This feature will be made available in Release 9.2.0

General Concept

To improve the structure, discoverability, and management of Change Requests (CRs), Yonder offers user-defined Topics per document. 

This enhancement allows users to organize Change Requests into logical groupings based on functionality, process, or thematic relevance. By enabling the creation and assignment of Topics, the system supports more efficient workflows, clearer overviews, and improved collaboration across teams.

Topics act as containers for related CRs, making it easier to track, filter, and manage items that share a common context. They can be created independently for a document version or during the creation of a CR if a draft document version is available, to ensure version integrity.

Specifically, Topics:

• enhance the organization and visibility of Change Requests.
• allow users to define meaningful groupings that reflect their workflows.
• enable efficient management of related CRs.
   

Permissions and Access Control

Only users with the author role can create, edit, or delete Topics. 

This ensures control over the structure and prevents unauthorized or accidental modifications.

Topics in the User Interface

Topics are introduced directly within the ACTIVE tab of the Change Request view. Users can create a new Topic either during the submission of a new Change Request (when a draft revision exists), or directly when raising a Change Request. 

Once created, Topics appear at the top of the Change Request sidebar and can be expanded or collapsed for better navigation.

Change Requests that have not been assigned to any Topic will automatically appear under a default grouping labeled "No Topic". This ensures that all CRs remain visible and trackable, even if they haven't yet been categorized.

Each Topic provides user controls for editing its name or removing it entirely. However, to safeguard against accidental data loss, a Topic can only be deleted if it no longer contains any associated Change Requests. This restriction helps maintain the integrity of your document structure and prevents the unintentional removal of active or relevant groupings.

Create and assign Topics

CRs can be assigned to Topics individually or in bulk. Users can select one or multiple CRs from the list view and then open the Assign Topic Modal, which allows them to choose an existing Topic, unassign from a current one, or create a new Topic inline.

Users have flexible options when it comes to creating Topics, ensuring they can structure and group their Change Requests (CRs) as naturally and efficiently as possible within their workflow.

Topics can be created:

• when managing the CR’s on the document version
• at the time of creation of the CR

Create a Topic when working in the document version

One way to create and assign Topics cis directly from within the document version interface while actively managing existing Change Requests. This allows users to revisit and reorganize CRs after they’ve been submitted—useful for grouping related items retroactively or as new themes and categories emerge during the review process.

To create a new Topic, click on the ‘Create Topic’ icon:

A modal window will appear where you can enter the desired name for the new Topic:

Assign a single Change Request to a Topic

On hover over a Change Request, the Topic icon appears. Click on the icon to select or create a Topic:

In the ‘Assign to Topic’ modal you can select an existing Topic or create a new one by entering its name:

Bulk assign multiple Change Requests to a Topic

Yonder supports the bulk assignment of multiple Change Requests to a single Topic:

• Hover over each Change Request and select its checkbox.
• Selecting multiple items, click the ‘Assign to Topic’ icon to assign them collectively to a Topic:

• Select or enter a Topic in the presented modal:

All Change Requests assigned to a Topic appear within that Topic’s section. You can use the chevron icon (pointing up or down) to expand or collapse the Topic and show or hide the list of associated Change Requests.

Create a Topic when a CR is raised

Alternatively, to create a Topic is directly during the submission of a new Change Request. If the user is working on a draft revision of a document, the interface offers the ability to either select an existing Topic or create a new one inline. 

This approach ensures that CRs are immediately associated with a meaningful context, minimizing the risk of unstructured or orphaned entries.

In the presented modal, select a Topic or create a new one:

The topic creation flow includes a dialog for entering the topic name, with options to confirm or cancel. If the user cancels, neither the Topic nor the CR will be created. If they proceed, the Topic is immediately associated with the CR being submitted and available for reuse within the same document revision.

Manage existing Topics

Yonder provides users with intuitive tools to manage existing Topics, ensuring that Change Requests remain well-organized and up to date as project needs evolve.

Renaming a Topic

If a Topic name needs to be updated you can easily rename it:

• Navigate to the Change Request sidebar, where Topics are listed.
• Hover over the name of the Topic you wish to rename.
• When the edit icon (pencil) appears, click it to activate inline editing.
• Enter the new name for the Topic and confirm to save your changes.

This functionality allows you to refine Topic naming over time without disrupting the structure of assigned Change Requests.

Deleting a Topic

Topics can be deleted when they are no longer needed. However, to prevent accidental data loss, Yonder only allows deletion of Topics that have no Change Requests currently assigned to them.

To delete a Topic:

• Ensure that the Topic is empty (i.e., no CRs are assigned to it).
• Hover over the Topic in the sidebar.
• Click the trash bin icon that appears.

Once deleted, the Topic will be permanently removed from the current document revision. This helps maintain a clean and relevant set of Topics within your workspace

Working with Change Requests Within Topics

Yonder makes it easy to manage Change Requests within Topics while retaining full control over each request's progress. 

Topics help structure and group related CRs for better visibility, but the review and approval of each CR remain individual actions.

Advancing Change Requests Individually

Even when CRs are grouped under a Topic, each Change Request can and should be moved through its workflow independently. To update a CR's status:

• Click to select the Change Request within the Topic.
• Work on the selected Change Request.
• Use the available workflow buttons (such as Approve, Reject, or Back to Waitlist) to advance it based on its content and context.

This ensures that each Change Request receives the appropriate level of review, decision-making, and accountability.

Why Bulk Workflow Actions Are Not Available

Although it may seem efficient to apply workflow changes to multiple Change Requests at once, bulk workflow moves are intentionally not supported in Yonder. 

The reason is simple: each Change Request may contain unique information, dependencies, or impact areas that must be reviewed carefully before making a status decision.

Allowing bulk actions on workflows would increase the risk of:

• Approving requests without sufficient review
• Overlooking important distinctions between Change Requests
• Making irreversible changes that affect document and it's database integrity

By requiring Change Requests to be moved through the workflow one at a time, Yonder reinforces quality control, accountability, and traceability especially important in regulated environments or collaborative review processes.

Efficient Navigation Using Keyboard Shortcuts

To make the individual processing of CRs faster and smoother, Yonder supports keyboard navigation:

• Use the down arrow (↓) to jump to the next Change Request within a Topic
• Use the up arrow (↑) to return to the previous one

This allows you to quickly scan, review, and update Change Requests in sequence, without needing to leave the Topic context or rely solely on your mouse.

Note: Currently the shortcuts are implemented on the active tab only!

Sorting Topics & Change Requests

To improve usability and organization, the existing sorting functionality has been extended to include sorting options for Topics within the Change Request management interface.

Sorting Options for Topics & Change Requests

Users can now sort the list of Topics using several different criteria to quickly find and organize relevant groupings. 

The available sorting methods include:

• Topic (default)
  • Alphabetical Sorting (A–Z):
    Topics are sorted in ascending alphabetical order. 
    When sorted this way, Topics without any assigned Change Requests (labeled as “No Topic”) will always appear at the bottom of the list.
  • Alphabetical Sorting (Z–A):
    Topics are sorted in descending alphabetical order. 
    In this case, the “No Topic” group will be positioned at the top of the list for quick access.
• ID Sorting (Flat List):
  Change Requests are sorted based on their unique identifiers, preserving the order as stored in the system. 
  This view presents Change Requests as a flat list without additional hierarchy or grouping (→ no grouping according to Topics).
• Outline Order Sorting (Flat List):
  Change Requests are presented following the document’s outline order but flattened into a simple list. 
  This allows users to see Change Requests in the sequence they relate to the document’s structure while maintaining a flat list without additional hierarchy or grouping (→ no grouping according to Topics)