How To Use Project Templates
How to Create a New Project from a Template
Introduction
This guide will show you how to create a new project from an existing template. This is useful for quickly starting projects that follow a predefined structure, saving you time in the project setup process. By following these steps, you’ll be able to create a project that uses a template or copy a template into an existing project.
Step 1: Open the Project List
To start, go to the project list in your platform. Click on the "New project from template" button.
- Locate the template you want to use
- Select the desired template from the available options
- Click on the appropriate button on the right side to either create a new project from the template or copy the template into an existing project
Step 2: Configure Your New Project
You will be directed to a page where you can edit the project details.
- Edit the name, subproject, start date, author, and inheritance options as needed
- Click on the Create button to generate the new project
- If additional configuration is needed, you can edit these settings later via the project’s settings page
Step 3: Copy Template into an Existing Project (Optional)
You can also copy a project template into an existing project. This option copies all template data (such as tasks, time entries, and activities) into the target project, while leaving the project settings unchanged.
- Navigate to Global menu >> Administration >> Project templates
- Right-click on the template you wish to copy, then select "Copy to project"
- Fill in the form that appears, selecting the target project from the dropdown menu
- Optionally, choose to update task/milestone/subproject dates, or change the task authors
- When ready, click the Copy to project button
Option: "Update Task/Milestone/Subproject Dates According to Project Start Date"
If the option "Update task/milestone/subproject dates according to project start date" is selected when creating a new project from a template, it is important that the project has specified start and due dates (fields must be filled with dates) OR start and due dates must be calculated from tasks. It is recommended that all tasks in the project template have start and due dates as well, especially in the latter case.
Be careful: The template can lose the start and due date if the project start and due date setting is changed in the Administration. For example, if the checkbox Calculate project start/due date from tasks is initially selected and the project template is saved, and later the option for project start/due date is unchecked, the project start date and due date in the template will be missing.
Further Explanation of "Update Task/Milestone/Subproject Dates According to Project Start Date" Behavior
This checkbox:
- Counts the date difference from the original project start date in the template and the manually set/pre-filled start date on the form for creating a new project from the template
- According to this difference, all relevant dates are moved (e.g., milestones, start/due dates, date of creation of a task)
Example:
- Start date project in template: January 1
- Start date of the project from template is set to: May 1
- A task in the template starts on: February 1
- The same task in the new project from template starts on: June 1
This means that if there is no start date for the project in the template, the project start day won’t move according to the start day you set for the new project from the template as you might expect.
Recommendation for Data Setting in Project Template
Based on consultants' experience, it is recommended that project managers avoid creating too many relations among tasks in the project template, even if they all seem logical. Although it may be tempting to create complex relations in the template to match reality, it’s better to stick only to essential relations. Here's why:
- The project Gantt view may become cluttered and unclear
- It could cause difficulties when moving tasks in Gantt during the real project execution
Troubleshooting
If you encounter issues:
- Missing template options: Ensure you have the required permissions to use the template
- Template copying fails: Verify that the target project is compatible with the template (check data structures and settings)
Conclusion and Next Steps
You have successfully created a project from a template or copied a template into an existing project. If you’d like to learn more, check out:
