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Navigation & Search

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Bryan Siders
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App Menu (Left Navigation)

The app menu is your easy way to navigate to pages you are associated with or have bookmarked. The app menu is located on the left side of the app and can be accessed by using the menu icon ☰ in the top left of the app. 

On larger screens this menu will be open all the time.

On smaller screens, it collapses automatically to save space and can be opened when needed.

The app menu provides quick access to:

col-app-menu-demo2.gif

Page Tabs

Page tabs appear at the top of each page and provide access to the content specific to that page type. This is where you will interact with most of the data in Connections Online.

Organization & Department Connections

Focus on shared goals, metrics, and team coordination for either the entire organization or a specific department. Both have the following page tabs with data pertaining to the organization or that specific department.

  • Dashboard - PM Charts, Announcements, Schedule, Commitments, Comments, Links
  • Strategy & Culture - One Page Strategy, Core Values
  • Metrics - list of metrics for the org/dept
  • Projects - list of metrics for the org/dept
  • Dialogs - list of dialogs for the org/dept
  • Individuals (the organization individuals list is everyone in Connections)

Project Connection

Project pages highlight scope, deliverables, roles, and conversations.

  • Dashboard - Executive Summary/Description, Schedule, Announcements, Comments, Links
  • Business Case - Business Case, Project Scope, Evaluation Criteria
  • Metrics - list of project metrics
  • Tasks - list of project tasks
  • Dialogs - list of project dialogs
  • Team Members - people on the project team (Sponsor, Leader, Member, Consultant)

Individual Connection

Focused on visibility into your tasks, metrics, role expectations, and professional development.

  • Dashboard - PM Charts, Schedule, Commitments & Goals, Direct Reports, Comments, Links
  • Basic Role - Key Result Areas, Supervisory Scope, Accountability
  • Metrics - list of metrics where this individual is an owner
  • Projects - list of projects where this individual is on the project team
  • Tasks - list of tasks this individual is responsible for completing
  • Individual Dialogs - list of this individual's dialogs

Breadcrumbs (Page-Level Navigation)

Breadcrumbs appear at the top of every page in Connections Online and show the path of where you are within the organization’s structure. They help you quickly move up a level without returning to the homepage or using the app menu.

Breadcrumbs.png

What Breadcrumbs Show:

  • The Organization you’re viewing
  • The Department (if applicable)
  • The Project, Metric, Task, or Dialog you’re currently on
  • Each part of the breadcrumb is clickable

Example: Organization / Org Project / Metrics

In this example:

  • Selecting Organization takes you to the organization’s main page
  • Selecting Org Project takes you to that specific project
  • Selecting Metrics takes you to the project’s metrics list

When to Use Breadcrumbs:

  • When you want to move “up” one level
  • When you’re deep inside a project or metric and want to return to the parent page
  • When you’re navigating between related pages (e.g., from a metric back to its project)

Breadcrumbs are especially helpful when you arrive at a page through search or a direct link, since they show you where that page lives in the overall structure.

 

Back Button (Navigation History)

The back button appears in the top app bar and looks like a simple arrow: < It returns you to the previous page you visited, following the same order you navigated through the app.

Back-Button.jpg

This button uses a navigation stack, which means:

  • Each page you visit is added to a history stack
  • Pressing the back button moves you one step backward through that stack
  • You can continue going back until you reach the first page you opened after logging in

When to Use the Back Button

Use the back button when you want to:

  • Return to the last page you were on
  • Undo a navigation step (e.g., you clicked into a metric but want to go back to the project)
  • Move backward through your personal navigation path, not the organizational hierarchy

How It Differs From Breadcrumbs

  • Back Button → follows your navigation history
  • Breadcrumbs → follow the page’s position in the organization’s structure

Both are useful, but for different reasons.

Example

If you navigate:

Organization → Project A → Metric 1 → Individual Connection → Project B

Pressing the back button will take you back through that exact sequence in reverse, even if it crosses different areas of the app.

 

Search Bar

The search bar is located in the top-right corner of the application (magnifying glass icon).

col-search-icon.jpg

You can search across multiple types of content at once. When you type in the search bar, Connections Online looks for your term in the name and contents of the following:

 

col-search-modal.png

Search results are returned in order of relevance. The search checks:

  1. Name/title
  2. Alternate titles or identifying fields (e.g., tracking labels)
  3. Description (if applicable)

Search Tips

  • Use at least one full word for better results
  • Avoid generic terms
  • Filler words (e.g., “and”) are ignored
  • Be specific to reduce noise

Search Flags

Search flags help narrow down results. Flags can be added before or after your search term, but must be separated by spaces.

Type Flags

If no type flags are used, all types are searched.

  • is:department
  • is:project
  • is:user
  • is:metric
  • is:task
  • is:dialog
  • is:basic-role
  • is:related-link

For example, to find any projects or tasks that have the phrase "review" in their names or tracking labels you could use the following:

review is:project is:task

 

Additional Filters

Some filters apply only to certain types.

  • is:8020 – Only 80/20 projects and metrics
  • is:completed – Completed dialogs, tasks, projects
  • is:near-due – Tasks/projects nearing due date
  • is:past-due – Tasks/projects past due

Date Filters

Dates must use the format YYYY/MM/DD.

  • on:date – dialogs, tasks, and projects that have a date entered a specific date or users that were hired on that specific date.
  • before:date – dialogs, tasks, and projects that have entered start/ends before the specified date or users hired before that date
  • after:date –dialogs, tasks, and projects that have entered dates after the specified date or users hired after that date
monthly is:dialog is:8020 before:2018-01-01

 

is:project is:completed before:2019/01/01 after:2017/12/31

More search examples:

Past-due projects or tasks started before March:

is:project is:task is:past-due before:2021/03/01

People named John hired after 2014:

John is:user after:2014/12/31

80/20 metrics in the below minimum threshold containing “annual”:

is:8020 is:below annual

 

Tips for Efficient Navigation

  • Use the App Menu to jump directly to your Individual Connection, departments, projects, or bookmarks
  • Use Search when you know the name or content of what you’re looking for (especially helpful for finding dialogs, tasks, or metrics quickly)
  • Bookmark frequently used pages so they’re always one click away in the app menu
  • Use the Back Button to retrace your steps through your personal navigation history (great for undoing a click or returning to a recently viewed page)
  • Use Breadcrumbs to move “up” the organizational structure (organization → department → project → metric/task/dialog)

 

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