An Introduction to Project Templatesmail_outline

What are Project Templates?

Project Templates help automate repeated projects including the creation of common tasks and milestones, which makes project setup and launch much faster. Since a project contains all of the project's assets, tasks, deadlines, and team members, this information can be capture with a project template.

Here are some helpful questions in determining what templates might be useful:

  • What are the types of projects your team completes on a regular basis?
  • What are the common tasks? How long does each task usually take?
  • Which team members regularly work on each type of project?

Creating Project Templates

Navigate to Account > Project Templates. This takes you to the Project Template Builder. 

There are three ways to create a new Project Template:

  1. Create from Blank - This option opens a blank template. You'll need to manually add all project details, tasks and milestones, and team members.
  2. Create from Existing Project - If you have already set up a project and realize you use it frequently, make it a template. You can edit as necessary, give it a name, and save.
  3. Create from Existing Template - This allows you to duplicate an existing template, make edits if necessary, give it a name, and save.

Project Template Tips & Tricks

  1. Naming the Project Template - It is good idea to use the project name field to suggest naming convention for your project for ease of use. 
  2. Establishing a Deadline - You can also enter the number of days it normally takes to complete a project of this type. Try to think about task duration and anticipate how many hours from creation date you would typically need. The project will automatically calculate the due date based on the date of creation and the time to allow period.
  3. Assign Team Members  - Choose team members who routinely work on the type of project for which you're creating the template. If there is a team member routinely responsible for this type of project, use the dropdown menu and make them the Project Owner. 
  4. Build a Task/Milestone List -  This is one of the most significant time savers with Project Templates. Add general tasks and then you can edit or add more project-specific tasks upon project creation. From the Task/Milestone list, you can drag and drop the tasks to change the order, and you can click into the task to edit or delete it.

Editing Project Templates

To edit an existing Project Template, navigate to Account > Project Templates. In the Project Template Builder/Editor Page, locate the 'Edit Existing Template' section on the bottom of the page.

Select the template you wish to edit from the drop down list and make changes to the template accordingly. Click 'Save Template' to proceed.

Assigning Project Templates to Existing Projects

Project templates can be assigned at any point during the project lifecycle. To do so, navigate to your Project Dashboard then click the 'Edit' button in the 'Overview' section.  You can then choose a project template from the dropdown menu.

If you've previously assigned a project template to the project and you're updating it by assigning a new template, the new template will overwrite any data associated with the previous template. 

Below is an example of the warning message you'll receive if your project template assignment is going to overwrite existing project information.