Platform Setup is where Admins define the shared building blocks every idea and business case in SilkFlo uses: business units, applications, standard costs, document templates, tags and terminology. Set them up once, before your team starts submitting, and every idea is described, costed and reported the same way.
Why set this up first #
Comparisons only work if everyone measures the same way. If one team costs a developer day at £400 and another at £650, their ROI figures can’t be compared, and the portfolio view leadership relies on becomes misleading. The same goes for structure: if ideas aren’t linked to a business unit from day one, you can’t later report which directorates are generating value.
Terminology matters for a different reason: adoption. If your organisation says “Gateway 2” rather than “Decision”, SilkFlo should too, so people recognise the process they already follow.
Go to Settings > Platform Setup. Platform Setup is available to Admins (any role other than Standard User).
Platform Setup has six tabs:
| Tab | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Business Units | Your organisational structure, so ideas can be tracked by team |
| Applications | The systems your organisation uses |
| Cost Setup | Standard costs that feed every business case |
| Document | Templates attached to every idea |
| Tags | Labels for grouping and tracking ideas |
| Terminology | Your own names for pipeline stages, idea stages and statuses |
Business Units #
Set up your organisation’s structure, such as directorates, departments and teams, so every idea is linked to the part of the organisation it comes from. That’s what lets you report on ideas and value by team.
See Setting up Business Units for step-by-step instructions.
Applications #
Build a list of the applications your organisation uses. The applications involved in an idea are picked during the Smart Assessment, and Admins can change them later by editing the idea profile. This shows you where opportunities cluster and which systems a change will touch.
Cost Setup #
Cost Setup holds your organisation’s standard costs, so every business case is costed the same way and you can compare them fairly. It has five tabs:
| Tab | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Software Vendors | The technology vendors you buy from |
| Initial costs | One-off people costs to get a project off the ground: a day rate for each delivery role, such as Business Analyst, Process Owner or Developer. SilkFlo works out the monthly and annual cost for you. |
| Initial costs other | Any other one-off costs, such as training or implementation |
| Running Costs | Ongoing technology costs, such as software licences |
| Other Running Costs | Any other ongoing costs |
On each tab, click Add New to add a cost, or use the edit and delete icons on a row. Use Search to find a cost.
When someone builds a business case, these costs are there to pick from instead of typing in numbers from scratch. See The Business Case Builder.
Document #
Add document templates that appear on every idea’s Documentation page. Whenever an idea is submitted, the team working on it can download your standard templates, for example a process definition or a solution design document, so everyone starts from the same format.
Tags #
Tags group ideas that cut across your business units, such as everything paid for from one budget or tied to one strategic theme. Business units say where an idea comes from; tags say what it’s part of. Create coloured tags on the Project Tags screen, for example by programme, theme or funding source.
Click + Create New Tag to add one, or use Search tags to find an existing one. Tags can also be added from an idea’s profile page, where Admins can create new ones too (only Admins can create tags), and you can filter the Pipeline by tag.
For how to plan a tag list, example categories and keeping it tidy, see How to use tags to organise your AI and automation pipeline.
Terminology #
Every organisation has its own language for change work. Terminology renames what SilkFlo shows so it matches the names your teams and board already use. For example, you could rename the “Review” stage to “Concept”.
You can rename three groups:
- Pipeline Stages: the five main steps (Review, Assess, Decision, Build, Deployed). These names show in the left-hand menu, on the workshop boards and in page headings.
- Idea Stages: the stages inside them, for example Analysis, Solution Design, Development and Testing.
- Statuses: for example Awaiting Review, In Progress and Approved.
To rename a term:
- Go to Settings > Platform Setup > Terminology and pick a group from the left-hand list.
- Each row shows the SilkFlo name, with a box next to it. Type your own name in the box. The Preview above the list shows your stages in order as you type.
- Click Save changes. Your new names appear across SilkFlo for everyone in your organisation. Click Cancel to discard your edits.
Good to know:
- Leave a box empty to keep the SilkFlo name. The default shows as grey placeholder text.
- Renamed rows are marked Renamed. Click the reset icon next to a row to go back to the default, or Reset group to reset every term in that group.
- Two terms in the same group can’t have the same name.
- Renaming only changes the label. Ideas stay in the same stage and status, and nothing about how the pipeline works changes.
FAQs #
Can I rename the pipeline stages in SilkFlo? #
Yes. Go to Settings > Platform Setup > Terminology and type your own names for pipeline stages, idea stages or statuses. The new names show across SilkFlo for everyone in your organisation. Clear a box, or click the reset icon, to go back to the default.
What should I set up first in SilkFlo? #
Start with Business Units, so ideas link to the right part of the organisation from day one. Then set up Cost Setup so business cases are costed consistently, and Terminology if your teams use their own stage names. Applications, document templates and tags can follow. See Get Started as the Account Owner for the full checklist.
Does renaming a stage change how ideas move through the pipeline? #
No. Terminology only changes the name people see. The stages, statuses and approval steps behind them stay the same.
