Hi,
Say I started a project “Market Survey” without using any template. Halfway running I would like to use one of the existing public template, say the Work Requests, to the “Market Survey” project.
How do I do that?
Thank you
Henry
Hi @Henry21,
This is not currently possible per se. I’ve merged your post with an existing thread for this request. In addition to this thread here, you can see items F7 and F8 in this post for some workarounds. Also note that for Enterprise users, Bundles largely address this need.
1 Like
would love to know how you set this up!
Description:
While Asana currently allows users to create new projects from templates, there is no way to apply a template to an existing project. This becomes a significant hurdle when workflows evolve, processes are refined, or templates are updated for better usability. Teams want existing projects to reflect those improvements without the hassle of starting over.
The Problem:
I’m in the process of updating all of my team’s project templates to make them more user-friendly, efficient, and standardized. However, I now face the tedious task of manually retrofitting those improvements into dozens of existing projects. The only workaround is to recreate the projects from the new templates and manually migrate the tasks, conversations, attachments, and collaborators. This time-consuming process also risks losing important project history or misplacing tasks.
Proposed Solution:
Allow users to apply an updated or new template to an already-active project. Ideally, Asana could offer a few options to control how this happens:
- Merge with existing structure (Ideal Solution)
- Only add missing sections / fields / rules
- Option to overwrite (with ample warning prompts)
This flexibility would let teams update active projects efficiently, ensuring consistency and alignment with current best practices.
Why This Matters:
- Keeps Projects Current: As teams evolve, so do processes. This feature would allow existing work to reflect those improvements without disruption.
- Saves Time: Eliminates manual migration and tedious duplication efforts.
- Ensures Consistency: Helps teams retroactively align with updated workflows, making audits and reporting more reliable.
- Supports Scaling: As organizations grow, this feature ensures legacy projects don’t get left behind.
Example Use Case:
A marketing team updates its Campaign Template to include new approval processes, reporting structures, and automation rules. They want all current campaigns (already in Asana) to reflect these changes for consistency and ease of management, without needing to recreate them from scratch.
1 Like
Hi @Jess75 and welcome to the forum!
FYI I moved your post to an existing topic for this request. Be sure to add your vote for it at the top of the thread.
Hi- I have created templates within my Team as shown below, but I cannot seem to assign them to an existing project. I know I am missing a step somewhere- just can’t find the correct video that walks me through it. I also saw 2021 posts that stated templates could not be connected to existing projects- so I am hoping this issue has been resolved by now. Thank you!
Hi @Laura_Sanders3 and welcome to the forum,
I’ve merged your post with an existing topic for this request.
Bottom line: it’s not possible per se, but Asana’s answer to this request is now essentially provided by using Bundles - but note it’s available for Enterprise/Enterprise+ subscriptions only. Also, be sure to add your vote at the top of this thread!
1 Like