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Best Practices for Creating New Project Templates

Creating well-structured Project Templates helps ensure a consistent and efficient setup process for new projects across your organization. This guide shares practical tips and conventions to follow when building templates in Authorium.

To Name Templates Clearly and Consistently​

Use descriptive names that make it easy for others to understand the template’s purpose or intended use. If needed, include version information or the name of the owner. Examples:

  • Procurement: Evaluation Workflow Template v1.0
  • Smith, Jordan: Non-IT RFO Template (07/12/2025)

Avoid vague names like “New Template” or “Test Template”—these make it harder for teams to know when or how to use them.

To Include Only What’s Necessary​

Templates should focus on reusable components that apply to similar types of projects. Avoid adding content that’s specific to a single case or scenario. Recommended elements:

  • Standard workflows and transitions
  • Common forms and evaluation logic
  • Frequently used folders and documents

Avoid including:

  • Project-specific documents
  • Temporary rules or assignments
  • Incomplete or experimental stages

To Add Descriptions that Clarify Usage​

Add a short description to each template explaining when and how it should be used. This helps other users select the right template without needing extra guidance. Good description example:
“Use this template for standard non-IT RFOs. Includes evaluation forms, 4-stage approval workflow, and default folder structure.”

To Test Templates Before Publishing​

Before publishing, test your template by creating a draft and linking it to a temporary Project Type. Then create a mock project and confirm that:

  • Forms appear as expected
  • Transitions behave correctly
  • Rules and notifications work

Publish a template only after testing it. Once published, it’s immediately available, and any mistakes could affect live projects.

To Version Templates When Making Updates​

Authorium doesn’t automatically track versions, so use naming conventions to manage updates:

  • Add a version suffix to the template name (e.g., v1.1, v2.0)
  • Include a summary of changes in the description
  • Unpublish older versions once the new one is ready

See Also​

To complement your knowledge of this process, check the following pages: