PLS-6: Creating YOUR Housing Cycle

Overview

Product Learning Session 6 (PLS-6) is where everything comes together. You've learned what cycles are and how they organize housing operations (PLS-3), created tags and rulesets (PLS-4), and built application forms and bio forms (PLS-5). Now you'll assemble all those components into YOUR production housing cycle—the complete framework that organizes your entire student housing operation.

Who this is for: Super admins, housing directors, and anyone responsible for configuring and managing housing cycles.

What you'll accomplish: Build a complete production housing cycle from scratch, configure all cycle settings across every tab, understand what can and cannot be edited after your cycle becomes active, and prepare your cycle for student launch.

Duration: 60 minutes for live training session (covers core tabs); comprehensive written detail provided for all tabs for self-service learning.

Session Modules

PLS-6 is organized into 11 focused modules that follow the tabbed interface you'll use when creating and editing housing cycles. Each module corresponds to a configuration tab in the cycle editor.

PLS-6A: Basic Cycle Settings & Applicability

Create your cycle container and configure the foundational settings that determine who can access it, when the residence period takes place, and how it connects to your SIS.

Key topics: Creating new cycles, cycle name and residence dates, external term codes, applicability tags (And/Or/Exclude logic), visibility settings

Time: 10 minutes

Go to PLS-6A

PLS-6B: Application Phase Configuration

Configure how students apply for housing by setting application phase dates and connecting the application form and ruleset you created in previous sessions.

Key topics: Application phase dates (activity windows), auto-accept settings, assigning YOUR application form, assigning YOUR ruleset, application limits and reselection

Time: 10 minutes

Go to PLS-6B

PLS-6C: Roommate Phase Configuration

Organize how students find and form roommate groups using the bio form you built and configure roommate group size limits.

Key topics: Assigning bio template, min/max/default roommates, creating roommate phases with dates and applicability tags, phase timing relative to residence period

Time: 8 minutes

Go to PLS-6C

PLS-6D: Room Selection & Lottery Configuration

Configure how students browse and select rooms, set up room selection phases, and configure lottery settings if using lottery-based selection timing.

Key topics: Room selection phases, re-assignment settings, cost display, lottery types and configuration, how rulesets control visibility

Time: 12 minutes

Go to PLS-6D

PLS-6E: Room Swap Configuration

Enable and configure room swap functionality so students can request room changes after initial assignments, during the residence period.

Key topics: Room swap phases (post-assignment), hard rule violations, requiring both parties in phase, swap phase timing during residence period

Time: 6 minutes

Go to PLS-6E

PLS-6F: Move Management

Organize move-in and move-out logistics including moving groups that create appointment windows, time slots, capacity, and scheduling preferences.

Key topics: Creating moving groups, time slots and capacity, rescheduling options, early check-in buffers, move dates relative to residence period

Time: 8 minutes

Go to PLS-6F

PLS-6G: Meal Plans Configuration

Assign meal plans to your cycle and configure when students can select their meal plan preferences.

Key topics: Selecting available meal plans, proration relative to residence dates, creating meal plan phases, default assignments

Time: 8 minutes

Go to PLS-6G

PLS-6H: Finance & Fees Configuration

Configure automated costs tied to assignments, bed type pricing overrides, and cycle-specific fees for applications and deposits.

Key topics: Automated costs, bed type cost overrides, application fees, deposit fees, payment triggers and blocking

Time: 10 minutes

Go to PLS-6H

PLS-6I: Documents & Forms

Assign housing contracts and other required documents as cycle components, plus any additional forms students need to complete beyond the main application.

Key topics: Cycle documents, e-signature workflows, animal forms (if enabled), additional forms vs. application form

Time: 6 minutes

Go to PLS-6I

PLS-6J: Advanced Settings (Integrations, RCR, Release Dates)

Configure when cycle data syncs to your SIS, room condition report requirements, and control when information becomes visible to students.

Key topics: Transaction and inventory sync dates relative to residence period, RCR settings and workflows, release dates for controlling visibility

Time: 10 minutes

Go to PLS-6J

PLS-6K: Phase Calendar & Understanding Active Cycles

Visualize your complete cycle timeline, understand the critical concept of "active cycles," and learn what you can and cannot edit after your cycle goes live.

Key topics: Phase calendar visualization showing residence period and activity windows, the active cycle warning, editing restrictions, pre-activation checklist, copying cycles

Time: 12 minutes

Go to PLS-6K

Learning Path

Complete the modules in order to build your cycle systematically:

1. PLS-6A: Basic Cycle Settings & Applicability - Create the container and define eligibility

2. PLS-6B: Application Phase Configuration - Connect your application form and ruleset

3. PLS-6C: Roommate Phase Configuration - Organize roommate matching

4. PLS-6D: Room Selection & Lottery Configuration - Configure room selection timing

5. PLS-6E: Room Swap Configuration - Enable post-assignment changes

6. PLS-6F: Move Management - Organize move-in/out logistics

7. PLS-6G: Meal Plans Configuration - Connect meal plan options

8. PLS-6H: Finance & Fees Configuration - Configure billing and payments

9. PLS-6I: Documents & Forms - Assign contracts and additional forms

10. PLS-6J: Advanced Settings - Configure integration, RCR, release dates

11. PLS-6K: Phase Calendar & Understanding Active Cycles - Final review and critical concepts

In a live 60-minute training session, we focus on modules A, B, C, D, F, G, and K—the core configuration most institutions need. The written guides cover all modules comprehensively for self-service learning and reference.

Prerequisites

Before starting PLS-6, you must complete:

• PLS-3: Introduction to Housing Cycles - Understanding what cycles are, how they organize housing operations, and what components they need

• PLS-4: Tags & Rulesets - You've created tags for organizing students and rulesets for matching logic

• PLS-5: Building Forms - You've built application forms and bio forms

Key Takeaways

After completing PLS-6, you'll understand:

• How to create a new housing cycle container from scratch

• How to configure every tab in the cycle editor

• How to assign the forms, tags, and rulesets you created as cycle components

• How applicability tags control who can see and access your cycle

• How to create phases that define activity windows throughout the cycle

• The difference between cycle dates (residence period) and phase dates (activity windows)

• How to configure move-in logistics, meal plans, fees, and documents

• The critical concept of "active cycles" and what triggers activation

• What you can and cannot edit after a cycle becomes active

• How to use the phase calendar to visualize and verify your timeline

• Best practices for avoiding accidental cycle activation

• How cycles organize and connect the entire housing process under one framework

The Critical Concept: Active Cycles

The most important concept in PLS-6 is understanding what happens when a cycle becomes "active." This fundamentally changes what you can edit and requires careful planning.

When Does a Cycle Become Active?

A housing cycle becomes active when ANY of its phase start dates passes. This means if today's date is on or after any phase's start date, the cycle is active.

Example: If you set your application phase to start on March 1, 2025, the cycle becomes active on March 1, 2025—even if your residence period doesn't start until August 15, 2025 and other phases don't start until later.

What You CAN Edit in an Active Cycle

Once a cycle is active, you can ONLY edit:

• Phase dates - Start and end dates for all phase types (application, roommate, room selection, meal plan, swap, move dates)

• Release dates - When housing information becomes visible to students

These two areas remain editable because timing often needs adjustment based on enrollment, institutional changes, or operational needs.

What You CANNOT Edit in an Active Cycle

Once active, these settings lock permanently and cannot be changed:

• Cycle name and display name

• Residence period dates

• External term code

• Application form template

• Ruleset assignment

• Bio form template

• All settings and toggles

• Applicability tags (And/Or/Exclude)

• Fees (cannot add, remove, or edit)

• Documents and additional forms

• Meal plans available in cycle

• Automated costs and pricing

• Moving groups

• RCR settings

• Min/max roommate counts

Pre-Activation Checklist

Before setting any phase dates to start in the past or present (which will activate your cycle), ensure you've configured and verified:

• ✓ All forms assigned and tested (application, bio, additional)

• ✓ Ruleset assigned (resident cycles)

• ✓ All fees created and amounts verified with finance

• ✓ All documents attached and reviewed by legal counsel

• ✓ All applicability tags set correctly and tested with sample students

• ✓ All phase dates reviewed and verified on phase calendar

• ✓ All settings and toggles configured per institutional policy

• ✓ All meal plans assigned

• ✓ All automated costs configured and verified with bursar

• ✓ Moving groups created with sufficient capacity

• ✓ Integration dates coordinated with SIS team

• ✓ External term code matches SIS exactly

• ✓ Complete team review and stakeholder sign-offs obtained

Once you're confident everything is configured correctly, you can set your actual phase dates and activate your cycle.

Common Questions

Can I edit a cycle after it's active?

Yes, but with severe limitations. You can only edit phase dates and release dates. All other configuration locks permanently. If you need to change locked settings, you may need to copy the cycle or contact support for complex migration guidance.

What if I accidentally make a cycle active?

If you save a cycle with phase dates in the past and didn't intend to activate it, you can still adjust phase dates to move them back into the future (if no student data exists yet). However, all other configuration remains locked. Plan carefully and use the pre-activation checklist to avoid accidental activation.

How do I know if my cycle is active?

When viewing a cycle, if the Edit button displays the message "Applications can not be changed when a cycle is active," your cycle is active. Additionally, when you try to edit, most tabs will show fields in read-only mode with only phase dates editable.

Can I copy a cycle to create next term's cycle?

Yes! Copying cycles is the recommended way to create next term's housing cycle. All settings copy over except external term codes (which reset to avoid SIS conflicts). After copying, you'll need to update dates, set the new term code, and review all settings before activating the new cycle.

Do I have to configure every tab?

No. Some tabs are optional depending on your institution's needs. However, you must configure at minimum: Basic Settings (PLS-6A), Application Settings (PLS-6B), and at least one room selection phase (PLS-6D). Other tabs like Room Swap, Fees, and some Advanced Settings are optional.

What happens if I don't assign meal plans to my cycle?

If you don't assign meal plans to your cycle in PLS-6G, students won't see any meal plan options in their portal. If meal plans are required at your institution, you must both create the meal plan options system-wide (covered in PLS-5 homework) AND assign them as components to your cycle.

What's Next: Testing Your Cycle

After completing PLS-6, you move into testing and validation before launching to students:

PLS-7: The Complete Housing Selection Journey

Experience YOUR cycle from the student perspective. Walk through the entire housing journey—applying with your forms, finding roommates using your bio form, selecting rooms based on your selection configuration, signing documents, and completing all steps you configured.

Getting Help

If you have questions while configuring your housing cycle:

• Review specific modules: Each PLS-6 module (A through K) covers one configuration tab in detail

• Ask your trainer: Bring questions to your live PLS-6 training session

• Contact your implementation team: Schedule office hours for cycle configuration support

• Submit a support ticket: Include specific questions about cycle settings or unexpected behavior

When contacting support about cycle configuration, include:

• Which tab or setting you're configuring (reference the PLS-6 module)

• What you're trying to accomplish

• Any error messages or unexpected behavior you're seeing

• Screenshots showing your configuration

• Whether your cycle is active or still in draft status

Additional Resources

• Product Learning Homework: Try It Yourself Exercises (PLS-0 through PLS-8.5) - Complete PLS-6 homework exercises

• Product Learning Session Framework: Complete Onboarding Structure - Full PLS roadmap

• Cycles Overview - Core cycle concepts and framework

• Cycle Management Best Practices - Strategic cycle management guidance

• Housing Cycle Rollover Overview - How to roll residents to next term

• PLS-3: Introduction to Housing Cycles - Review cycle concepts