UNDERSTANDING

ALTERNATIVECATEGORIES

2014 v1.02014 v1.0

Alternative Categories

Users can create Alternatives groups and categories that can be then be assigned to each of the alternatives within the decision

Add meta data to classify and organize the alternative list

Alternative Categories can be filtered for display and analysis.

Each Alternative “Group” will have multiple “Categories” which are used to further assign specific attributes to the alternatives

Alternative Groups (Sample)

Alternative Categories (Sample)

Project LifecyclePlanning, Design, Development, Implementation, Operational

GeographyNorth America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa

Business Function

Procurement, Operations, Product, Marketing, Sales, Client Services

Market Sector

Consumer Goods, Financial, Healthcare, Industrial Goods, Services, Technology

Product Lifecycle Introduction, Early Growth, Late Growth, Maturity, Decline

Creating Alternative Groups

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In the Define tab under Alternatives, click on the Add Group button. This will insert a new column in the sheet, and you can name the group

In the Define tab under Alternatives, click on the Add Group button. This will insert a new column in the sheet, and you can name the group

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Note: Once the group is created you can double click the name to edit the name or click on the X to delete the group. To add another group, repeat the same steps

Note: Once the group is created you can double click the name to edit the name or click on the X to delete the group. To add another group, repeat the same steps

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Entering Alternative Categories within a Group

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Mouse over the Alternative Group that you want to manage categories under and click the pencil icon. This will open the Manage Categories dialog box

Mouse over the Alternative Group that you want to manage categories under and click the pencil icon. This will open the Manage Categories dialog box

1Type the Category Name into the dialog box and press enter or click the ADD button to append to the list. When finished adding categories, click the X to close the window

Type the Category Name into the dialog box and press enter or click the ADD button to append to the list. When finished adding categories, click the X to close the window

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Note: To modify existing categories within a group, click on the pencil icon in the header to reopen the Manage Categories dialog. Clicking on the document icon allows edit of the Category Name.

Note: To modify existing categories within a group, click on the pencil icon in the header to reopen the Manage Categories dialog. Clicking on the document icon allows edit of the Category Name.

Assigning Alternative Categories

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Click in a column that has a Category & Alternative Group defined. Use the drop down box to select the appropriate category. When a category is selected it will change from Categorized to the selected display name, e.g. Recondition, Repair, Replacement

Click in a column that has a Category & Alternative Group defined. Use the drop down box to select the appropriate category. When a category is selected it will change from Categorized to the selected display name, e.g. Recondition, Repair, Replacement

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Assigning Alternative Categories cont.

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To assign multiple alternatives to the same category, hold down the SHIFT or CTRL buttons and click on the alternatives you want to select

To assign multiple alternatives to the same category, hold down the SHIFT or CTRL buttons and click on the alternatives you want to select

1When multiple rows are selected a banner at the top of the screen will appear and you can use the drop down to select the appropriate category assignment

When multiple rows are selected a banner at the top of the screen will appear and you can use the drop down to select the appropriate category assignment

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