Ability to set dependencies in Task Templates

Use Case:
We have a project that we use as our content calendar. All published content (each content piece is a task) must go through a series of reviews and other sub-tasks that are dependent on subtasks under this same task. When I create a task and accompanying subtasks, then create subtask dependencies, then convert this task into a task template, the subtasks dependencies do not cary over to the task template. I would vote for subtask dependencies on task templates to be a solution here. As a work around, right now, we are just not using task templates and instead we are duplicating the task and allowing for dependencies to be copied in the duplication.

Example:
The task is named: News Article Title ABCDEFG
The subtasks are:
Create Content Draft
Select Featured Image
Edit Audio File (dependent on Create Content Draft)
Approve (Dependent on Edit Audio File)

Love this! This would be so helpful

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I would also like to see this. Iā€™ve had to manually change all the dependencies which didnā€™t transfer when converting the task to a template.

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+1

Exactly the same use caseā€¦

We have created a host of templates for content production tasks
image

They include both approvals and dependencies within the subtasks

As these are all within the subtasks, it would be good to be able to use the task templates feature, rather than having to create tasks with a status of ā€˜Templateā€™ that we copy from.

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Yes! This is something that is lacking with the templates - would improve workflow a lot betterā€¦ Especially in the case of awaiting a review! Please consider this change :slight_smile:

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YES. I was surprised I had to dig this deep in the forum to see this request. I was so excited to implement detailed task templates for frequent types of requests our team fields regularly.

I spend too much time manually cleaning up dependencies because my team needs extreme clarity when a task is ready for handoff.

Unfortunately, until dependences are included in task templates, this feature is nearly useless to me. As @AshleyWright mentions, weā€™re going to have to keep using a ā€œtemplatesā€ section and instructing users to duplicate the task.

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It would also be great to be able to have a templated task added to another project (even better if the custom fields for those projects could also be set). :slight_smile:

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We got a premium trial largely to use templates and dependancies, and I was really surprised that they canā€™t be used together. This feels like a huge oversight?

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Yes yes yes! Weā€™re struggling right now to utilize task templates without this being an available feature. Weā€™ve started just creating actual tasks within a project that we title as a ā€œtemplateā€ that can be copied when needing to add a new task to a project. But itā€™s so convoluted and leads to all of those tasks and subtasks showing up in everyoneā€™s My Tasks view. I would LOVE to just be able to use the actual task template feature for this!!

We are on the business trial after using the lower level for three years. We are also very surprised that task templates do not pull over dependencies. That seems like it should be a given and simple for the development team to implement.

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@AshleyWright I would love if you could share your content template with me somehow! :slight_smile:

@anon58904926 ā€“ here are screenshots of some of our content templates:


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Thank you so0o0o much!

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Argh this is so annoyingā€¦ about a month ago I finally converted all our ā€˜templatesā€™ to proper task templates and it honestly never occurred to me that dependencies wouldnā€™t carry over.

I couldnā€™t figure out why some of our workflows werenā€™t working anymore, and only just realized now. Thankfully we donā€™t need to use dependencies a lot so only affects a couple of workflows, but itā€™s still frustrating. I guess Iā€™m the idiot for not checking first :woman_facepalming:

As @anon58904926 says, it seems like it should be a given.

2 Likes

it looks like thereā€™s some other topics out there for this too:
https://forum.asana.com/t/in-template-tasks-support-specifying-dependencies-across-subtasks/117955
https://forum.asana.com/t/when-converting-task-to-template-dependencies-are-lost/121478
https://forum.asana.com/t/adding-task-dependencies-in-a-task-template/121697

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Thanks for the heads up, @ceturley! I merged all duplicated threads with this thread to consolidate feedback. We hope to have news about this feature soon! Iā€™ll keep you posted.

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In template tasks, please provide the option to specify dependencies across subtasks. Then, when a new task is generated from the template, maintain those dependencies. Currently, template tasks contain a list of subtasks, which can have (relative) dates assigned, but otherwise they are not related to each other.

My team uses Instagantt for a Gantt style chart view and the dependencies are essential for us. The current workaround is that, after generating a new task (w/subtasks) from a template task, we have to manually click in to specify dependencies. (We do this in Instagantt because the UI is much better suited to this step.)

Bonus points if the dependent subtasks could have their dates ā€œblockedā€ by preceding tasks. For example, if Subtask B is dependent on Subtask A being complete, but A isnā€™t scheduled to be done until May 1, then I wonā€™t be able to schedule B to start any earlier than May 1. :slight_smile:

Extra ultra 1000x bonus points for implementing a Gantt-chart in Timeline view, but thatā€™s another feature request. :laughing:

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Strongly agree with the topic starter! We need dependencies in templates too, I think it is essential. Vote for this.

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Just FYI, subtasks created by the ā€œCreate subtasks from a templateā€ rule action in our Flowsana integration do support and maintain dependencies (both among the subtasks and also between the subtasks and the parent task they get created under).

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This is super important for us. Every time we create a task for a new content piece I have to go in manually and add the dependencies to all 10 steps. So I donā€™t get value out of using the Task Template at this stage, I have to leave a [TEMPLATE TASK] in my project and copy from that.

2 Likes