Overview
Change Assignment Definition moves existing Assignments from one Assignment Definition to another — or between standard Assignments and a definition. You map each state (or status), category and priority the Assignments use to one in the new definition, so they keep working in filters, dashboards and Location readiness.
Use it when you introduce a new definition and want your open work on it, when you merge or retire a definition, or to move Assignments back to standard ones.
At a glance |
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Who can do this | Super Users, or a Role with Organization › Administrate. You must also be able to modify every selected Assignment. |
Where | Assignments › select Assignments › Change Assignment Definition icon in the table toolbar |
Works on | Backend (web) |
Availability | Add-on — ask your CSM to enable Assignment Definition functionality |
💡 Why this matters: Changing the definition keeps each Assignment’s history, comments and links to Results, Notes and Downtimes. The mapping step decides what state, priority and categories it ends up with, which is what dashboards, reports and Location readiness read.
Change the definition
1. Select the Assignments
Go to Assignments and tick the Assignments you want to move. All of them must have the same definition — standard Assignments count as one definition, Default. With a mix selected, the icon is greyed out and its tooltip reads All selected assignments must have same definition. Filter the table by definition first to select a whole set.
2. Open Change Assignment Definition
Click the Change Assignment Definition icon in the table toolbar. It only appears for Super Users and Roles with Organization › Administrate, and only when you can modify every selected Assignment and none of them is deleted.
3. Choose the destination definition
Source Assignment Definition shows the current definition and can’t be changed. In Destination Assignment Definition, pick the definition to move to, or Default to make them standard Assignments. Default isn’t offered when Disable default assignment definition is turned on.
4. Map states, categories and priorities
The dialog lists only the values the selected Assignments actually use, and you map each one (see the next section). If you pick a different destination, the mappings are cleared and you start again.
5. Save
Click Save. The change applies straight away, and each Assignment’s activity feed records the definition change and who made it.
What you map
What the dialog asks for depends on the direction of the move:
Moving | You map | Also happens |
Standard → definition | Status mappings (Created, Started, Finished → a state) and Priority mappings (High, Normal → a priority, shown when the definition has priorities), both required; Category mappings | Organization categories are replaced by the definition categories you map |
Definition → definition | State mappings (required), Category mappings, Priority mappings | Organization categories stay. An unmapped category or priority is removed |
Definition → Default | Nothing to choose — the dialog shows the result: Initial, Step and Final states become Created, Started and Finished; Critical for operation priorities become High | Definition categories are removed; organization categories stay |
Categories. Match each original category to one in the new definition, or choose Remove Category. If an equivalent is missing, edit the new definition first and add it — see Using Assignment Definitions.
States and statuses. The type of the state you map to sets the status: an Initial state counts as Created, a Step as Started and a Final state as Finished. Mapping open Assignments to a Final state finishes them without a resolution description; mapping finished ones to an Initial or Step state reopens them.
Priorities. Pick the priority each original priority becomes. A priority marked Critical for operation counts as high priority.
🛑 Critical: Priorities affect Location readiness. With Red if one or more active high priority assignments exist turned on, mapping open Assignments to High or a Critical for operation priority can turn their Locations red (not ready), and mapping them away can turn Locations green. See Schedule criticality and Location operational status.
⚠️ Heads-up: Moving standard Assignments onto a definition drops their organization categories, even if the definition also shows organization categories. Map each one to a definition category first if you need it for reporting.
What stays the same
Title, description, Location, Asset, assignees, start and deadline, comments, attachments and the link to the Result, Note or Downtime that raised the Assignment don’t change. The assignees aren’t checked against the new definition’s Who can be assigned, so reassign afterwards if they don’t fit — see Bulk-managing Assignments from the Backend.
This only moves existing Assignments. Checklist triggers, Note types and Downtime settings keep creating Assignments with their current definition until you change them.
Plan a move to a new definition
Build the new definition with states, categories and priorities that cover the ones in use.
Point new work at it. In the Checklist editor, Bulk change › Change Assignment Trigger Definition switches every trigger in that Checklist. A trigger’s Set deadline to still overrides the definition’s Deadline delay policy — see Assignment triggers in Checklists.
Move existing open Assignments with Change Assignment Definition, one source definition at a time.
Optionally turn on Disable default assignment definition (Configuration › Assignments) so every new Assignment must use a definition.
Tell your teams which definition to use and what the new states mean.
Best practices
Try the mapping on a few Assignments first, then check them in the table and on your dashboards.
Move open Assignments before finished ones, and check which will change readiness before you save.
Keep the old definition until nothing uses it; deleting a definition in use asks you to map its Assignments anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Can we change our old assignments to use the new assignment definitions?
Yes. In Assignments, select the old Assignments (all with the same definition, or all standard), click Change Assignment Definition, pick the new definition and map their statuses, categories and priorities. You need to be a Super User or have Organization › Administrate.
I don’t see the Change Assignment Definition icon, or it’s greyed out. Why?
The icon only shows for Super Users and Roles with Organization › Administrate, after you select Assignments you can all modify. It’s greyed out when the selection mixes definitions — select Assignments with the same definition only.
We switched our checklist triggers to the new definition, but deadlines ignore its deadline policy. Why?
A trigger’s Set deadline to overrides the definition’s Deadline delay policy. Untick it on each trigger that should follow the definition. See Assignment triggers in Checklists.
What does Disable default assignment definition do?
Users can then only create Assignments from your definitions, and Default is no longer a destination when you change definitions. See Using Assignment Definitions.
Can I undo a definition change?
Not automatically. Run Change Assignment Definition again to move them back. Values you removed — categories and priorities — don’t come back, so re-add them by hand.