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.
Assembly Time: In PLS-3, you learned what cycles are and what they need. In PLS-4, you created tags and rulesets. In PLS-5, you built forms. PLS-6 is where you assemble all those building blocks into YOUR cycle container, configured for YOUR institution's unique housing operations.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Learning Path
Complete the modules in order to build your cycle systematically:
PLS-6A: Basic Cycle Settings & Applicability - Create the container and define eligibility
PLS-6B: Application Phase Configuration - Connect your application form and ruleset
PLS-6C: Roommate Phase Configuration - Organize roommate matching
PLS-6D: Room Selection & Lottery Configuration - Configure room selection timing
PLS-6E: Room Swap Configuration - Enable post-assignment changes
PLS-6F: Move Management - Organize move-in/out logistics
PLS-6G: Meal Plans Configuration - Connect meal plan options
PLS-6H: Finance & Fees Configuration - Configure billing and payments
PLS-6I: Documents & Forms - Assign contracts and additional forms
PLS-6J: Advanced Settings - Configure integration, RCR, release dates
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
Have Your Components Ready: Before starting PLS-6, ensure you've completed the homework from PLS-4 and PLS-5. You'll need published forms, created tags, and configured rulesets to assign as components to your cycle. If these aren't ready, complete that work first.
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
Your Cycle is Ready: After completing PLS-6, you'll have a fully configured production housing cycle ready for testing. In PLS-7, you'll experience this cycle from the student perspective to validate everything works correctly before launch.
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.
Critical Understanding: Activation is based on PHASE dates (activity windows), not residence period dates (housing timeframe). Your residence period might be months away, but your cycle becomes active as soon as the first phase begins.
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
The Active Cycle Warning: When you save a cycle that will become active, you'll see this critical message: "This housing cycle has one or more phases that start before today's date. If you save, this cycle will become active and you will only be able to edit the phase dates afterwards." This is your last chance to review all settings before they lock permanently.
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.
Test Before You Launch: PLS-7 is where you validate that everything you built in PLS-6 works correctly. You'll catch configuration issues, timing problems, form logic errors, and workflow gaps before real students experience them. Never skip testing—it prevents support ticket chaos and student frustration.
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