projects in which the user is an administrator or manager will be listed. |
If the user is not an administrator or manager of any project, an error alert will be displayed instead of the modal.
The system only allows one instance of the task per project; therefore, neither the current project nor other projects where the task is already mirrored will be listed. If the selected project has no stages, the mirroring cannot be completed.
Once the mirroring is completed, the user is redirected back to the original project, and a success alert is displayed.
How to navigate between tasks?
Mirrored tasks are indicated by a list of other instances. The names of the projects containing the mirrored tasks function as links.
| Important: If the user does not have permission in one of the mirrored projects, the link will not be available.. |
Assigning People to Mirrored Tasks
In this section, we will explore two cases:
- People assigned before mirroring; and
- Adding new people after mirroring.
1) People assigned before mirroring
When mirroring a task that already has people assigned, the system checks whether those people are also included in the destination project.
- If so, they are automatically copied to the new instance.
- If not, the system asks the user performing the mirroring whether they want to add them as project members and keep them assigned to the task.
If permission is denied for some users, they will not have access to the new instance, but they will still be able to edit the task from the original project.
2) Adding new people after mirroring
When assigning a new responsible person to a task that has mirrored instances, the system will check whether the user assigning the person has access to the other projects.
- If the user does not have access to any other project with mirrored instances, the person they added will only be assigned to the current instance.
- If the user has access to other projects with mirrored instances, the system will ask whether they also want to assign the new responsible person to the other instances.
The same logic applies when removing a responsible person.
- If the responsible person is only assigned to that specific instance, they will be removed normally.
- If the responsible person is assigned to other mirrored instances, the system checks whether the user performing the action has permission in the other projects.
If not, the responsible person will be removed only from the current instance, and an alert will be displayed
If so, the user will be able to choose whether they also want to remove the responsible person from the other instances.
When users are assigned in other instances of a task for which they were already responsible, they are notified by email.
Mentions in Comments
When a user is mentioned but is not part of the current instance of the task, their name appears without a link.
If a user is mentioned in a comment on a task instance within project A but does not have permission in project B, when opening the task from project A, the comment will appear with the mention formatting (check this out @User). However, when opening it from project B, it will appear as plain text (check this out User).
If the user is added to project B, the comment will then display with mention formatting in both instances.
| Note: Mention notifications are sent only once, even if the task is replicated to other projects that the mentioned user is part of. |
Management in 'My Tasks'
In the 'My Tasks' tab, if the user is assigned to more than one instance of the task, it will appear duplicated in all the projects where it exists, with an indicator that it is a mirrored task.
How to undo mirroring?
It is possible to unlink a mirrored task by clicking 'Unlink' in the options menu.
A confirmation will be required, and a success alert will be displayed after the link is broken.
Unlinked tasks are no longer synchronized but retain all previously shared history. The unlinking is also recorded in the histories of all instances that were part of the mirroring.
Deleting a mirrored task only affects the current instance and is recorded in the histories of all involved instances
Special Cases of the Functionality
If a task originating from an idea is mirrored, the link will not be replicated to the other instances.
When duplicating or unfolding projects, tasks that were mirrored are copied but do not retain the mirroring link.
When moving a project to another portfolio, tasks that were mirrored within the project will not lose their links.
Deleting the project, portfolio, or stage in which the task is located has the same effect as directly deleting an instance.
Completing or canceling projects does not affect the mirroring link of the tasks.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Which items in the task modal are synchronized?
The following are synchronized between instances:
- Task name
- Description
- Start and Due dates
- Attachments
- Checklist
- Comments
- Budget
- Status (not started, in progress, completed, archived)
NOT synchronized:
- Tags
- Stage
- Assigned people*
*Since mirrors can only be created by managers and administrators, they can also grant project access.
2) How are the origins of actions recorded in tasks?
In the history of the mirrored task, it shows through which project the actions were performed.
3) Can mirrored tasks be exported?
Yes! Just like on the 'My Tasks' page, all instances of a mirrored task are listed in the data export. The mirroring link is identified by the 'Mirroring ID' column, which will display the same number for all instances of the same task.
Integration with Other Modules
Ideas → Initiatives
The integration between ideas and initiatives can occur when an idea is in the implementation stage through the “Manage in Initiatives” button.
| Note: It is possible to create multiple projects/tasks from a single idea. |
How to create a project/task from an idea?
When an idea is in the “Implementation” stage, the “Manage via Initiatives” button becomes available.
Next, the following modal will open, where it will be possible to create projects or tasks:
After creation, the project/task will be identified in both the Initiatives Hub and the Ideas Hub.
In the Ideas Hub, it is possible to verify that the idea is being managed via Initiatives by accessing the idea in the Implementation tab.
The identification in the Initiatives Hub is only possible if it is a project; tasks are not distinguished from the others.
Identified by the lightbulb icon along with the ID of the associated idea. The icon is clickable and redirects to the idea.
Startups > Initiatives Integration
This feature allows the creation of projects or tasks from a startup within a funnel.
LINK A PROJECT
The creation of a project can be done from the startup modal in any funnel, using the “Link Project” button. It is only possible to create one project per startup within the same funnel; however, if the same startup is present in another funnel, a different project can be created for it.
When will the “Create Initiative” button be visible to the user?
The button will be visible under the following conditions:
- The startup must be inside a funnel;
- The logged-in user must have permission to view the Initiatives Hub and be an editor of the funnel;
- The funnel must not be archived;
- No other initiative must have been created for that startup within the same funnel.
Where to monitor portfolio indicators?
Within each portfolio, there are several projects.
If you are inside a project and want to return to the portfolio view, simply click the button
To navigate between the various portfolios you have access to, you need to open the selection list located just below the previous button. In this list, you can search for and view all the portfolios the user has permission to access.
You can choose to view the portfolio in two formats: kanban or timeline. To select the desired format, you need to use the buttons located below the portfolio selection list.
In addition, another excellent option to monitor your Initiatives indicators is through our Power BI. We offer a pre-built dashboard with valuable insights for program managers who want to assess the performance of their innovation program through the Initiatives module.
For questions, we have the following article that explains each dashboard feature related to Initiatives:
https://aevo.zendesk.com/hc/pt-br/articles/31956619184020-Power-BI-Dashboard-de-Iniciativas
This Power BI is provided free of charge to AEVO clients! If you're interested in gaining access to it, just follow the steps below:
- Contact your account mentor or send an email to our Support team (suporte@aevo.com.br) with the list of email addresses for all users who should have access to the dashboard;
- Ensure all these emails are linked to a registered user in your environment;
- Ensure that all users with those emails have a Power BI Pro license.
Other Settings
Email Templates
Email templates can be adjusted in the general platform settings, available at: Gear Menu > General Settings.
Within the general settings modal, we have the Email Notifications tab:
In this tab, we have access to most of the email types triggered by the platform. They are organized according to their triggering events.
To start customizing, simply click on the email template you want to modify. In the Subject field, the manager can change the title they want to appear in the email header. In the Body of the email, you will find the text that will be sent — this can also be customized by the manager.
Form
To create a form in a portfolio within the Initiatives Hub, go to Gear Menu > Forms > Initiatives Hub.
After accessing this tab, you can create a new field in an existing form template or even create a new form template from scratch.
To edit the name of an existing form template, click the three dots, as indicated below, and then select Edit.
To create an additional new field within an existing form, simply click the Add New Field button and enter the question that the user must answer. Then, define the field type (such as attachment, text, date, etc.) and specify whether it is a required field or not.
Right after the form is updated, it will be available for selection in any swimlane of the portfolio, via the three dots icon.
After that, simply select the chosen template so that its completion is required when a project advances to the next stage.
What data can be exported?
The reports available for export from the Initiatives Hub can be found under Export Data in the platform:
All this data is also available via APIs, which can be accessed by clients and are documented at the following link: Initiatives Hub APIs.
The only option not available within Innovate, but which can be exported via the APIs, is the Consult History option!
What notifications and emails are triggered by the platform?
The notifications currently triggered by the Initiatives Hub are:
- Task comment
- Task assignment
- Task marked as completed
- Task deadline reminder
- Project assignment
- Project canceled
- Project completed
- Project reactivated
- Portfolio assignment
- Project moved between stages
These notifications are sent via email and can be configured via: Gear Menu > General Settings > Email Templates tab > Item 3 “Initiatives.”
By expanding each swimlane, you can modify the email templates.
What to do if you need help (contact AEVO support)?
Send an email to suporte@aevo.com.br
Support hours: Monday to Friday, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM (BRT).