What Are Project Templates?
Templates are reusable project blueprints. You define the steps once — tasks, automations, assignees, due dates — and launch them across multiple clients, plans, or prospects.
Use templates for any repeatable process, such as:
Annual census collection
Safe Harbor notices
Plan takeovers or conversions
Document restatements
316 administration and compliance cycles
Best Practice: Start with a template whenever the process has 3+ steps or is used more than once per year.
How to Create a Project Template
1. Navigate to Templates
Go to Library in the left-hand menu.
Click the Projects tab to open the templates workspace.
2. Set Up the Basics
Name your template clearly (e.g. “Annual Census Collection”).
Add a description for internal context.
Apply tags (like “Onboarding” or “Compliance”) to organize templates across your team.
On the overview screen, you’ll also see:
A breakdown of all projects launched from this template
Live status tracking for those projects and their tasks
Building the Task List
On the right side of the template editor, you’ll see the task list — this is where you define the step-by-step workflow.
For each task, you can configure:
Name and detailed instructions
Assignee (a specific user or role-based assignment)
Due Date (fixed or relative, e.g. “3 days after project launch”)
Priority and status
You’ll also select a Task Type:
Client Task – appears in the client portal (e.g. upload files, complete questionnaires, sign documents)
Internal Task – for your team only (e.g. review census file, submit 5500)
Optional Enhancements:
Required Data – Block task completion until a specific field is filled (e.g. file uploaded).
Logging Fields – Automatically log timestamps (e.g. “5500 filed date”) to the plan, project, or client record.
Automations – Trigger actions like sending emails, inviting clients to the portal, or launching a follow-up project.
💡 Best Practice: The first task in a template should trigger automations like portal invitations and kickoff emails — so the workflow begins instantly when launched.
Advanced Options
Project templates support logic, automation, and scaling tools, including:
Data-Driven Branching – Launch different projects based on answers to form fields (e.g. “Does this require client review?”).
Custom Data Views – Add fields to track extra data on every project launched from this template.
Scheduled Launches – Launch templates automatically:
One-time (e.g. July 15)
Recurring (e.g. annually for compliance cycles)
Bulk Launches – Launch a project for multiple clients/plans by:
Applying filters
Uploading a launch manifest (Excel)
Manually selecting entities from search
Explore Curated Templates
Don’t want to start from scratch? You don’t have to.
Click the More menu in the top right and select Explore Curated Templates. These are pre-built, field-tested templates for:
Census collection and review
Plan conversions
Distributions and terminations
Safe Harbor and 5500 workflows
You can download and import them into your environment, then customize to fit your firm’s needs.
Best Practice: Use a curated template as your starting point. They’re built based on what’s working across other firms in the industry.