---
title: Templates
summary: Build reusable task plans, group them in categories, and edit the copy that a project uses.
order: 2
menu: Company settings > Planning > Templates
route: /templates
who: People who have the View Templates permission. Adding a template needs Add. The task sheet needs Edit to open, Approve to change cells and Delete to remove rows.
---

A template is a ready-made plan for one type of work, for example `Reinforced concrete slab` or `1 BHK finishing work`. It holds a list of tasks with durations and the order they follow each other. You build the template once. Later you add it to the schedule of any project.

Each template has a category, such as `Finishing work`, to keep the list tidy. Each template also has a duration unit: days or hours.

## Before you start

- Create the packages you will use. See [Packages](packages.md).
- Create departments, and checklists if tasks need a check at start or finish.
- Set up the labour resources if tasks use them. See [Resources](../site-monitoring/resources.md).

## How to add a template

1. Open **Company settings > Planning > Templates**.
2. Click **Add Template** (mark 1 in the first picture). A box opens.
3. Type the template name in **Name:** (mark 1 in the second picture). The name is required.
4. In **Category:** (mark 2), start typing. Choose a category from the list. If you type a new name, Superwise creates that category.
5. In **Duration Unit:** (mark 3), choose **days** or **hours**.
6. In **Choose a color:** (mark 4), click a colour. The colour marks the template in the schedule.
7. Click **Save** (mark 5).

![The Templates list. Mark 1 is Add Template. Mark 2 is the Categories tab. Mark 3 is the search box.](../media/template-list.png)

![The Add Template box. Mark 1 is Name, mark 2 is Category, mark 3 is Duration Unit, mark 4 is Choose a color, mark 5 is Save.](../media/template-form.png)

A new template is empty. Add its tasks in the task sheet, as the next section shows.

## How to copy, edit or delete a template

1. Click the three dots at the end of the template row.
2. Click **List** to open the task sheet of the template in a new tab.
3. Click **Copy** to make a duplicate. Confirm the question **Do you want to duplicate this Template ?**.
4. Click **Edit** to change the name, category, unit or colour.
5. Click **Delete** to remove the template. Confirm the question.

![The menu of a template row. Mark 1 is List, mark 2 is Copy, mark 3 is Edit, mark 4 is Delete.](../media/template-row-menu.png)

Click the arrow at the start of a row to see the tasks of the template. Click **Export to CSV** to download the list. Type in the **Search** boxes under **NAME** and **CATEGORY** to filter.

## How to fill the task sheet

The task sheet looks like a spreadsheet. Each row is a task or a group of tasks.

1. Click **List** in the row menu of the template.
2. Fill one row for each line of the plan. Use the right-click menu to add a row above or below, to cut, copy and paste, and to remove a row.
3. In **Code**, give each row a number. A group row uses numbers such as `1` or `1.1`. A task inside the group `1.1` uses the code `1.1.x`.
4. In **Title**, type the name of the row.
5. In **Task Type**, choose one of the four types. **Summary** is a group heading. **Task** is real work. **Milestone** marks a key date. **Dummy** is a placeholder that holds no work. The first row cannot be a **Task** or a **Milestone**.
6. In **Duration (days)**, or **Duration (hours)** when the template uses hours, type a whole number above 0. Summary rows have no duration.
7. In **Predecessors**, type the **Id** of the task that comes before. For example, `2` means this task starts after task 2 finishes. Separate several tasks with commas.
8. Choose a **Package**, **Department**, **Check (start)** and **Check (finish)** from the lists. The lists show only items that already exist.
9. Tick **Enforce Checklist** if the task must have its checklist filled before it can be finished.
10. Click **Edit Steps** to split a task into steps. Click **Edit Resources** to list the labour a task needs. See the sections below.
11. Click **Verify** (mark 3 in the picture). Superwise checks all rows. Fix the red messages and click **Re-Verify**.
12. When the check passes, a chart of the schedule shows. Click **Save**. Click **Edit Mode** to go back to the sheet instead.

![The template task sheet. Mark 1 is the FS link button. Mark 2 is the Lag box. Mark 3 is the Verify button.](../media/template-task-sheet.png)

### How to write predecessors

Write the relation after the task number: `2FS`, `2SS`, `2FF` or `2SF`. **FS** means finish to start: the task starts when task 2 finishes. **SS** means start to start. **FF** means finish to finish. **SF** means start to finish. If you write only `2`, Superwise uses **FS**.

Write a lag after the relation: `2FS+3d` means 3 days after task 2 finishes. Use `h` for hours. A lag marked `(S)`, such as `2FS+3d(S)`, can shrink.

You can also select two or more rows and click **FS**, **SS**, **FF** or **SF** (mark 1). The rows link in order. Type a number in **Lag** (mark 2) first to add a lag. Tick **Shrink Lag** to allow the lag to shrink.

### How to add steps to a task

1. In the **Steps** column of a **Task** row, click **Edit Steps**. The box **Modify Steps** opens.
2. Fill **Sequence** (1, 2, 3 and so on), **Title** and **Weightage** for each step.
3. Make the weightages add up to 100%.
4. Click **Update Steps**.

### How to add labour resources to a task

1. In the **Labour Resources** column of a **Task** row, click **Edit Resources**. The box **Modify Resources** opens.
2. Choose a **Resource** in each row. **Resource ID** fills in. Type the **Hours**.
3. Click **Update Resources**.

### How to import tasks from a file

An empty template shows **Import File**.

1. Click **Select file**. Choose an .xlsx, .mpp or .xer file.
2. Click **Process** and confirm **Importing the file will replace existing rows**.
3. Check the rows that appear, then verify and save as usual.

## How to manage template categories

Click the **Categories** tab on the **Templates** page.

1. Click **Add Category**, type the name and click **Save**.
2. Use the icons at the end of a row. The list icon, with the tip **View templates**, shows the templates of that category. The pencil edits the name. The bin deletes the category.

A category cannot repeat a name. You cannot delete a category that has templates. The message is **Category has template linked to it**.

## How a project uses a template

When you add a template to a project schedule, the project gets its own copy. Changes you make to the copy do not change the master template. Open the copies from the **Project Templates** button in the schedule playground.

The page **Templates - Acme Heights** lists the templates of the project. A red message says when the schedule must be built again after you change a template.

1. Click the arrow at the start of a row to see its **Tasks** and, when you can add one, its **Variation** tab.
2. Click the list button (mark 1 in the picture below) to open the task sheet of the project copy.
3. Click the branch button (mark 2) to add a variation. A variation is a changed version of the template for one project. Type a **Variation Name** and change only the values the sheet allows.
4. In the task sheet of a project copy, click the round arrow button next to **SF**. Its tip says **Re-Sync with Master**. It pulls the latest changes of the master template into the copy.

![The templates of a project. Mark 1 is the button for the task sheet. Mark 2 is the button that adds a variation.](../media/project-template-list.png)

## What the columns mean

| Name | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **NAME** | The template name. |
| **CATEGORY** | The category of the template. |
| **DURATION UNIT** | Whether durations are in days or hours. |
| **Id** | The task number. Predecessors refer to it. |
| **Code** | The position of the row in the outline. |
| **Predecessors** | The tasks that come before this one. |
| **Package** | The work package of the task. |
| **Check (start)** and **Check (finish)** | The checklists to fill when the task starts and finishes. |
| **Enforce Checklist** | The task cannot finish before the checklist is filled. |

## Rules to know

- A template name cannot repeat. The system shows **Template Name cannot be repeated**.
- You cannot delete a template that a project or a schedule playground node uses.
- The start and finish checklist of one task cannot be the same.
- A group row must have at least one row under it. A code cannot repeat.
- You cannot remove a task that a project already uses. The message starts with **Task** and names the project.
- Leaving the task sheet with unsaved changes asks you to confirm.
- Export from the chart works only when the sheet has no unsaved changes.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| **Template Name cannot be repeated** | Choose another name. |
| **Template cannot be deleted as it is linked to one or more projects** | Remove the template from the projects first. |
| **Code ... has been repeated** | Give each group a different code. |
| **Task start and finish checklist cannot be same.** | Choose different checklists, or clear one. |
| **Task dependencies incorrect** | Check the **Predecessors** of the rows named in the message. |
| **Please correct the errors and update steps** | Make the step weightages add up to 100% and fix the red cells. |
| **Please upload .xlsx, .mpp or .xer files only** | Choose a file of one of these types. |

## Related pages

- [Packages](packages.md): the package list used in the task sheet.
- [Work items](work-items.md): BOQ items that tasks can link to.
- [Working calendars](working-calendar.md): the days the schedule counts.
- [Planning masters](index.md): the order to set up the planning lists.