Timeline templates
Start a project's timeline from a ready-made plan, keep your own library of templates, and save a finished timeline as a new one.
This feature is in beta. If you do not see it, ask your admin to turn it on for your organization.
A timeline template is a plan you have run before: phases, tasks, lengths in working days, dependencies and effort. Starting from one gives a new project a full timeline in a few clicks, dated from the day you choose.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”- Starting from a template needs permission to update the project.
- Editing your organization’s library and saving a timeline as a template need the
timeline-templates.managepermission. Owners, executives and team leads hold it by default.
Start a project from a template
Section titled “Start a project from a template”- Open the project and choose the Timeline tab.
- Choose Start from a template.
- Search the library with Search templates, or pick from Matches this project. Choose Use this.
- Pick a day to start from, or a day the work has to land by.
- Staff each role. Choose a person, or leave it as Nobody yet.
- Choose Create draft, then review the draft and add it to the timeline.
The draft waits for your review, so nothing lands on the timeline until you accept it. If a draft is already waiting, you are asked whether to Replace the waiting draft.
Keep your own library
Section titled “Keep your own library”Open Settings > Organization > Timeline templates. Here you can:
- Copy to my library from the Starter library, then Edit template to fit how your team works.
- Duplicate a template to make a variant.
- Archive a template you no longer use, and Restore it later. Tick Show archived to see archived ones.
Your organization’s own templates are offered to your team as soon as you save them.
Save a timeline as a template
Section titled “Save a timeline as a template”- Open a project’s Timeline tab.
- Open More timeline actions and choose Save this timeline as a template.
- Enter a Template name, a Project type and a Variant.
- Choose Save as template.
Only the structure is saved: entry names, groups, lengths in working days, dependencies, effort hours and the skill each row needs. People, real dates and descriptions stay with the original project.
Limits
Section titled “Limits”- Starter library templates are reviewed by ProjectBrain before they are offered. New ones can appear over time.
- A template sets lengths, not dates. Dates come from the start or finish day you pick.