¶ Core Concepts & Glossary
Planally runs on a consistent set of building blocks. Because the platform's value comes from structure (clear phases, ownership, and progression), understanding these terms once makes every other page in this guide easier to follow. This page explains the key concepts and how they fit together.
¶ How the Pieces Fit Together
At the top is a Workflow: the structure for a type of work (e.g. Project Delivery, Contract Management). Inside a workflow you create Projects (the individual instances of work). Each project follows a Roadmap, which arranges Activities into Phases, separated by decision Gates. Roles define who is responsible, Forms define the data each activity or register captures, and Registers hold the lists of records each project keeps.
In short: a workflow defines the structure → a roadmap automates it → projects run through it → activities and registers capture the work.
¶ Key Terms
Workflow
The top-level container for a type of work. It defines the phases, roles, forms, templates, swimlanes, roadmaps, and registers that all projects under it use.
Project
An individual instance of work run through a workflow: a project, contract, tender, audit, research initiative, or any entity your workflow represents. Each workflow can use its own word for it (see Labels).
Labels
The word a workflow uses instead of "Project" and "Activity", such as Contract and Task. Set when the workflow is created and changeable in Workflow Settings.
Phase
A stage in the workflow lifecycle (e.g. Initiation, Planning, Execution, Closing). Work moves from one phase to the next through a gate.
Gate
A decision checkpoint between phases, where you decide whether the project moves on, goes back, or stops.
Easy-Gate
The one-click way to make a gate decision from Phase Gate View:
- Proceed: advances the project to the next phase.
- Go Back: returns the project to the previous phase.
- Stop: ends the project by setting its status to Inactive.
Roadmap
The blueprint that arranges phases and activities into a structured, automated process. When you create a project, you choose a roadmap and its structure is applied automatically.
Activity
A task or deliverable within a phase. Activities have a status, dates, an assignee, a form, attachments, and governance rules.
Swimlane
A lane used to group activities (e.g. Design, Procurement, QA) for visual organisation.
Form
The set of fields people fill in, built in the Form Builder. Forms are used by activity templates and by registers.
Formula
A form field that calculates its value from other fields in the same form, such as a total, score, rating, or date. Built with the Formula Builder.
Activity Template
The blueprint for an activity: its form and settings. Templates can be Generic, Gate, or use a custom form.
Register
A structured list of records kept in each project, such as risks, issues, or invoices. Every record uses the same form.
Role
A governance role (e.g. Project Manager, Approver) assigned to activities and linked to endorsement and approval policies. In a project, a role is a Key Role, Non-Key Role, or Assistant Role.
Workflow Admin
Someone who configures a workflow and has full access to every project in it.
Workflow User
Someone who can see every project in a workflow, including private ones, without being added to each project. Read-only.
Visibility
Whether a workflow or project is Public or Private. A workflow's Project Visibility Policy can let each project choose, or make every project public or private.
Endorsements & Approvals
Sign-offs required to move an activity between statuses. Endorsers and approvers are notified when their action is needed.
Permission Inheritance
Default endorsement, approval, and assignment permissions set on a roadmap for each activity template, applied to activities added to projects later.
Applicability
Whether an activity is Mandatory (must be completed), Prerequisite (required before others), or Applicable (optional but relevant).
Activity Status
The state of an activity: Not Planned, Planned, In Progress, or Completed, with a late indicator applied automatically based on dates. Late is a fixed fact about the activity and doesn't change with how you view the board. See Understanding Late Status.
Simple Config
A workflow's lookup lists, such as Business Segment or Project Area, used to categorise projects and in Data Source form fields.
API Key
A credential that lets another system use the Developer API, acting as one Planally user.