Project Templates are a great way to quickly and easily reuse project structures. When saving a custom Project Template, you can choose what information should be saved based on what you think will be relevant in the future.
Note that you can make changes to a Project created from a Template without impacting the Template or any other Projects created from that Template.
Also, be sure to check out:
Saving a Project Template
The Template process begins with your framing of the Project. Build out a Project as if you were ready to begin it, complete with Milestones, Tasks, Statuses, deadlines - anything that you'll need in future projects based on this Template.
Here's a list of items that can be saved into your Project Template:
Modules (disabled Modules will be disabled in the Template)
Custom Views (any embeds that you've added on the Project level)
Automations
Statuses
Milestones
Tasks & Subtasks
Folders in Docs & Files
Once your Project is framed, you'll find the option to Save as Template under the header dropdown menu.
Customizing Your Template
Name, Description, and Features
Here we can name our Template as well as give the Template a description to help you and your team understand the purpose of this Template. Below this area is where you can select which aspects of the Project you'd like to have saved into the Template.
Milestone, Task, and Subtask Offset Days
Templates allow you to save relative Start and Due dates for Milestones and Tasks, as well as Due Dates for Subtasks. Milestones will group the Tasks within them into a dropdown menu, and Subtasks will be grouped beneath their respective Tasks similarly. These dates are saved in what are called Offsets.
These fields will automatically be populated relative to the date where you are saving this template. For example, a Milestone that starts today (Monday) and is due on Sunday will have a Start Offset of 0 Days and a Due Offset of 6 Days.
Offsets can also be negative, which allows you to work backwards from a specific date -please read the Offset Date section below for more on this.
Creating a Project from a Template
Access the Create a Project screen from a + button in your sidebar. From here, you'll find your Saved Templates and their Descriptions in the Saved Templates tab. Select the Template you'd like to use, enter a Project Name, and Create Project.
Offset Date
The Offset Date allow you to indicate which date the Milestones, Tasks, and Subtasks Offset Start and Due days orient from. By default, this date is set to today's date. That said, if you wish to start your project's timelines from a different date--perhaps a week from now--you can do so by selecting that Offset Date.
End-pointing and Mid-pointing Projects
Milestones, Tasks, and Subtasks with negative offset numbers in their date ranges will backdate that amount of days from your Offset Date. In this way, your projects can base their timings based on an end date (such as a product launch, go-live date, or other critical deadline).
You can have both positive and negative offset days in your template, effectively making your Offset Date a midpoint in your project rather than a start or end date. This a great for Projects that have a critical side-project deadline with additional follow-up items, such as event or implementation workflows.
This Event template is using the Event Day as the Offset Date, that way the Event Lead-up and Post-Event timelines orient properly around the day the event.
Editing and Deleting a Template
You can update a Template by creating a project from it, making the desired changes, then saving a new version of this Template. You can even choose to delete the old version from within your Template Center.
Once inside, click on the template you'd like to delete.
Then, select the Trash icon.