Admin Guide to Project Templates

What is Project Template Configuration? How do I use and configure it?

The Project Template Configuration can be found under Project Administration > Settings > Template Config

The Template Configuration primarily consists of the following fields:

Column Name	Description
Parent Table	Parent Table for which the template has to be created.
Table	Table (Child) for which this template has to be created
Link Element	Parent Table is related to Child Table
Default Element	Must-have Columns that are required to make hierarchy and functionality, used while applying the template
Elements	Configuration Columns that can be taken as part of the template definition and used while applying the template.

 

Default Elements

The Default Elements are required columns in the table, these columns help maintain the project hierarchy and functionality while applying the template.

These are default template elements:

• Calculation Type
• Rollup
• Phase Type
• Start Date
• Time Constraint
• Duration
• Original Start Date
• WBS Order (added recently for performance improvements)

  The default elements are captured and stored in the Default Template under the Template Definitions. These Default Elements in Configuration and the Default Template in Template are read-only fields.

Elements

The Elements are the configurable columns that can be updated as required. The pre-defined elements are:

• Short Description
• Description
• Project Manager
• Comments
• Assignment Group
• Assigned To
• Milestone
• Key Milestone
• Allow Dates outside Schedule

These elements are configurable; users can add more columns or remove unwanted columns when the template is created.

These elements are stored under the Template column under the Template.

Use Case: When you want to include the Priority as part of the template creation from a project, the Priority column can be added to the Definition so that the template stores it.

Note: It is Advised NOT to overwrite OR include the same fields that are defined in Default Elements.

Project Templates

Project Templates are created based on the Project Template Configuration.

The Project Template primary consists of following fields:

Project Template Columns	Description
Table	Table which the template is created for
Default Template	This holds columns defined under Default Elements
Template	This holds the columns defined under Elements
Original	Reference of the Project from which the template is created from

As mentioned above, the Default Template has the key columns to maintain the Project hierarchy and functionality and is read-only.

Note: It is Advisable NOT to clear the Default Template.

Best Practices

1. Always configure the extra fields under the Elements in the Template Configuration Definition.
2. Never clear or overwrite the Default Elements under Configuration and Default Template under the template.
3. Do not create templates for larger projects (with ~500 tasks) as applying the template will affect performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I'm unable to apply the template to a project or create a project using a template on a specific date.
   
   1. There are certain things to review to validate why dates are not moved or recalculated.
      
      1. Review the Project from which the template is created
      2. Review if the Calculation Type in Project and Project Task is set to Automatic
      3. Review the Time Constraint of the Project Tasks.
      4. Review the No Task under the Project is earlier to Project Start Date
      5. Review the Project has No Cyclic Relation
      6. Review the Project Hierarchy is proper using the Project Diagnostics Page.
2. Can I change the Date Time format of the System and use a Project template?
   
   1. Yes, you can – In case the format is updated and Applying template is not reflecting the new date. Try changing it back to Default Date Time Format for older releases.
3. Can I remove the Time from Date Time Format and Use Project template?
   
   1. No, you can not.
4. Are the Attachments taken as part of the template?
   
   1. Yes, If the Project/Project Task has attachments they are copied over to the template.