Creating Project Templates

Use the Setup and Maintenance > Manage Project Templates page to create and edit project templates. This page enables you to create project templates in either of the following ways:

• Create a project template
• Duplicate a project template
• Create a project template from an existing project
  Note: You can't delete project templates.

Project Template Options

Use project template options to specify basic details associated with your template.

Option Name	Decision	Notes
Organization	Which project and task owning organization must be associated with projects created from this project template?	Selecting a project and task owning organization are used for reporting, security, and accounting. It determines the default organization for the project, quick entry values, and allows transactions.
Business Unit	What reference data do I want projects created from this project template to access?	Selecting a business unit determines which rate schedules, project types, and invoice formats projects can use. It also determines the legal entity and which project and task owning organizations are available for projects.
Project Unit	What reference data do I want projects created from this project template to access?	Selecting a project unit determines which class codes, financial and project plan types, project roles, and statuses projects can use. It also determines which transaction types are available for projects. For more information, see the Project Units topic in the Understanding Enterprise Structures guide.
Project Type	What is the project type that must be assigned to projects created from this project template?	Selecting a project type enables you to control basic project configuration options for burdening, billing, capitalization, and project categorization. Notes: When you create a project from a project template, the project inherits the project type from the template, and you can't change it. When you duplicate a project template to create a new one, you can't change the associated project type.
Initial Project Status	None	Defines the starting point or the baseline status of a project. It's the status that a new project automatically assumes when it's created from a template.
From Date	None	Defines the earliest possible start date for projects created using the template.
To Date	None	Defines the expected or planned end date of the project.
Name	NA	The name of the project template.
Number	NA	A unique number that identifies a project template.
Legal Entity	NA	Populates automatically based on the business unit you selected. Change this if required.
Description (Optional)	NA	Description of the project template.

Project Template Setup Options

When you create a project template, use the Setup Options section in the Edit Project Template page to enter project, financial, and reporting details so that it will be replicated when you create a project using that template later. Use the Display check box to hide or show certain sections within the project template. When you select a check box for a specific section, that section will be visible to users when they create new projects based on that template. Conversely, if the check box is not selected, the section will be hidden when you create a project.

Setup Options > Project

Section	Description
Basic Information	Define the basic information that must be added to a project created using the template. You can specify the following details: Priority: Captures the priority (Low, Medium, High, and so on) of the project. You can define project priority values using the Setup and Maintenance > Manage Project Priority Values task. Work Type: A classification of actual work. For example, a professional services enterprise may define work types such as Analysis, Design, and External Training. For more information, see the What's a work type topic in the Defining and Managing Financial Projects guide. Outline Display Level: Specifies the level of detail that will be visible by default when viewing the project's work breakdown structure (WBS). Here's a breakdown of the different Outline Display Levels: Level 1: Only the top-level summary tasks of the project will be visible. Level 2: The top-level summary tasks and their immediate child tasks will be visible. Level 3: The top-level summary tasks, their immediate child tasks, and their immediate child tasks will be visible. By default, the Outline Display Level is set to Level 1. Service Type: Helps you categorize and classify projects based on the type of service you deliver. Start Date: Start date of the project. The Start Date in the project template is not necessarily the actual start date of a specific project created from the template. The actual start date can be adjusted during project initiation to accommodate specific circumstances or requirements. Finish Date: End date of the project. The End Date in the project template is not necessarily the actual end date of a specific project created from the template. The actual end date can be adjusted during project initiation to accommodate specific circumstances or requirements. Planned Start Date: Anticipated beginning date for the project. Planned Start Date provides a general guideline for when a project using this template is expected to commence. Planned Finish Date: Anticipated end date for the project. If you select the Enable budgetary control check box, projects created from this template will have a set of features enabled which will help the project manager manage and monitor the project's budget throughout the lifecycle of the project. For more information, see the Overview of Budgetary Control topic in the Defining and Managing Financial Projects guide. Select the Project Plan project check box to use the template to create projects that are still in the planning stages, as against projects that are actively being executed.
Project Plan	Use this section to create a project plan that will become part of the project template. Once you create this project plan, all projects created using this template will automatically contain a copy of this plan. You can specify the timeline, tasks, and resources involved in a project. For example, a project plan for a software development project will include tasks (such as requirements gathering, design, development, testing, and deployment), schedule (with milestones, such as Completion of Design and Development of MVP), and resource allocation (such as developers, designers, and testers). You can't add a project plan before associating a project plan type with the project or template. For guidance on doing so, see the Project Plan Type section below. For more information, see the What's a planning project topic in the Defining and Managing Financial Projects guide.
Team Members	You can add team members to a project template. When you create projects from a template, team members defined in the template will be automatically added to the project. Let's assume a company trains newly recruited people on processes and tools, and in all training projects, the trainers are always the same. In this scenario, you can add the trainers to a project template so that the project manager needn't add them every time a similar project is executed.
Project Customers	Maintain customer information for billable and nonbillable projects. For example, you can define customers for information purposes on a proposal project. Similarly, you can define customers for a project before a contract is approved and associated with a project. When you associate a set of customer details with a project template, all projects created using this template will automatically be populated with those details.
Partner Organizations	An external party that collaborates on your project. For example, InFusion Corporation is working on a project for Business World. InFusion Corporation hires ABC Consulting as functional consultants. In the project created to track costs and work, the project manager for InFusion Corporation can enter ABC Consulting as a partner organization. When you associate a set of partner details with a project template, all projects created using this template will automatically be populated with those details.
Supplier Organizations	Define external entities or companies that provides goods, services, or resources to the project. Some examples of supplier organizations are Subcontractors, Suppliers, and Consultants. When you associate a set of supplier organization details with a project template, all projects created using this template will automatically be populated with those details.
Project Classifications	Use project classifications to group projects according to categories that you define. A project classification includes a class category and a class code. The category is a broad subject within which you can classify projects. The code is a specific value of the category. Here's an example for a class category used in an industry: InFusion Corporation designs and implements heavy engineering projects for government and private customers. Because InFusion Corporation maintains a diverse portfolio of contracts, the ability to track sector and funding is very important to corporate management. Therefore, the organization classifies projects by market sector and funding source. In this case, Market Sector and Funding Sources are the class category. When you associate project classification details with a project template, all projects created using this template will automatically be populated with those details. For more information, see the Examples for Using Class Categories topic in the Implementing Project Financial Management and Grants Management guide.
Project Plan Types	Project plan types contain default information used for creating a project plan and capturing progress. A project plan type helps you associate one or more reference data sets, specify plan, task, currency, rate, and progress settings, and select budget generation options. You must associate a project plan type with a project or project template before creating a project plan. You can then revise default values based on your requirements. For more information, see the Financial and Project Plan Types topic in the Implementing Project Financial Management and Grants Management guide.
Resource Breakdown Structures	A resource breakdown structure provides a structured way to categorize and organize resources based on their roles, skills, or departments. The resource breakdown structure consists of one or more hierarchies of resource elements. An element is a resource type, such as job or organization, or a combination of a resource type and a specified resource, such as the job of Principal Consultant or a person named Amy Marlin. For more information, see the How You Set Up Planning Resource Breakdown Structures topic in the Implementing Project Financial Management and Grants Management guide.
Attachments	You can add attachments to a project template. Attachments can be a file, text, or URL.
Additional Information	You can add additional information to a project template.

Setup Options > Financial

Section	Description
Budgets and Forecasts	You can add budget and forecast to a project template. Adding budgets to a project template ensures that all projects created from the template follow a consistent approach. This also helps in maintaining budget accuracy and comparability across different projects. For more information, see the Considerations for Creating Budgets and Forecasts topic in the Defining and Managing Financial Projects guide.
Transaction Controls	Define transaction controls to specify the types of transactions that are chargeable or nonchargeable for projects and tasks. Use transaction controls to configure your projects and tasks to allow only charges that you expect or plan. Let's look at an example from a construction project. In a construction project, labor, material costs, and equipment can be chargeable but internal administrative costs and training costs for employees need not be chargeable. For more information, see the Transaction Controls topic in the Implementing Project Financial Management and Grants Management guide.
Currency Conversion	Currency conversion ensures that financial data is reported in the correct currency. When you create a new project, the default value for the project currency is copied from the project ledger currency defined in the implementation options for the project-owning business unit. However, you can override the default currency and enter conversion attributes for the project.
Asset Information	You can define assets for capital projects to account for capital assets and retirement adjustment assets. Capital Assets represent tangible or intangible resources that an organization acquires for long-term use and that have a significant value. These assets are typically depreciated over their useful life. Examples of capital assets include: Equipment: Machinery, tools, vehicles Buildings: Factories, offices, warehouses Software: Licenses, applications Land: Property, real estate Retirement adjustment assets are created when a capital asset is retired or disposed off.
Asset Assignments	After you define a capital asset or a retirement adjustment asset for a capital project, you can assign the asset to a project, or to one or more tasks. You assign the asset to associate the asset with the underlying costs or proceeds of sale. By assigning assets to projects, you can track the costs associated with using those assets throughout the project lifecycle. For instance, in a construction project, assigning equipment (cranes, excavators) to specific tasks or phases of the project helps you track its usage and associated costs. For more information, see the Considerations for Asset Assignment to Projects or Tasks topic in the Using Project Costing guide.
Capitalization Options	You can define attributes that control the calculation of capitalized interest, allocation of unassigned and common asset costs, and the creation of capital events. Capitalized Interest Calculation: Let's look at an example in a construction project. In the construction of a new manufacturing facility, the project incurs significant expenditure during the construction phase. The capitalization options are used to calculate the interest expense that can be capitalized as part of the asset's cost. The straight-line method is used to allocate the capitalized interest evenly over the capitalization period. Allocation of Unassigned and Common Asset Costs: Let’s look at an example in a software development project. The project incurs costs for shared resources ( IT infrastructure, administrative support) that are used by both the new product and existing products. The capitalization options are used to allocate a portion of these costs to the new product based on its relative revenue contribution. Creation of Capital Events: Let’s assume that a new equipment needs to be purchased for a project. When the purchase order for the new equipment is approved, a capital event is automatically created in the system. This event triggers the capitalization of the equipment cost and any associated interest or allocated costs. For more information, see the Capitalization Options for Project Types topic in the Implementing Project Financial Management and Grants Management guide.
Cross-Charge Options	Cross-charge is a mechanism for transferring costs and revenue between organizations, ensuring accurate project cost allocation when resources are shared across organizations. Cross-charge options on the project template allows a project to receive charges from other BUs, but with the flexibility to define exceptions. This involves specifying which provider BUs are explicitly disallowed from charging to the project, and conversely, specifying which provider BUs are permitted to charge, even when a general restriction is in place. Additionally, define the transfer price schedules and the fixed date if processing cross-charge using the borrowed and lent method, for labor and nonlabor transactions. For more information, see the Cross-Charge Options for Project Business Units topic in the Implementing Project Financial Management and Grants Management guide.
Organization Overrides for Project	Organization override allows manual reassignment of financial responsibility for project costs or revenues to a different organizational unit than the default, enabling flexibility in project ownership and cost allocation. Let's assume a company is outsourcing a portion of a project to an external vendor. The vendor will be responsible for completing specific tasks and will be paid for their services. The company can create an organization override for the project, reassigning the cost and revenue to the vendor's organization. This allows for accurate tracking of costs and revenue related to the outsourced portion of the project.

Setup Options > Reporting

Section	Description
KPI Notifications	Automated alerts that are triggered when a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reaches a predefined threshold or exhibits a specific trend. KPI notification helps you proactively identify and address potential issues or capitalize on opportunities. For example, if the actual project costs exceed the budgeted amount by more than 10%, an email notification is sent to the project manager. For more information, see the KPI Components topic in the Implementing Project Financial Management and Grants Management guide.
Summarized Financial Plan Types	Define financial plan types that are used to summarize project performance data: Forecasts: The previous and current approved versions are used Budgets: The original and current baseline versions are used Some financial plan types are included in summarization by default, while others must be selected manually. For more information, see the Financial Plan Types Included in Summarization topic in the Defining and Managing Financial Projects guide.