Plan templates

A plan template is the set of phases and tasks a kind of work starts with, such as a residential re-roof. Link it to one or more job categories, and every new job in those categories starts with a copy of its plan.

Go to Settings → Plan Templates. You need Settings: View to see templates, and Settings: Create or Settings: Edit to save them. Choosing job categories also needs Job Categories: Edit.

Create a template#

1. Start a template

   Select New template and give it a name, such as Residential re-roof.

2. Add the phases

   Select Add phase for each stage of the work. For each phase, set the day it Starts on and how many days it lasts. Days count from the job's first day (day 1) and are working days.

3. Add the tasks

   In each phase, select Add task. Tick Required for tasks that must be done before the phase can close. In a phase that lasts more than a day, choose which day of the phase the task is on.

4. Choose the job categories

   Under Job categories, choose each category this plan is for with Add a job category….

5. Save

   Select Save template. Anything that needs fixing first is listed in red.

Use the arrows to reorder phases and tasks, and the bin to remove them. The summary shows how many phases the plan has and how many working days it covers.

Link a template to job categories#

A job category has one plan template. If you choose a category that already uses another template, the picker shows which one, and saving moves the category to this template.

You can also set it on the category itself: in Settings → Job Categories, edit the category and choose its Plan Template.

What new jobs get#

When a job is created in a linked category, directly, from a booking or from a quote, it gets its own copy of the plan. Changing the template later doesn't change jobs that already exist.

Jobs that existed before the template are not changed. To give one of them the plan, use Apply a plan template… on the job's Plan tab.

When the job is laid out on the calendar, each phase starts on its template day and lasts its template length. See Plan a job in phases and tasks.

Archive or remove a template#

• Archive (save to apply) stops the template being used for new jobs but keeps it. Tick Show archived to see it again, and use Restore (save to apply) to bring it back.
• Remove deletes the template after you confirm. Categories that used it stop giving new jobs a plan. Jobs keep the plan they have.

Troubleshooting#

New jobs in a category start with only a “Work” phase#

The category has no plan template, or its template is archived. Link an active template to the category.

“Phase … needs a name” or “… has a task with no title”#

Fill in the missing name or title, or remove the empty phase or task, then save again.