Overview of attaching a template to a project

Last update: July 26, 2022

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When you attach a template to an existing project, you are modifying some of the information on the project according to that of the template. Some of the information on the project remains unchanged.

For information about how to attach a template to a project, see Attach a template to a project.

Considerations when adding templates to projects

Consider the following when adding templates to projects:

  • You can attach only active templates to projects.
  • You can attach a template to a project when the project is in a status of Complete, Dead, or in Pending Approval, only when your Adobe Workfront administrator or a group administrator has enabled this functionality in the Project Preferences area. For information about setting project preferences, see Configure system-wide project preferences.
  • Unless you exclude specific template tasks from being added in the attachment process, all template tasks are added to the existing project.
  • Most template settings are added to the project. Some project settings are preserved. For information, see the section Understand changes to project fields when attaching a template in this article.

Understand changes to project fields when attaching a template

IMPORTANT
Attaching a template to a project is not the same as creating a project from a template. When you create a project from a template, all template fields transfer to the new project. Attaching a template leaves some of the existing project fields unchanged.

Some template settings automatically transfer to the project, unless you specifically mark them to be excluded during the template attachment process. When you mark them to be excluded, the project field values are preserved.

However, not all project fields are available to manage in the process of attaching a template to a project. For information, see Attach a template to a project.

The following table describes the default for what happens to project fields when you attach a template and which fields you can manage during the attachment process to override the default behavior:

FieldWhat happens in the process of attaching a template, by defaultAbility to manage the field updates in the attachment process
DescriptionProject information is preserved
StatusProject information is preserved
URLTransferred from template, if the field is empty on the project
PriorityProject information is preserved
Condition TypeProject information is preserved
Schedule ModeProject information is preserved
Planned DatesMight change based on the added tasks
Actual DatesMight change based on the added tasks
PortfolioProject information is preserved
ProgramProject information is preserved
GroupProject information is preserved
CompanyTransferred from template, if the field is empty on the project
Planned HoursMight change based on the added tasks
Project OwnerTransferred from template, if the field is empty on the project
Project SponsorTransferred from template, if the field is empty on the project
Resource ManagerAdded to the list of existing resource managers on the project
Custom FormsAdded to the project, in addition to forms that are already on the project
BudgetProject information is preserved
CurrencyProject information is preserved
PIMProject information is preserved
EACProject information is preserved
Planned BenefitProject information is preserved
Actual BenefitProject information is preserved
Milestone PathTransferred from template, if the field is empty on the project
Completion ModeProject information is preserved
Summary Completion ModeProject information is preserved
Update TypeProject information is preserved
ScheduleProject information is preserved
User Time OffProject information is preserved
Resource Leveling ModeProject information is preserved
Risk (project field)Project information is preserved
Resource PoolsAdded to the list of existing resource pools on the project
Hour Types

If deselected during the attachment process, the Hour Types setting on the project remains unchanged.

If selected, the template setting transfers to the project. If Hour Type filtering is set to Yes both on the project and the template, the hour types from the template are added to the ones on the project.

✓
Reminder Notifications

Added to the list of existing reminders on the project.

If deselected during the attachment process, the project reminder notifications remain unchanged.

✓
Task Default Approval ProcessProject information is preserved✓
Task Default Custom FormsProject information is preserved
Work EffortProject information is preserved
Allow users to add issues inlineProject information is preserved
All settingsTemplate settings overwrite those of the project
TasksAdded to the bottom of the task list, in addition to the existing project tasks
DocumentsAdded to the project, in addition to existing project documents✓
Risks (objects in the Risks area of the project)Added to the project, in addition to existing project risks✓
Approval ProcessTransferred from template✓
Billing Rates

Transferred from template in addition to the existing billing rates on the project.

If there is a different rate for the same job role on both the project and the template, the rate on the project remains unchanged.

✓
Billing RecordsProject information is preserved
ExpensesTransferred from template in addition to the existing expenses on the project✓
Financial Information

When this is selected in the attachment process, the following fields are either transferred or added to the project:

  • Fixed Cost

    When the option is selected, the updated Fixed Cost of the project is calculated using the following formula:

    Updated Project Fixed Cost = Original Project Fixed Cost + Template Fixed Cost

  • Fixed Revenue

    When the option is selected, the updated Fixed Revenue of the project is calculated using the following formula:

    Updated Project Fixed Revenue = Original Project Fixed Revenue + Template Fixed Revenue

  • Cost Type on tasks

    Transferred from template

  • Revenue Type on tasks

    Transferred from template

If this field is deselected during the attachment process, the following occurs:

  • The Fixed Cost and Fixed Revenue on the project are preserved.

  • The Cost and Revenue Types on the tasks added from the template are set to No Cost and Not Billable

✓
HoursProject information is preserved
Queue Details, Topic Groups, Queue Topics, Routing Rules

Transferred from template

If you select the Queue Properties & Issues Setup option during the attachment process, the Queue Details of the template overwrite those of the project. In this case, the Routing Rules, Queue Topics, and Topic Groups of the template are added to those of the project.
If the project is set up as a request queue and the template you attach to the project is not set up as a request queue, the queue information of the project is removed if you leave the Queue Properties & Issues Setup box checked.
If you deselect the Queue Properties & Issue Setup box, all the Queue Setup settings of the project are preserved and no Queue Setup settings from the template are attached.

✓
Task Constraints

Transferred from template

If deselected during the attachment process, the task constraints are set to As Soon As Possible or As Late As Possible, depending on the project Schedule From setting.

✓
Task Predecessors

Transferred from template

If deselected during the attachment process, all predecessor connections between the template tasks are removed.

✓
Sharing Options

If deselected during the attachment process, project permissions remain unchanged.

If selected during the attachment process, the template permissions are added to or overwrite those of the project.

Example: If User A has View permission to the project, but they have Manage permissions on the template, after attaching the template User A will gain Manage access to the project.

✓
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