Set up a Project Template
If you are finding that your team is creating the same types of projects for orders, then you may wish to create a project template. Project templates allow you to make a basic outline for a project, including milestones, tasks, and files, that can help you create a brand-new project without having to start from scratch.
To create a template, navigate to Settings > Projects > Project Templates. On this page, you can add new, and edit existing project templates.
Note
To access this page, you must have the User Permission ‘Project Setup’.
On the Project Templates page, you can choose to edit, disable, or delete existing project templates, as well as display or hide disabled templates. You are also able to sort and search by template name and change the number of results displayed in the table.
Click the ‘Add Project Template’ button to create your template. Enter the name of your template and click Add Template. Once you’ve added the template, you will be redirected to the template’s edit page, where you can begin creating milestones, tasks, and uploading files.
The templates created on this page serve as starting points for your projects. If you choose to use a template when creating a new project, the milestones, tasks, and files created on the template will automatically populate on the project. However, once the project is created, you always have the option of editing, or removing any of the milestones, tasks, and files that were created, as well as adding more to the project. This functionality allows you to quickly create a basis for your project, then tailor it to be exactly what you need.
Milestones
On the Milestones tab of the project template edit page, you can begin adding the milestones that will be used for your template. Click the Add New Milestone button.
In the Add Milestone popup, you will be required to enter a name for your milestone. You also have the choice of entering a description and adding an End Date Offset.
The End Date Offset is the number of days after the chosen start date of your project that the milestone’s end date will be set to. For instance, if you have an offset of 5 days, and your project’s start date is 6/10, your milestone’s end date will be set as 6/15.
Once the milestone has been created, it can be edited or deleted by using the ellipsis actions.
Tasks
On the Tasks tab of the project template edit page, you can begin adding the tasks that will be used for your template. Click the Add New Task button.
In the Add Template Task popup, you will be required to enter a name, Start Date Offset, and Duration for your task.
The Start Date Offset is the number of days after the project start date that your task’s start date will be set to. For example, if you have an offset of 5 days, and your project’s start date is 6/10, your task’s start date will be set as 6/15.
The Duration for your task is used in combination with the Start Date Offset to determine your task’s end date. For example, if we have a task start date of 6/15, and a duration of 3 days, the task’s end date will be calculated as 6/17 (the 15th, 16th, and 17th).
Note
If you want your task to start the same day as the start of your project, simply enter a 0 into this field.
There are other fields you can fill in for your template task that are not required, including hours, priority, milestone, predecessors, a description.
The milestones that show up to choose from are the ones created on this project template. If you will be adding milestones to your template tasks, it is a good idea to create the milestones first.
You can choose to set either a start-start or end-start predecessor for your task. To set a predecessor, you need at least one other template task created. A start-start predecessor means that this task cannot be started until the predecessor task has started. An end-start predecessor means that a task cannot be started until the predecessor task has ended.
Note
Start Date Offsets cannot be used in combination with task predecessors. If you set a predecessor, then the Start Date Offset field will be disabled, and you will not be able to edit it. If you had entered a value in that field already prior to setting the predecessor, once the task is saved, the value will be overridden based on the predecessor.
For example, if you entered 7 days into the Start Date Offset field, and then you choose a start-start predecessor that is a task with 0 offset days, then your new task will also have 0 offset days. The 7 days that you originally entered will be overridden.
End-start predecessors work similarly, but also consider the predecessor’s task duration. For instance, if you have a predecessor task that has 3 offset days, and a duration of 5 days, then the start of your new task will be 8 days after the start of your project.
Once a task is created, you can use the ellipses icon to edit or delete the task from the template, as well as Edit the Task Checklist. In this popup, you can add public checklist items for the task, that will display on the task when the project is created.
Files
The Files tab of the project template allows you to upload files that will be automatically added to each project that uses the template. In the Add New File popup, you can choose whether to make the file visible to your contacts or vendor contacts that are on the project.
Updated 5/5/2023