Is it possible to Require input for Start AND End Dates when using Templates?

Hello,
I’m attempting to create a template for team sub-projects, etc, just to make sure we have the same data in all projects. I’m seeing great complexity around project start OR end dates and the template tasks therein, but is it not possible for me to require the user to assign a custom start AND end date when they create the project? I don’t need the automated tasking around it, just… a way to require start and end date entries.

Help?

Thanks,
Keith

To be clear, I can’t even get to this screen when starting from one of my custom templates (Asana’s yes, but not mine:)
image

And even on Asana’s templates, it seems to only allow manual entry of either/or, then calculate the other?

Welcome, @Keith_G,

To get that dialog to appear, as it says in the tip in the Asana Guide article you linked:

The schedule project dates screen will only show up if there are set dates (a project or task due date or date range) in the custom template.

So just make sure either the project or at least one task has a date.

But once you see that dialog, you’ll have to choose to make the relative dates in the template based on either the start or the end; you won’t be able to do both.

If you’re (also) asking about requiring tasks to have both start and end dates, that’s not possible, but here’s a workaround:

Hope that helps,

Larry

Hi Larry,

Thanks for your response. I’d like to challenge you to actually get that screen to appear for a new custom template. Regardless of my templates due date, that particular screen never appears- it does on Asana’s templates, but not mine.

That screen doesn’t really matter though, as you mentioned that Asana still misses the broader usefulness in it’s controls and DOES NOT allow me to require the user to define a start AND end date when creating a new project.

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This dialog does not exist anymore, the “direction”, either start or end date based, is decided in the template, and then you create a project you only choose the date, not the direction.

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Thanks for the correction, @Keith_Guerrette and @Bastien_Siebman!

Larry

I’m having trouble getting to that dialogue box that allows me to schedule project dates by start or end date. I’ve included dates in my template, yet I don’t have an option to use the template by end dates. I need that option to create a project (from my template) by end date because this is an editorial production timeline and I want to put in my publish date and have the template backdate so I know when to start the first task.

@Keith_Guerrette,

I’m still not sure this thread gave you a clear answer to your questions, did it?

(1) It’s true that you can’t have the project calculate task dates based on entering both a project start and due date, it’s only one or the other.

(2) But also, the dialog where you select whether to use the start or the due date to calculate from, is available in any project template, built-in or your own custom ones. See here for how to get to it, if it’s still unclear.

See the link in (2) in my post above.