Brightidea's 'Rules Engine'

The Rules Engine automates your pipeline. You tell it what to watch for and what to do, and it moves ideas, changes statuses and sends emails for you, so admins spend less time on busywork and more time on the ideas themselves.

In this article

• How a rule works
• What the Rules Engine is best for
• Open the Rules Engine
• Build your first rule
• How rules run
• Manage your rules
• When a rule doesn't fire
• Reference: triggers, conditions and actions

How a rule works

Every rule reads like a sentence: when something happens, if certain things are true, then do something.

Each pipeline has its own Rules Engine, and only pipeline admins can create or change rules.

What the Rules Engine is best for

• Moving ideas forward automatically. When every action item in a step is complete, move the idea to the next step so it never waits on an admin.
• Keeping people informed. Email a sponsor when an idea in their category changes status, or add a comment so the submitter knows what happens next.
• Catching ideas that stall. Flag or move ideas that have sat in the same status or step for 30 days.
• Routing ideas to the right place. Send ideas to another pipeline, a Whiteboard or a new Project Room based on their answers.
• Connecting other systems. Send an HTTP request to another tool when something changes. See HTTP Requests with Rules Engine (AKA Outgoing Webhooks).

Open the Rules Engine

Go to Pipeline Setup > Rules Engine > Rules.

Note: This article describes the updated Rules Engine, which is on by default for most systems. If you don't see it, a System Administrator can turn it on in System Setup > Site > General Settings > Rules Engine Updated UI. Custom features can also affect what you see, so contact your CSM if anything looks different.

Build your first rule

This walkthrough builds a simple rule: when an idea in the Business Development category is submitted, change its status to Evaluating and email two reviewers.

1. Start a new rule

Select Add Rule.

You can also create a rule from the Pipeline Steps view by selecting the ellipsis icon on any step. This is handy when the rule is about that step.

2. Name the rule

A clear name saves time once you have ten or more rules. Try a naming pattern that says where the rule acts and what it does, such as "Screening: move to Expert Review when complete."

3. Choose the event trigger

Pick the event that should start the rule. For this example, choose Submission of Idea > Idea Submitted. Some triggers ask for more detail, such as a number of days or a specific step. See the full list of triggers.

4. Add conditions

Conditions narrow down which ideas the rule acts on. Choose whether ideas must meet All of the conditions or Any of them. For this example, add Category Is Business Development.

A condition that limits the rule to one category.

5. Add actions

Choose what the rule does. For this example, add Change Status to Evaluating and Send Email to two reviewers. A rule can have more than one action, and a status change can set off other rules or status emails too.

Two actions: a status change and an email.

6. Save and activate

Select Save. New rules are inactive until you turn them on, so finish by activating the rule.

How rules run

Knowing how the engine thinks will save you most troubleshooting time.

• Order is top to bottom. Rules run in the order they appear in the list, not by the number shown next to them. If two rules react to the same event, the one higher in the list runs first. An earlier rule can change an idea, for example by moving it to another step, so that a later rule's conditions no longer match.
• Rules can set off other rules. A Change Step action can trigger more rules. This chain stops after 5 rounds to prevent endless loops.
• Rules look forward, not back. A rule won't fire for events that happened before you activated it. It still applies to existing ideas, though, whenever they meet the trigger and conditions from then on.
• Time-based triggers run overnight. Triggers such as "Days in Current Status" are checked by an overnight process, fire once when the threshold is crossed, and reset if the activity happens again.
• Rules run on hidden ideas and use your system's time zone.
• Rules follow your other settings. A status change made by a rule also sends any status change emails set up in Site Setup, and rule emails use the contact email in Pipeline Setup.

Manage your rules

Activate, deactivate or edit a rule

Select the rule, then go to Actions > Change Status. To edit a rule, select it, make your changes and select Save Rule.

Clone a rule

Cloning is the fastest way to build similar rules in the same pipeline. Select the rule, go to Actions > Clone Rule, then confirm. The copy appears as "Clone of ____." If the original was active, the clone is active too.

Delete a rule

Select one or more rules, go to Actions > Delete Rule, then confirm. If you might need the rule again, deactivate it instead.

Export rule history

To see what your rules have been doing, select Actions > Export History. You'll get an Excel report by email with each rule's name, when it last ran and what it did. System Email Messages must be enabled for the email to arrive.

Export version history

To see who changed your rules, select Actions > Export Version History. The CSV shows each change, when it happened, who made it and what changed. History starts from when this feature was released. Rules copied by duplicating an initiative start with a fresh history.

When a rule doesn't fire

Work through this checklist:

1. Is the rule active? Deleting a step or stage that a rule points to switches the rule to Inactive automatically.
2. Is another rule getting there first? Check the list order. A rule higher up may be moving or changing the idea before this one runs.
3. Is the initiative still open? Archived initiatives and initiatives whose main schedule has closed don't trigger rules.
4. Does the rule point to something that was deleted? If a status or category used in the rule was deleted, the rule stays active but can't match.
5. Was the last action item canceled? "All Action Items for this Idea in the Same Step Are Complete" doesn't fire if the last open action item is canceled instead of completed.
6. Is it a dependent question? A rule based on a dependent question only fires if that question was shown to the submitter.

Still stuck? Export the rule history to see what ran, then contact Support with the rule name.

Things to watch for

• Rule emails ignore group restrictions. A rule email is sent even if the recipient can't see the initiative, so check your security needs before emailing groups.
• Images in rule emails must be hosted online. Use a public https:// image link rather than uploading a file.
• Idea imports can trip first-step rules. If a rule emails people when ideas reach the first step, an import can send that email before the idea link exists. Turn the rule off before you import.
• Team submissions count the main submitter only for conditions such as Submitted By.
• Counts are broad. Comment counts include replies and admin comments. An idea view only counts when someone opens the idea's page.
• Canceling action items early. An "all action items complete" rule still fires if an action item is canceled while others remain open and are later completed.
• Rules are per pipeline. There's no single view of rules across all pipelines.

Reference: triggers, conditions and actions

Items marked * are available in the updated Rules Engine. Items marked † are newer options that may need to be turned on for your system, so contact your CSM if you don't see them.

Event triggers

• Submission of Idea
  • Idea Submitted: any idea is submitted
  • Days Since Idea Submission: an idea reaches [x] days since it was submitted
• Interaction With Idea
  • Idea Edited: certain changes are made to the idea
  • Comment Submitted: any comment, regular or admin, is added
  • Vote Submitted: any vote or chips are submitted
  • Action Item Completed: an action item is completed for the idea
  • Tag Added†: a tag or admin tag is added to the idea
  • Category Changed†: the idea's category changes
• Movement of an Idea
  • Days in Current Status: an idea reaches [x] days in the same status
  • Days in Current Step*: an idea reaches [x] days in a specific step
  • Idea Status Changed: an idea's status changes
  • Added to Stage*: an idea moves into a specific stage
  • Removed from Stage*: an idea leaves a specific stage
  • Added to Step: an idea is added to a specific step
  • Removed from Step: an idea leaves a specific step
  • Specific Date Is*: a date you choose
• Scheduler
  • Commenting Start and Days Before Commenting End
  • Voting Start and Days Before Voting End
  • Submission Start and Days Before Submission End

Conditions

Idea details (Is, Is Not, Is Less Than or Is Greater Than, depending on the field):

• Category
• Comment Count
• Days in Current Status
• Days Since Last Step Change*
• Days Since Last Idea Update*
• Days Since Last Comment*
• Days Since Last Vote*
• Days Since Idea Submission
• Votes or Chips*
• Score
• Status
• Submitted By*
• Team Size*
• View Count*
• Visibility*
• Added to Stage*
• All Action Items for this Idea in the Same Step Are Complete*
• Rate Submissions Average Rating*
• Tags and Admin Tags Include or Do Not Include†

Submission form answers:

• Any Additional Info field Is or Is Not [x], based on its type
• Any submission form question Is or Is Not [x], based on its type, including Development fields. Date questions aren't supported yet.

Actions

• Edit Idea
  • Change Visibility: hide or show the idea
  • Change Status: set a new status
• Move Idea
  • Change Step: move the idea to another step. This can set off other rules, up to 5 rounds.
  • Move Idea to Pipeline: move the idea to another pipeline
  • Copy Idea to Pipeline: copy the idea to another pipeline
  • Send Idea to Whiteboard*: add the idea to a new or existing Whiteboard
• Communications
  • Add Public Comment
  • Add Private Comment*
  • Send Email: email a Brightidea user or group, using your own email templates if you like
  • HTTP Request: send a POST or GET request to a URL. See HTTP Requests with Rules Engine.
  • Create a New Project Room

Related articles

• Stages, Steps, and Tool Types
• HTTP Requests with Rules Engine (AKA Outgoing Webhooks)
• Editing System Email Message Templates
• Troubleshooting Missing Email Notifications