Most teams do the same shape of work more than once. A new value stream, a client onboarding, a compliance review, a launch checklist — the titles change, the structure doesn't. Templates let you build that structure once, then create it anywhere in your map in a few clicks.
You'll find Templates in the left sidebar.
A template is a saved tree — workstreams, work items, and sub-items in a particular arrangement, each carrying whatever field values you want copied onto the work it creates: descriptions, dates, assignees, teams, priorities, tags, estimates, board placement, and custom fields.
Applying a template creates real work in your map. The template itself stays untouched and reusable.
Two ideas make the rest of the module easy:
| Idea | What it means |
|---|---|
| Fixed values vs. variables | A field can hold a fixed value that's the same every time, or ask a question when the template is applied. A checklist template might be entirely fixed; a "new client onboarding" template might ask for the client name and a start date. |
| The template is a plan, not a copy | A template references your organization's configuration — work types, custom fields, priorities, tags, users, teams. If one of those is deleted or archived, the template tells you rather than silently creating something wrong. |
No. Templates default to plain fixed values, and the Variables toggle in the builder turns the whole variable system off. With it off there are no per-field toggles, no {{tokens}}, and nothing to fill in at apply time — just a fixed tree.
Start there. Turn variables on when you actually hit a field that should differ each time.
The library lists every template you can see, with four tabs:
| Tab | What's in it |
|---|---|
| All | Everything you can see |
| Mine | Templates you created |
| Shared with me | Templates someone shared with you specifically — not the org-wide ones |
| Organization | Templates shared with everyone |
Each row tells you, at a glance: template name and health, Audience (who can see it), Owner, Starts with (whether it begins with a workstream or a particular work type), Applies to (where it's allowed to be applied), and how many Variables it asks for.
Search matches both name and description.
There are two ways to get one:
Every new template starts Private — only you. Nobody else can find it, open it, or apply it. When it's ready, share it with specific people, teams, or the whole organization. See Sharing templates.
Anyone who can see a template can Duplicate it into their own private copy, even if they can't edit yours.
DevStride has an older Excel-based flow, and both still exist. They are unrelated and do different jobs:
| Item Templates | Excel templates | |
|---|---|---|
| Bring work in | Apply Template… | Import Template (Excel) |
| Send structure out | Save as Template… | Export as Template (Excel) |
| Lives | In DevStride, reusable and shareable | In a spreadsheet file you pass around |
| Best for | A structure your team applies repeatedly | A one-off bulk load, or shaping work in a spreadsheet first |
The Excel flow is unchanged. If you're setting up something your team will do repeatedly, prefer Item Templates.
Four permissions govern the module:
| Permission | Grants |
|---|---|
| ACCESS_TEMPLATES | See the Templates module at all |
| CREATE_ITEM_TEMPLATE | Create new templates, and duplicate ones you can see |
| MANAGE_OWN_ITEM_TEMPLATES | Edit, share, and delete templates you own |
| MANAGE_ALL_ITEM_TEMPLATES | Do the same to anyone's templates (admin override) |
The standard Member role ships with the first three, and Admin adds the fourth, so most people can build and share templates from day one. Applying a template additionally needs CREATE_ITEMS_AND_WORKSTREAMS — the same permission as creating work by hand, because that's what an apply does.
If your role lacks CREATE_ITEM_TEMPLATE, the library tells you plainly: you can still see and apply every template shared with you, you just can't author new ones.
Reports
Six built-in support reports — volume, response and resolution times, SLA attainment, agent activity, and first-contact resolution — with grouping, date ranges, and CSV export.
Creating a template
Build a reusable tree in the visual builder, or capture existing work with Save as Template — with a full reference to the fields each kind of node can carry.