Add templates to project for the web
When creating a new project we don't want to start from scratch each time. We should be able to select a type of project (or an existing one) and use that as a starting point.
Michael
shared this idea
Hi all!
We’re planning on building “Copy Project”. To everyone who has been commenting so far, would this satisfy your scenario (as some asks are for “Templates”)? Please share why it would/wouldn’t, and I will continue to update the status accordingly.
Thanks!
~J
30 comments
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Javi
commented
It is an excellent new, "copy project" will make this tool more usefull, but it is still a starting point, it is necesary to organice the projects, as templates, as use, or even an another characteristics "for example programs, or portfolios.
In other hand, migration from pwa its necesary, and integrate a few new rows for tags.
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Antti Pajunen
commented
Copy project would be a starting point but it's not the same as templates. Right now it feels like customers are consistently asking for templates in projects. They like the lightness of use and approach to P4W but the lack of templates is making them question implementation in projects where projects follow a pattern.
As an interim solution, allowing to create projects with Power Automate would allow us to create templates ourselves with Flows and canvas apps.
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Roger Manwaring
commented
"Copy Project" would be a helpful band-aid; but we really need to be able to create templates...or have the ability to import a template/project from PWA.
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Dave
commented
Honestly whatever you can get done faster would be best. This is very painful to not have.
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nuno costa
commented
It is a excellent news that MS is planning on building the "Copy Project". Please build also the "Template" function. Thanks.
The P4W represents a huge interface improvement but is not ready to be in Production Environment. -
Anonymous
commented
Copy would be a good start...however I would like to see the ability to create our own templates as we have many different types of projects that use different methodologies which have different naming conventions for Stages/Phases. Types of projects include...Facilities, IT Waterfall, IT Scrum, Business Process Improvement, etc.
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Caitlyn
commented
Copy project would not work for us currently because it doesn't allow us to pre-assign users. We have projects that are basically the same setup over and over throughout product development - one user is the assigned person for all of X tasks, another is the assigned person for all of Y tasks, one person is the assigned person and the only one who handles Z task.
Our current project setup is about 54 tasks long and manually assigning someone to each of those tasks every time is one of the primary factors in our decision not to switch. The only thing that really changes is who is the person handling all of X tasks, but that person's role is interspersed throughout the project so it wouldn't be possible to simply do all of their tasks in one group/bucket/section.
Additionally, our templates are set up as modules for various finishing sections. If it's planned for X region of the world, it needs to include these steps. If it's going through that licensor, it needs to include these other steps. We build our projects by building template module by template module until it includes the correct steps.
Where I could see you improving on this functionality for us from our current software: We could eliminate several modules and have fewer templates if we had the ability to assign a role rather than a person for some of the tasks and then assign a person to that role when the template is used.
Another argument for a template over "copy project". For too many years, we did packaging by picking up a previous project. And things changed as time went on. Dimensions were updated, legal information was updated, and so on. So we would pick up packaging that had been done a year ago because it had the right languages on it. And it would turn out to have the wrong dimensions and then we'd have to backtrack and readjust everything. With a template, the template is always updated. Everybody uses the template and only THAT template. It is always correct and updated because there is a person assigned to template creation and updating. Everyone knows to go to that person to get the template updated/created, etc. There's never a question that we are working with the version we want to be working with.
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Rick Bojahra
commented
Copying a project is a great solution for this, but It needs to be possible manually and through Power Automate. Every possible use for this platform we have come across so far would benefit significantly through templates or copying an existing project.
To expand a bit farther, I would recommend that ALL new functionality (like this) should be available in Power Automate.
Most of the examples I can think of would kick-off as a result of another action in another system.For example, a Request for Quotation in CRM would generate a project for the delivery of the Quote.
Having Power Automate be able to grab the request (state change in CDS) from Crm and then create a new project with assigned tasks etc would be ideal.
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Michael
commented
Well... the majority of the competitive products have the idea of templates so there is that. A template provides a predefined series of tasks according to some criteria. It also then provides something to measure against to ensure that the standards represented by the template are followed. It also allows for easier adoption of the system and more widespread use across the organization since new staff will know what to expect when managing projects, events, product launches, board meetings, new construction etc. in such a way that meets standards. Having templates is one of the key parts that makes a system easy to use. I can start out with a list of tasks and deliverables and know I am doing the right thing. It also feeds into a lessons learned/gradual improvement process. ie. I just ran this event, we missed these three things, we had better add them into the event template for next time. It is one of the first things all of the non-traditional project managers we have shown the product to ask for as they are used to starting out with templates for word documents, excel spreadsheets, etc.
You could even make this work like how Power Automate does over time and have a list of the templates provided by Microsoft (and others) and list how often they have been used. This then becomes another competitive advantage for the product.
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Mattias Holgerson
commented
Copy project would be good but the capability to start from a template is more valuable.
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Sebastian Werner
commented
Hi Microsoft Project Team.
A "Copy Project" option would definitely help, but we need one more feature in it: Relative dates depending on a to be set start OR finish date of a project.
This way we can create a template of a project that has all durations in it as they don't change from project to project. When we create a new project from the template (or copy the project if you release "copy project") we would like to just specify the starting oder finish date, an all tasks are magically distributed in the timeline.
ToDoIst offers this feature and it is a game changer. As long as this is not possible in Project for the Web, it will be hard to make the users switch to Project.
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Trutz-Sebastian Stephani
commented
Templates are still needed because with the current security model anyone needs to be part of the o365 group that hosts the original template and can therefore alrer it
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Peter Kestenholz
commented
If doing a copy it should be possible to mount to a Business Process Templates.
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Dave Jones
commented
The beauty of a template is that it is "fixed" and can't be accidentally altered. It is a special type of project, and one that you can always trust is clean and good. "Copy project" is important too. So, it is a good starting point. Iteration 1 = Copy project. Iteration 2 = Template. How about that?
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Stephen Little
commented
My company carries out various kinds of work for different clients. The range of governance processes in use for handling change has to be reflected by similar range of suitable project structures. Without templates it would be impractical to use Project For Web for these various but repeatable types of change.
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lisette pieke
commented
In our company we use pre-defined templates, because most projects consist of the same tasks. It's just a different project for a different client. We use EPT's for this.
In Project for the Web this functionality is not available, which means we have to start every project from scratch which takes up way to much time for our project managers.
it would be nice to choose a template with tasks when you create a new project in Project for the Web as well. -
Emanuel van der Aalst
commented
Hi all,
I'm interested in this capability to be able to make a template or simply copy a plan. However you can do this today with a workaround:
Step 1: Make your "template".
-Set all columns in the grid and in all board views.
-Add your team to the plan.
-Add all tasks, and assign the tasks to your team members.Step 2: Make a new plan. This will become your "copy to work" on.
-Create and arrange all columns in the grid view and all boards exactly as they are in the "template".
-Add your team to the planStep 3:
-Go to your "Template" and select all tasks. Click on the three dots and select "copy"
-Now open your "work copy" in a new tab in the same browser
-Create one task.
-Click on the three dots at the end of the task and select "paste"You now have a copy of your template with most of the things copied over. Task assignments still fail from time to time. But it is essential that you arrange your columns in the boards at least in exactly the same order.
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Dave
commented
I'm mostly interested in pulling in specific milestones or WBS formats. The names (product launch, construction project, etc) aren't really what I'm interested in.
For example, we are a construction company that operates in 6 states and multiple market sectors (residential, senior living, etc.). We would see a huge boost in usage of schedules as well as good reporting if we could set up templates to pre-populate company or market sector milestones or WBS' (4 story senior living buildings have different breakdowns than a 10 story mixed use residential and commercial), task sequences like permitting processes in each state, and resource role assignments.
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Tamara Frey
commented
Either creating a project from a custom template (no need for a MS template) an admin provided to avoid starting from scratch if you have similar projects or provide the ability to use an existing project as a reference and create a copy without or with the O365 group (choice).
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Dave Jones
commented
Just like with Project Professional / Project Online, it is interesting that you can pick a "canned" template that Microsoft provides, but more importantly is that I MUST be able to pick a template that I (or my organization) has defined for the work that we do. I must be able to pick from one or more of these templates.