Surveys (Old)

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Fundamentals

Who can send/create surveys?

Surveys can only be created and sent by a workspace administrator. To access the configuration, the admin must navigate to the survey option in the menu of advanced settings.

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Creation of a new survey

Who can receive surveys?

Every user can receive a survey, this will need to be defined in the scope of the survey.

  • Active user only: admins, members, or viewers roles that have the status of ACTIVE
  • Active & invited users: admins, members, or viewers roles that have the status of ACTIVE or INVITED
Survey scope

Survey scope

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Attention:

Starting November 1, 2023 support for Contacts (Fact Sheet Subscribers without LeanIX accounts or workspace invitations) in Surveys has been discontinued. It is no longer possible to create surveys with 'Contacts' as recipients. From January 1, 2024, we will discontinue our support for all survey links previously sent out to ‘Contacts,’ and these links will cease to function. This decision aligns with our commitment to delivering a streamlined, secure, and user-centric experience within LeanIX EAM. While change can be challenging, it’s essential for continuously improving our platform.

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Information

Complementary to this guide, as LeanIX users, you can find a step-by-step video tutorial on how to create your survey in LeanIX Academy course on Survey.

List of available surveys

The list shows which surveys have been created for that workspace when they were created and how many executions have occurred.
Also, on the page, you can create a new survey by selecting the "New Survey" button.

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Survey list

Design your survey form

LeanIX offers different question types that can be dragged to and edited in the box on the right side of the screen.

Question types

  • Fact Sheet ➡️ Use an actual section of a Fact Sheet or fields to more direct questions
  • Basic ➡️ Most common question types like text input, date, radio button, etc
  • Advanced ➡️ If you would like to get a result based on the answers provided, select the calculated field option

If you don't want to start from scratch, you can always import another survey file or use the template option (visit here)

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Additional settings in survey design

The Import Survey option brings you to a dialogue where you can either import a .txt file containing JSON code or you can directly paste the code to the editor on the right. To make your life easier for re-using surveys, you can build a survey using the drag & drop functionality and then export the JSON to re-use it at a later point in time or for another workspace.

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import functionality

Fact Sheet element

What Are Fact Sheet elements?

Fact Sheet elements allow users to embed Fact Sheet attributes into surveys and craft questions around them. What's even better is that the answers provided by respondents are automatically synced with your Fact Sheets. We're thrilled to introduce you to the improved Fact Sheet elements designed to streamline your survey creation and answering process. You can choose from various Fact Sheet attribute types to suit your needs:

Fact Sheet fields: Effortlessly add Fact Sheet Fields into your survey, including

  • Single-select
  • Multi-select
  • Lifecycle
  • Location
  • Relations (Please note that fields on relations are still not supported in Fact Sheet elements)

Tag Groups: Tags in your survey form are now presented in the same visual format as they appear on individual Fact Sheets. They are rendered as a single-select drop-down if the tag group is configured as single-valued or as a multi-tag picker if it's multi-valued.

Subscriptions: Easily select a subscription type and, if needed, a subscription role. In your survey form, subscriptions are displayed as a convenient multi-select typeahead, showcasing user names and their corresponding email addresses.

Visual representation of a Fact Sheet element with Relation field

Visual representation of a Fact Sheet element with Relation field

Preview Your Survey: Once you've designed your survey with these enhanced Fact Sheet elements, you can get a sneak peek by simply clicking the "Preview" button in the top-right corner of the survey designer. This allows you to ensure everything looks just right before you share it with your audience.

Transform legacy Fact Sheet segments into Fact Sheet elements

We're excited to introduce a smoother and improved Survey experience, and as part of this upgrade, we're decommissioning the legacy Fact Sheet segments feature. Here's what you need to know to seamlessly transition to the enhanced Fact Sheet elements:

Important Dates:

October 17, 2023: Adding new Fact Sheet segments to surveys will no longer be possible.

January 1, 2024: Fact Sheet segments will be completely decommissioned from Surveys.

Why Transform?

To continue using Surveys smoothly and provide the best experience to your recipients, we recommend transforming existing Fact Sheet segments into Fact Sheet elements. Our updated Fact Sheet elements now include new fields like Lifecycle, Location, Multi-select, and Relations. Please note that fields on relations are still not available under Fact Sheet elements.

How to Transform:

Info box and yellow border indicating legacy Fact Sheet segments in survey editor

Info box and yellow border indicating legacy Fact Sheet segments in survey editor

  1. Identify Fact Sheet segments: In surveys with Fact Sheet segments, you'll find a helpful info box at the top of the survey editor. Fact Sheet segments will be highlighted with a yellow border.
  2. Replace with Fact Sheet elements: Simply drag and drop a Fact Sheet element to replace each Fact Sheet segment. Depending on your setup, you may need to add more than one element, as segments often contain entire subsections of a Fact Sheet with multiple fields.
  3. Rewrite Questions: Customize your questions in the newly added Fact Sheet elements to match your survey requirements.
  4. Delete Fact Sheet segments: Remove the Fact Sheet segment from the survey to complete the transition. Please note that saving a survey with an undeleted Fact Sheet segment is not possible.
  5. Test Your Survey: Before launching your transformed survey, conduct a test run to ensure the fields and questions are rendered correctly on the survey response form.

We appreciate your cooperation in this transition, which will ultimately enhance your survey experience. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team.

Add descriptive text for survey questions

As a creator, you can activate a text field called "add descriptive text" to create extra context for survey questions. The field supports clickable URLs too and is limited to 250 characters.

The field can be used to add any text (or URL) that helps the survey respondents to understand a question or to achieve a common understanding with the survey creator. Increasing the likelihood of getting accurate answers.

The field also creates a clear distinction between a survey question and its additional description. Thus, improving the user experience

To add descriptive text:

Step 1: Click on the 3-dot menu on the top right of a survey question

Step 2: Check the box "add descriptive text" to activate the field

Step 3: Click on the blue text field added below the survey question and enter a meaningful description.

To remove the field, simply uncheck the box under the 3-dot menu

Run your Survey

The Run Survey section enables you to scope your survey to a defined set of recipients, configure general survey settings, and configure the text of the invitation according to its purpose.

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configuration of the scope and notification

1️⃣ Fact Sheets & Recipients
Enables you to narrow down the to specific Fact Sheets and subscribers that should be addressed by the survey.

2️⃣ Selection
Provides an overview of the number of recipients and addressed Fact Sheets of the survey after scoping it. Also, it shows how many Fact Sheets do not have a relevant subscriber.
Two optional settings are available here, check for changes and send email on updated, select them if you want to automatically update the scope of the survey and notify the new recipients of any change

3️⃣ E-mail Setting
Offers you the chance to change the language of the pre-configured mail template or insert your own text according to your needs.

Placeholders

List of placeholders to use in survey email templates:

  • recipientFirstName: first name of the Survey recipient
  • recipientLastName: last name of the Survey recipient
  • factSheetNumber: number of involved Fact Sheets
  • factSheetNames: comma-separated names of all involved Fact Sheets
  • addedFactSheetNumber: number of newly added Fact Sheets to the Survey
  • addedFactSheetNames: comma-separated names of newly added Fact Sheets to the Survey
  • surveyTitle: title of the Survey (as seen when answering the Survey)
  • surveyLink: link which directs the user to LeanIX to answer the Survey
  • senderFirstName: first name of the Survey sender
  • senderLastName: last name of the Survey sender

Scope

Clicking on Fact Sheets or Recipients brings you to our standard search dialog. Here you can narrow down the list of applications (or other FS types) you want to address in your survey using the filter options on the left side of the window.
Select also the role of the subscribers beneath the filter bar.

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Best Practice

Introduce subscription roles according to the role model you have in your organization. This will enable you not only to address a responsible person but it will allow you to reach out to a specific e.g. Application Owner, Solution Architect or Data Security Officer.

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Behavior in Surveys for only one Fact Sheet with several subscribed users

If you have several subscribed users to only one Fact Sheet and run a survey - it will be closed by the first one who answers it.

After scoping, the selection section gives you a comprehensive overview about recipients and referenced Fact Sheets.

In case there are Fact Sheets in scope that do not have the subscription role needed - and thus will not be received by any person - you can walk through a specific list of Fact Sheets without recipients and edit the subscriptions.
This overview is important as every survey is linked to a Fact Sheet and the corresponding subscribers, if there are no subscribers then the survey cannot be completed

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No recipients for the FS

To test your survey select the option Test Run (at the bottom of the page). You can add any e-mail address here to see how the survey looks to your recipients.

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Test run dialog

Safety Net for mass survey notifications

The Safety Net feature is designed to ensure that your surveys run smoothly, preventing unintended mass notifications. In this guide, we'll explore why surveys need a Safety Net, how it works, and how you can use it to maintain control over your survey notifications.

Why Do Surveys Need a Safety Net?

Surveys in LeanIX offer the flexibility of dynamic scope based on predefined filter criteria. While this is a time-saving feature, it can sometimes lead to mass notifications due to bulk updates in inventory. The Safety Net was created to address this challenge and ensure a seamless survey experience.

Understanding the Safety Net

Activation: The Safety Net is active by default for all workspaces, with a threshold set at 100. When the 'check for changes' detects 100 or more new recipients added to a survey, it temporarily stops survey notifications. If you think the default threshold number is too big/ small, you can easily change it for your workspace using the select field.

Applicability: The Safety Net applies only to the 'check for changes' cycle and does not affect notifications sent when creating a survey run.

Impact: If the Safety Net is triggered, the survey creator receives an email notification detailing the affected survey run and the number of new recipients added.

Available Actions: As a survey creator, you have the following options when the Safety Net is triggered:

  1. Notify all: You approve sending notifications to the users added to the survey.
  2. Ignore new Recipients: You exclude the new fact sheets or users added to this survey. The survey continues to run with the original scope. ('check for changes' is disabled)
  3. Close Survey: You have the option to close the survey run altogether.

Deactivating the Safety Net

While it's possible to deactivate the Safety Net, we advise caution. Deactivation means that running surveys with 'check for changes' may send unintended mass notifications without any safeguards in place. If you choose to deactivate, consider the impact on your ongoing survey activities.

Status & Results

As soon as you run the survey you will be forwarded to the results and status page. Here you get an overview of general information regarding your survey runs.

1️⃣ Started at
The actual date of when the survey run was initiated. By clicking on the link the overview per recipient and FS will be displayed

2️⃣ Status and refresh
Preparing (the survey is being initiated and notifications are being sent), Started (active survey open to received answers), Finished (closed survey, does not receive any more answers)
Use the refresh option to update the status of the runs

3️⃣ Recipients and Fact Sheets
Number of replies/total expected

4️⃣ Reminders and date
How many reminders have been sent and date of the last one

5️⃣ Language
the actual language the survey has been sent out in

6️⃣ Download & Settings
Provides the option to download your survey results in excel, send a reminder, finish/restart the poll, check for changes (e.g. new subscribers) and delete the run

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Attention

Make sure to finish your survey as soon as all the answers are logged so nobody will be able to edit them afterward.

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Information:

There are four different statuses for the replies in surveys:

  1. New: the survey run is new
  2. In progress: the user answered but didn´t finish
  3. Done: finalized
  4. Obsolete: answer not required based on two points:
    a) there is no user subscribed to the Fact Sheet
    b) attribute targeting in the Fact Sheet has changed, and the Survey is not in the pool anymore

Surveys Response Form

The survey response form is an essential tool for collecting valuable data and feedback from users. To enter a survey form, the recipient has 3 options, namely email link, to-do survey panel, or directly in the Survey tab of the Fact Sheet.

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My Surveys panel in the Dashboard

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Edition permissions

Be aware that if you don't have enough permissions to edit and you have been invited to a survey that includes a FS element or segment, the finalization of the survey will fail. Please contact your admin to upgrade your user status

If you need to answer questions for more than one Fact Sheet, you can jump to another Fact Sheet using the arrows on top of the survey or the dropdown to select the one you want to answer.

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Survey Form

The results of the survey will be shown in the Survey tab on the related Fact Sheet.

An exception is Fact Sheet Segments of your survey. These values will be directly edited as updated values in the Fact Sheet itself. To keep track of any changes you have the chance to look them up in the "Last Updates" section.

New Survey Response Form

The current survey response form is often challenging for users to navigate, resulting in incomplete surveys being submitted by mistake. This leads to a loss of valuable data and an inefficient survey process.

To address these pain points, a new survey response form has been developed, which is much more intuitive and user-friendly. The new form is designed to make the survey process smoother and more efficient, ensuring that users can complete their surveys effectively and without confusion. By providing a more streamlined and user-friendly experience, the new survey response form is expected to improve the overall quality and accuracy of survey data, making it easier for organizations to make data-driven decisions.

We will explore the key features of the new survey response form and how it can be used to collect valuable data effectively. We will also provide a step-by-step guide on how to use the new form to ensure that users can navigate it with ease.

Left sidebar (with green checkmarks)

When using the new survey response form, you will notice that the left sidebar provides a convenient way to navigate between Fact Sheets. By displaying a list of all Fact Sheets included in the survey and indicating the completion status of each with a green check mark, you can easily keep track of your progress and complete the survey more efficiently. This feature helps to streamline the survey process and ensure that you don't miss any important questions.

Progress bar

When you use the survey response form, you will notice that a progress bar is placed at the top of the page. This progress bar provides a quick overview of the completion rate by showing the number of Fact Sheets that have been submitted. This feature helps you to monitor your progress and stay on track while completing the survey, making it easier for you to ensure that you complete all of the necessary Fact Sheets in a timely and efficient manner.

Auto-save

The new survey response form includes an auto-save feature that automatically saves all information in draft state, preventing data loss even if the survey is interrupted or the browser window accidentally closed. This ensures that you can continue where you left off without the need for manual saving.

Submit

You will notice that the ‘Submit’ button provides a clear call to action for you to submit your completed answers for the active Fact Sheet. However, it's important to note that the Submit button only applies to the active Fact Sheet and not the entire survey. This means that you will need to submit each Fact Sheet separately to ensure that all of your answers are recorded correctly. After submission, the Fact Sheet will become read-only. You can simply press Edit if you need to make any changes to your answers.

Improved readability

The survey content has been restructured to improve readability:

  • Questions and Question Groups are shown on unique cards with large fonts, making it easier for survey respondents to read and understand the survey questions.
  • The name of the active Fact Sheet is also prominently highlighted, making it clear which Fact Sheet is currently being worked on.

Overall, the new survey response form has been designed with a focus on user experience, making it more user-friendly, efficient, and effective for you to complete surveys.

Differences between Old and New Survey Response Forms

As a survey creator/admin, you should be aware of some differences between the old and new survey response forms that may impact survey respondents' experience.

"Reuse Answers" feature is not supported

Firstly, the 'Reuse Answers' feature is not supported in the new survey response form. This feature allowed respondents to reuse their answers for multiple Fact Sheets, but it has been removed from the new form to improve the overall quality and accuracy of survey data. You should inform your survey respondents about this change and provide guidance on how to complete the survey efficiently without the "Reuse Answers" feature.

Unchanged Fact Sheet Information in Survey Results

Secondly, with the old survey form, unchanged Fact Sheet information was shown as empty fields in the survey results. However, with the new survey form, when a respondent submits a Fact Sheet, they are indicating their agreement with all the information provided in the Fact Sheet. As a result, the survey results will not display empty fields if the corresponding fields in the Fact Sheet remain unchanged or unedited. As a survey creator/admin, you should be aware of this change in behavior and take it into account when analyzing survey results.

How to use the New Survey Response Form?

When creating a new survey run, the New Survey Response Form will be activated by default if the survey meets the following conditions:

  • No Fact Sheet Segments are included in the survey
  • 'Contacts' are not included (‘Contacts’ Fact Sheet subscribers without a LeanIX account)

Admins will have the option to enable or disable the New Survey Response Form using the toggle Response Form in the Run Survey Tab.

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Note

Surveys which are already running will not be affected.

Advanced

Conditional questions

Conditionality enables you to show/jump to a question depending on the answers given before. To configure a rule, you first need to choose a question the rule should be applied to and then specify the rule. In this example, the question "Are you sure you are the IT-Owner of the Application..." needs to be answered with "Yes" to let this question pop up in the survey.

Insert a link to a survey

  1. Paste the word in which you insert the link into this bracket "[...]"
  2. Insert the link directly behind those brackets in this parenthesis (Be aware that there should be no space between those two parentheses) "(...)"

Calculated Fields

The "Calculated Fields" functionality provides Survey Designers the option to quantify the survey results to derive a certain score. It takes standard JavaScript as an input and is expected to return an Integer, as demonstrated in the following example:

// Enter any JavaScript code to calculate a value based on the user's responses
// saved in the 'answers' object and return that value at the end. The response to
// any single questions can be accessed either by the question's index or label text.
// (Hidden questions and Fact Sheet questions are always present in the array with the
// value 'null'. Questions groups have no impact on the answers array whatsoever.)
// The following example is based on the availability demo survey:


var score = 0;
score += answers[0] === 'Many outages' ? 10 : 0;
score += 5 - answers['Which channels of communication did you use to inform your users about availability issues?'].length;
score += /crucial customer/i.test(answers[4]) ? 50 : 0;
return 'Overall score: ' + score;

Survey API

We provide an open API to access survey runs and results. Check out hereto learn more.

Where to get LeanIX Survey Templates?

To help you get started with the survey functionality, we have created different templates that can be accessed from our Store.

As soon as you enter the page to set up the surveys, the second tab covers the templates that leanIX offers. The list is empty, as we allow you to freely decide which templates serve your use cases, and you can synchronize only those.

Click on the button "Browse LeanIX Store" and you will be redirected to the available survey templates

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Template configuration list in the workspace

How to configure it?

Select one of the use cases you would like to explore. The use cases go from Application Rationalization (TIME) to An assessment of the technology standards.

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List of available survey templates in the Store

And then, just simply "Add to Workspace"
This action will create the survey in your workspace, so you could then edit it to your needs and then select the scope to be sent.

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Description of a survey template

If the action was successful, you will see the survey under the list of "templates" and you can create a new run based on it.

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template list

Once you initiate the creation based on the template, the designer will open, and you could start defining the questions and the scope as a regular survey.