Creating Schedules from Templates

You can create schedules from templates. Creating a schedule from a template populates the schedule with the tasks in the template. If the source template has embedded templates, the tasks in the embedded templates are included. Template instructions, viewers, and attributes are also added to the schedule.

You create schedules from templates from the Manage Templates dialog box. The Last Schedule column shows the last schedule created from each template. The Schedules column shows the total number of schedules created from each template.

To create a schedule from a template, you must have the Close Administrator or Power User role.

The schedule starts in a Pending status, which gives you the opportunity to make final changes in the definition.

When template tasks are added from a template to a schedule, they are assigned calendar dates based on their relationship to the template Day Zero. The dates can also account for non-working days of the schedule if you specified them. For example, if Day 0 is a Friday, the tasks for Day 1 are placed on the following Monday if you selected to exclude weekend days. The Date Map displays the default calendar date assigned to each template day. You can use the Date Map feature to adjust the date assignments.

A task in one template can have predecessor tasks in other templates. When you create a schedule from a template, you can select predecessor tasks in schedules as predecessors for tasks with predecessors in other templates. You use the Predecessor Task Links tab to select predecessor tasks in schedules. The Predecessor Task Links tab lists all tasks with predecessors in other templates, and enables you to select a predecessor in a schedule for these tasks.

When you create a schedule from a template, you can globally update the task parameters for a Task Type if the parameters have the override option enabled.

For more information on schedules, see Managing Schedules.

To create a schedule from a template:

1. Select Manage then Templates.
2. Select the template that you want to schedule.
3. If the template was successfully validated, create the schedule: Click Actions, and then Create Schedule.

   On the Schedule Parameters tab, enter the following fields:

   • Schedule Name

   • Year

   • Period

     Select a close period for the schedule.

   • Day Zero Date

     Select the calendar date to assign to the template Day Zero.

   • Date Mapping

     • Organizational Unit

     • Calendar days

     • Working days

     • Advanced Configuration dialog box:

       Click Advanced Configuration to override the Organizational Unit and Work Days configuration for all tasks in the schedule.

       Tip:

       You can create one global template and have that template create the proper schedules for each regional entity, taking into consideration the holiday calendars, time zones, and work day configurations of the entity.

       • Organizational Unit

         Select one:

         • Use Task Value—Select a value from the Organizational Unit

         • Set Value To—The selected organizational unit is applied to all tasks in the Schedule (even if the task in the template contained a different Organizational Unit value). Since all tasks have the same Organizational Unit, the Organizational Unit in the Date Mapping panel on the Schedule from Template dialog box displays as Read Only.

       • Work Days—If you do not assign an organizational unit to a task, and you do not use the Override Work Days feature, than the application uses the following default: Monday – Friday are working days, and Saturday and Sunday are non-working days.

     • Date Map—For each template day whose date assignment you want to modify, in the Date column, enter the new date.

4. Optional: Select the Predecessor Task Links tab, select the schedule that contains the predecessor task and in the Assigned Task list, select the predecessor task.
5. Optional: Select the Override Parameters tab, review the parameters, and for each parameter that you want to modify, in the New Value column, enter a new value.

   Note:

   This Override Parameters tab displays only tasks that use a Task Type in which at least one parameter has the Override option enabled. See Setting Task Type Parameters.

6. Click Create Schedule.

   A schedule is created and populated with the tasks, instructions and viewers from the template. It has a status of Pending. By default the schedule is opened into a view when created.

   Review the schedule and make adjustments as needed.