What's new in version 5?

Changes in Connections v5

Connections v5 is a complete rewrite of the application using Ionic and Angular to address some issues with the previous version as it has started to feel slow, dated and is increasingly harder to maintain.

• Modern & Responsive Interface – A user-friendly design with quicker real-time interactions.

• Cross-Platform Compatibility – Works seamlessly on desktop, mobile, and tablets, eliminating the need for separate apps.

• Fast Performance & Scalability – Optimized speed with client-side rendering and a flexible architecture for future growth.

Overview of the new user interface

If you have been using Connections 4x for a while there may be a slight learning curve, but everything is still similar to before, just in a slightly different layout. There are mainly four areas to make note of in Connections that will be addressed below. The app menu, app header, page header, and page content areas.

App Header

In the app header you can find:

• The app menu, which has the links to pages and content associated with you
• The back button < to the previous page
• Page tabs, which have content related to the page you are on. Your basic role, metrics, projects, etc.
• Search. This will bring up a modal to look for things across the entire app
• Contact Support to send in a help request
• Page help for the related help article on the current page/tab

App Menu

As a replacement to placing the previous drop-down menus as 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 screen sizes this menu will be open all the time but on smaller devices as screen size is needed more it is hidden until you need it.

The app menu has quick links and access to:

• Your Individual Connection
  • Edit your account
  • Change your password
  • Sign out
  • Impersonate (admin only)
• Organization Connection
• Your Departments (can be set up on department individuals tab or by editing your individual)
• Your active projects
• Other pages you have bookmarked

Page Header

These headers are able to be customized with a logo/avatar on the organization, department and individual pages. Above the page title will be an associated page link. On a department this would be the department it's organized under and on an individual it would be their primary department. You can set up bookmarks for pages you visit often. On each of the content sections they may have the ︙ button in the top right to show that there are more options you could choose from. This is also true from the pages themselves. In the header area, on the right there will be icons for things to do such as edit the current page, bookmark the current page, view security or view more options.

Page Content

The content of the pages in Connections is most varied and what you will be interacting with the most. This will include the PM charts you can see above if enabled on the organization, department and individual connections. You can select a portion of the chart or the labels to view a filtered list of, for example, the below minimum metrics for Gary Byrne. After the metric has been updated, the is:Below filter is still active on the metrics list after the new value is added, so the Consumer Loans metric disappears from the list as it now fits in the Meets threshold.

The rest of the content will be either in a card or in a list. The cards have the same basic layout of Title in the top left, and buttons to interact with them along the top, with extra options in the ︙button in the top right and the + icon to add a new item of the same type that the card contains.

 
The main lists of projects/metrics/tasks/dialogs have additional options you can use by right clicking them, such as editing, making a copy, or creating a new item of that type and inserting it near it. One feature that you're probably used to that isn't in v5 is dragging and dropping things to re-rank them. We are using a rank field and the ranks are denoted like 1. for the first top level item, and 1.1. for the first one under that one. This extends as far as you need it to.

Announcements / Events 

Both announcements and events are available on the organization and department pages. This feature helps organizations and departments effectively communicate updates, schedule events, and ensure important information is easily accessible to the right people. Previously we noticed that in some cases the organizational focus / one page strategy had announcements at the top of the content, which identified a want for a feature like this.

Expanded built in security options

• Organization Leader and Editor roles that cover most administration roles at the organization level without needing to promote the person to become an administrator.
• Department Leader, Editor and Member security roles defined for each department in order to help manage security based on the existing member list without needing to make custom groups.
  
• The "Reports To" security has an additional option, Reports To (Expanded), to look up the reporting hierarchy to your direct manager's manager. Also you will be able to assign more than one manager/supervisor that an individual reports to.

Metric threshold and value updates

• A metric will now be able to have a changing set of thresholds. There should be no more need to create new metrics each reporting period.
• Also thresholds can either have the same expected goal throughout its duration, or the new default for metrics is that they estimate your expected progress along the slope from start to end goal in the threshold so you can see if you are on track.

Import Data via FlatFile in either Excel or CSV format directly into Connections

• Individuals
  • Basic Role
• Metric Values. Multiple values for the same or separate metrics at a time.
• Projects
• Tasks

Performance Development

Dashboard Charts

At the top of each of the dashboard pages are charts of relevant data such as projects, metrics, dialogs and commitments. The individual dashboard also has overall individual performance score, which is calculated on the individual performance report. The charts themselves and the labels can be selected to see the list of metrics or projects that fit in whichever category you selected, such as Meets for metrics. 

This feature is intended to be an at-a-glance reference for strategic awareness for that page. It can help you spot gaps in expectations for metrics, if they are mostly underperforming. Check on dialog engagement to keep team alignment consistent, especially across busy quarters or vacations. It can also show the operational load for a department or individual, indicating how many active projects they currently have.

By seeing metrics, projects, and engagement side by side, you can connect the dots between individual contribution, department performance, and organization-wide goals. It helps support more informed decision-making and a proactive rather than reactive management approach.

Organizational 80/20 Report

The 80/20 Report offers a high-level summary of the organization’s most impactful work, including:

• One Page Strategy – A concise overview of the company’s strategic priorities.
• 80/20 Metrics & Projects – Focuses on the most influential tasks and tracking efforts, following the Pareto Principle (80% of results come from 20% of efforts).

This report ensures leadership and teams focus on the most valuable initiatives, keeping them aligned with the organization’s strategy and driving meaningful progress.

Personal Impact & Progress Overview Report

The Personal Impact Report provides a snapshot of an individual's progress over the past 60 days, focusing on:

• Metrics – Displays which are on track or need attention based on recent performance.
• Projects – Summarizes key initiatives and whether they’re advancing as expected.
• Follow-Up Tasks – Tracks completed and pending tasks, ensuring important commitments stay visible.

This report helps users stay accountable for their personal goals, identify areas that need improvement, and ensure their contributions align with organizational success.