Date management using templates

Roger

Hello,

Usually when using templates, its usefoul to be able to have a Set date or so to apply to a given template, let me explain, if i have a product development template or a marketing launching plan, or an IT project plan, etc... means that my project will have the same or very similar phases/tasks and duration, otherwise Im not using a template.

Then if the phases/tasks are the same or similar the dates can be similar too, at least they are useful as a guideline for the new project.

When I create a new project out of a template, I see that all dates remain the original dates instead of asking me when I want this project to start or at least, at which date I want to "push" the initial tasks and keep the duration as the formula to push the end dates. (ex: I i have my template starting on 01/01/2020, and when i start I specify that the project will start on 08/01/2021, i expect to push all task dates + 1year and 8 months)

But in my templates, far from this, i have the exact dates i had set when creating a project and if i try to modify a date, the picker, sets me to that date, its not the case now, but in 3 o 10 years ....)

Is there any way to do this? Am i doing something wrong with my templates?

Using formulas and making all dates dependent on a formulas is a "weak" workaround: i dont see it very practical as at the end if i use "today" it will be needed to redo all again as probably the project is not starting today. Using a formula based on a cell, where i set a intial date.... this is better, but once again, having a column to set an initial date is...., and also means that ALL tasks are formula or predecessor dependent, and if the user tries to modify, add or delete a task, will break all the formulas.

Any advise?

Thanks

Ben Goldblatt

Hi Roger,

If I'm understanding this correctly, it sounds like you're looking for a way to set a date in a template and have that date automatically update for future sheets when needed. If you're working in a dependency-enabled sheet and using Predecessors, dates on a newly created sheet from a template should adjust accordingly if you update them. If dependencies are disabled and you're not working with Predecessors, auto-adjusting dates via formulas may be the way to go.

While the ability to edit templates directly isn't currently supported, you may want to submit a Product Enhancement Request for this as I can definitely see the benefit of being able to edit template information prior to creating a new sheet if data has changed or is in need of updating. Since you have access to our Pro Desk services, you may also want to look into scheduling a Pro Desk session to show one of our Pro Desk agents what you're working with and to discuss some possible best practices for what you're looking to accomplish. If you're not familiar with this, Pro Desk delivers practical one-on-one coaching sessions (30 minutes per session, 10 sessions per year) with a Smartsheet expert to accelerate your setup time and help you optimize your projects, programs, and processes. 

To view available session dates and times and to schedule a Pro Desk appointment, visit https://www.smartsheet.com/pro-desk

If you have any questions on this or if the above doesn't address what you're looking to do, post a screenshot of what you've setup in your template and we'll be happy to advise further.

Thanks,

Ben