Managing General Information for a Project Template

The General Information tab in the Project Template window is where you enter basic properties for a template. These properties include the project type, the template's name and ID, and how often projects created from the template recur, among other information.

The features available in the template are partly determined by properties set in the project type. By answering the tailoring questions on the template's General Information tab, you can further refine the template for your firm's needs. Locks on the tailoring questions also provide process control. If you lock a question in a template, then the answer cannot be changed for projects created from that template.

Note: Answers that are locked at the project type level cannot be changed in a template.

To manage template general information, do the following:

1. Open the Templates list.
   • From Dashboard. Open Dashboard, click Application Links on the navigation panel, and then click Configuration > Project templates under Workstream.
   • In Workstream. Click Templates in the Manage group on the Manage ribbon.
2. Select a project template, and then click. You can also right-click and select Open from the menu.
3. Click General Information on the navigation panel.
4. In the Project information section, enter the relevant information for your template. Items that are required in the template automatically populate projects created from the template. However, you can choose to leave optional items blank if having them in the template will not streamline project creation.

Component	Description
Project type	Select the project type for the template. Note: You cannot change the project type for a template after the template is saved the first time.
Primary service type	Displays the primary service type of the project template, such as audit planning or bookkeeping. The primary service type populates based on the project type and cannot be edited.
Template ID	Enter an ID for the template.
Template name	Edit the name for the template, if needed. If you do not edit the name, the template ID is used as the template name.
Frequency	Select how often the project should be completed. This selection determines the number of projects that are created when you create a project from the template. For example, if the frequency is quarterly, four projects are created. Note:  The frequency is not editable after the template has been saved.
Works from the pool	Select this option to indicate that staff can assign themselves to projects created from this template. The file holder can be set to In the pool until a staff picks up the work.
File holder	Select to keep the project in the pool, assign the project to you, or, if you have the necessary permissions, assign it to a different staff member.
Default Status	Select the appropriate status for your project. Statuses describe how close projects are to completion.
Complexity	Select the appropriate complexity based on the work to be done with your project. Assigning complexity levels to projects or worksteps can simplify the process of assigning tasks to staff since it can describe the level of skill needed to complete the project.
Priority	Select the appropriate priority for your project. The priority can be used to set a project's importance or urgency so schedulers and firm management will know, based on the priority assigned, that a project or workstep should be scheduled faster or earlier than others.
Inactive	Select this option to change the template to inactive. An inactive template: Will not display in template lookup lists. Will display in view filters and project properties. Cannot be used to create a new project. Cannot be copied. Tip: If your firm uses CCH ProSystem fx Tax, verify that this template is not used in a Return Configuration Set. If your firm uses this template as a default in a Return Configuration Set, the template will be cleared when a project is created.
Description	Enter a description as needed. It can include the purpose of the template, such as auditing, filing tax returns, or monthly bookkeeping.

5. Answer the tailoring questions in the Questions section of the window to identify how you want to track specific elements in your projects. Hover over the bubble help button following each item for more detailed information. To prevent answers from being changed at the project level, click the unlock icon to lock a question.

   Note: If the item was locked at a higher level, meaning the type, the lock symbol is gray. If the item is locked at the current template level, the icon is yellow.

6. Click one of the Save buttons or Cancel.

   Button	Description
   Save	Saves the changes without exiting the window.
   Save & New	Saves the changes and opens a new window.
   Save & Close	Saves the changes and exits the window.
   Cancel	Exits the window without saving your changes.