Make Task templates available to other projects (Task templates library)

[anon44310414]

Hi all,

Is there a way to make Task templates available across all your Projects within the same team? Or even across different teams? Or do I have to create Templates over and over again in each Project that I want the task template to be available in?

Even when I drag the template to a different Project, I can’t see the template in the “Add New” drop down.

[Andrea_Mayer]

Hey @anon44310414 this is not currently available.

You can read about all features of task templates here: How to use task templates in Asana. • Asana Product Guide

As a workaround I suggest maybe creating one project that just contains just tasks that you use as templates. Then you would have to duplicate the tasks whenever needed.
Or duplicate into the relevant projects and then save as task template there also.

@Emily_Roman I think this could be moved to the product feedback category

[anon44310414]

Thanks for the reply @Andrea_Mayer . The problem with duplicating the task is that is automatically is marked as complete and with automated rules, they always end up in the Completed section. Not the end of the world, but just an annoyance when constantly having to duplicate. I’ll read the other forum post, thanks!

[Andrea_Mayer]

Hey @anon44310414
yeah this feature would definitely be useful for many Asana users (me included) so once that is moved to the Product Feedback category we can upvote it

[Bastien_Siebman]

I agree with @Andrea_Mayer , this is concept I called “task factories” for project templates, but that could apply to a single project with task templates in it

Templates can also be "task factories"

Hi , Following on the discussion with @LEGGO on Break long templates into stage-focused templates, it gave me the idea to share that concept of using templates as factories :factory:. Too often, users see a template as a way to create a project, and then they feel like they need to “stay” with the project. However, a template can be used to only “fabricate” tasks, and then you can move tasks elsewhere. A couple of examples: your client process takes a year, you create a template for …

[lpb]

@anon44310414, I provided a quite automated workaround for Business/Enterprise users, though all but the rules part could help others too:

Why and when use task templates

@Michele_Giorgianni, This is a bit of a hack, but I tested it and it works. It will be useful if you have Asana Business or Enterprise until there is a more direct native feature in Asana, I feel. One time only: Make a project called Task Templates and add sections corresponding to each destination project where you’d like to use these common PM and other task templates Add one rule for each section with Trigger: Task added to section (this section) and Action: Move to another project (the d…

And everyone here who wants to vote, please do so here:

Make Task templates available to other projects (Task templates library)

The new task templates functionality is great, but what seriously limits (and likely eradicates) its usefulness is the fact that a Task template is only available in the Project it was created in. Our workspace contains different Teams each with many Projects. We currently have a ‘Tasks’ project in a central Team where users from all Teams can duplicate tasks and move them into a Project. So, the ability to access common Task templates in all Teams and Projects is essential for this to be useful…

@Community_Managers, Perhaps merge this thread with the above.

Thanks,

Larry

[Emily_Roman]

Thanks everyone! I’ve gone ahead and merged this thread with Make Task templates available to other projects (Task templates library)

[Megan_Rocko]

Echoing what many have already said. We really need the ability to create template and then apply that template to other projects, not just house the template in one project.

My use case is creating a template with various tasks that all waterfall with dependents, then apply that same flow to all projects I create.

Please consider this as a feature for your roadmap, you’d make a lot of uses very happy

[Marie]

@Andreas_Loftager

I love the new task templates, but when implementing them I had to copy/paste the original tasks I was using before LOADS of times. Because, when you convert it into a template, it then belongs to that project. And I use a template - with certain subtasks and collaborators - in a variety of projects.

Why not make any task template available for other projects than the ones they are created in? Add to library (just like with fields). Then you can add it quickly to X number of projects.

I would probably make it flexible too if you wanted to include the

• subtasks
• collaborators
• field values
  etc
  of the library task when you add it to a project.

So, I make a template, add Lisa and Max as collaborators, a description, and 10 subtasks. I fill out the fields.

Then I enter a different project, I click add task template, and I select an option called “add from library”. Then I search and find the template.

Then I select which items I want to keep from the library template - I select the 10 subtasks, the description, and then maybe I de-select collaborators, because in this project I want John and Anna to be the collaborators. The fields automatically are added depending on which fields are present in this other project.

I think there are many interesting benefits from something like this.

cc @Andreas_Loftager

[Matt_Dickinson]

Another really great suggestion! Thanks for sharing @Andreas_Loftager!

[Paul_Grobler]

Great suggestion. Many of my clients would benefit from this.

[Skyler]

This would make task templates much more useful for agencies and businesses who work with multiple clients and vendors across various projects.

[Bastien_Siebman]

We could even have a Templana for task templates?

[Rashad_Issa]

Upvoted!! def would be a great add value!

[Spratt_Consulting]

Making task templates global/found in a library would be major and really increase the use value for the templates! No more duplicating from our “Task Templates” project, renaming, making sure it’s moved to the right project, etc etc.

Use Case: patent prosecution has many formulaic steps that we’ve created task templates for that need to be available across client teams/projects.

[Bastien_Siebman]

The only problem I see at the moment is that the template can include values for custom fields, and there are only available within a project scope…

[Chris_Pearson]

I completely agree with all the comments, at present we have a project called Templates that has all our repeatable tasks and we duplicate the task in the project and add it to the project we need. I am keen to move over to Task Templates but if this means we have to version control Task Templates that could be need in as many as 30 projects this will not be helpful. I favour a central Task Library when on a project by project basis you can add/star them for each project to avoid having potentially tens of templates to choose from in a drop down. Keep up the good work!

[Rashad_Issa]

Welcome to the forum @Chris_Pearson
Another clear explanation and yes version control will be a key element

[SixfootJames]

Thank Marie. Similar to Skyler, we are an agency with many clients with repetitive steps that we are building in a Team called Templates.

It’s a little frustrating when your understanding of a template is that once you have created a templates and duplicated it, future work done in the parent template does not appear in child templates of the parent.

We need to still go into the parent, duplicate a task, open it, tell it to show in the child template and then scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroll, scroooooooll (yes, it feels like this sometimes ) all the way back to the top (our Template board is at the bottom) to get to the child Team template you want to work on.

Would love to see a global library of templates.

[SixfootJames]

I have done a quick mockup of how this library might look once you choose to create a new task.

• Click Add Task
• Immediately gives you ability to start searching which filters through the library of templates
• Hit enter and card is created