Collaboration is a key element of the assessment and planning process across campuses and it is rare for a single individual to be solely responsible for a single department, division or institution. In the instances when you are working with others the ability to direct focus to a particular piece of content can be extremely valuable.
While Planning's item responsibility feature can aid in this process, through discussions with users we found that their inbox can be an important element in their workflow process. In an effort to enhance any given users ability to direct focus on content within Planning we have provided users the ability to share a Plan item with other Planning users through email.
In the screenshot below we have identified a plan item, Division of Student Affairs Vision, that we would like to have another user review and provide feedback. I could mark that user as responsible and that item would appear in their "responsible" section of their user dashboard, but I know this particular user could use an extra nudge and I want to get their attention on this item sooner by placing it right in their inbox.
In order to email a user and get their attention on this item, I will first need to click on the item. Once I'm in the editing screen of the item, I will want to navigate to the bottom of the page and click on the "Read View" button.
Once I click on the "Read View" button, a secondary tab will open the item in a read view mode. At the top of the page in the item header, you will see a "Share Item" button, as shown below.
Searching for Users
Once I clicked on the "Share Item" button, a sub menu will display, as shown below. Here I will be able to search for the Planning user I would like to share the item with.
Selecting Users to Share Item With
I am looking to share this item with Frank, so I simply type Franks name into the search box and I get a list of users that match my search criteria. Once I find the user I am looking for, I click on their name to add them to the list of individuals I'd like to share this item with.
Sending Email Notification
Below you can see that I have added Frank to the list of users that I would like to share this item with. If I need to add additional users, I would simply search for them the same way I did Frank and add them to the list. If I make a mistake and add the wrong user, I can click the blue "x" button next to their name to remove them from the list.
Once I have added the users I would like to share this item with I can click the "Share PLan Item" button in the bottom right-hand corner and an email will be sent to the users listed.
Example Email
When Frank logins to his email he will see an email from Campus Labs with the relevant information regarding the item that was shared with him and a link to quickly access the said item.
Permissions and Shared Items
It is important to know that it does not matter if Frank has permission or does not have permission to the unit from which I am sharing the given item via email. If Frank has permission to the unit and clicks the link, he will have the option to "Go to Item in Planning" and have the ability to edit it. If Frank does not have permission to the unit and plan where this item lives, he will simply have access to a read-only view of the item.