Summary: This document answers frequently asked questions about the Places module in Onahiri Platform.

General Questions

What is the Places module used for?

The Places module is used to define, visualize, and manage your organization’s structure. It allows you to create organizational units, document their charters, assign responsibilities, manage associated documents, and visualize reporting relationships.

How does Places differ from Person management?

Places focuses on organizational structure (departments, teams, divisions), while Person management deals with individual employees. Places defines where people work in the organization, while Person management handles individual details, roles, and assignments.

Is there a limit to how many organizational units I can create?

There is no practical limit to the number of organizational units. However, for performance and usability reasons, we recommend keeping the organizational hierarchy to 7 levels or fewer when possible.

Organization Structure

How do I create a new organizational unit?

Select a parent unit, click the “Add Unit” button, fill in the required fields (name and code), and save. The new unit will appear as a child of the selected parent unit.

Can I move an organizational unit to a different parent?

Yes. Edit the unit details and select a new parent unit from the dropdown menu. All child units will move with it, preserving the existing hierarchy below that unit.

What happens to child units if I delete a parent unit?

You cannot delete a unit that has child units. You must either delete all child units first or move them to a different parent before deleting the parent unit.

How do I rename an organizational unit?

Select the unit, click “Edit” in the Details tab, change the name field, and save your changes. Note that this does not automatically update any references to this unit elsewhere in the system.

Visualization

Can I print our organizational chart?

Yes, you can print the organizational chart by configuring your desired view and clicking the “Print” button. You can choose between different paper sizes and orientations.

How do I find a specific unit in a large organization?

Use the search function at the top of the Places dashboard. Enter the unit name or code, and matching units will be highlighted. You can then click on a result to navigate directly to that unit.

Charter Management

What should be included in a unit charter?

A comprehensive charter typically includes the unit’s mission statement, vision, values, objectives, scope of responsibility, and authority level. This defines why the unit exists and what it’s responsible for.

Who can edit unit charters?

Users with appropriate permissions can edit charters. This typically includes unit managers, HR administrators, and system administrators. Permission settings can be configured by your system administrator.

How do I view the history of changes to a charter?

Navigate to the Charter tab and click the “View History” button. This displays all previous versions with timestamps and editor information. You can view any historical version or restore a previous version if needed.

Can I format text in the charter sections?

Yes, the charter editor supports basic formatting including bold, italic, bulleted lists, numbered lists, headings, and hyperlinks. Use the formatting toolbar above the editing area.

Responsibilities and Processes

How do responsibilities differ from processes?

Responsibilities define what the unit is accountable for (areas of ownership), while processes describe specific sequences of activities that the unit performs or manages to fulfill those responsibilities.

Can I assign the same responsibility to multiple units?

Yes, responsibilities can be assigned to multiple units. However, we recommend clearly defining primary and supporting roles to avoid ambiguity in accountability.

How detailed should process documentation be?

In the Places module, process documentation should provide a high-level overview sufficient to understand the process scope and purpose. Detailed step-by-step procedures should be stored as documents in the Documentation tab.

Can I link processes to specific responsibilities?

Yes, when adding or editing a process, you can select which responsibility the process fulfills. This creates a relationship between responsibilities and the processes that support them.

Document Management

What types of documents should I store in the Places module?

Store documents related to the organizational unit such as policies, procedures, guidelines, organizational charts, mission statements, strategic plans, and role descriptions.

How do I update a document to a new version?

Select the document and click the “Replace” action. Upload the new version and add a comment describing the changes. The system will maintain version history.

Can I control who can view documents?

Document access follows the same permissions as the organizational unit. Anyone with access to the unit can view its documents. For more granular control, consider using the dedicated Document Management module.

Is there a way to organize documents into folders?

The Places module does not support folders for documents. However, you can use document types and tags to categorize documents and then filter the document list by these attributes.

Best Practices

How often should we update our organizational structure?

Update your organizational structure whenever significant changes occur. Many organizations review their structure quarterly or annually as part of strategic planning, with ad-hoc updates for major reorganizations.

What’s the recommended approach for a major reorganization?

Before implementing major structural changes:

1. Export the current organization chart for reference
2. Plan the new structure carefully
3. Consider creating the new structure in a test environment first
4. Implement changes methodically, working from the top down
5. Review all unit charters and responsibilities after the reorganization

Should we include vacant positions in our organizational structure?

Organizational units represent functions rather than positions. Handle vacant leadership roles in the Person module while maintaining the organizational unit in the structure. Add a note in the unit details if needed.