Task List templates are a huge time-saver for companies of all sizes. Here’s how our teams use them at Teamwork.com to simplify workflows and cut out repetitive work. Teamwork Projects is the engine room for all types of companies, from digital marketing agencies to software development. After talking to customers from all the industries we serve and hearing how they use Teamwork Projects to increase efficiency and productivity, we’ve noticed one similarity. All companies use our software to create processes that help manage their workloads and workflows. Whether it’s meeting agendas, marketing campaigns or product development, most companies discover that there are certain groups of tasks that make up the foundation of common processes for their team. Using Teamwork Projects, you can take those tasks and build a custom task list template to make sure the process stay consistent no matter who’s completing the work. Customers have told us that task list templates not only save time by helping them reduce planning time and manual inputs, but their projects have become more consistent. They also report that their team has a better command of the details within each project. Here are some of the advantages of task list templates:
Rapid setup of new projects
Seamless collaboration and handoffs
Complete cataloging of tasks within processes
Standardizing workflows for any project
Reducing repetitive work
We wanted to share some of the more specific ways the crew here at Teamwork.com use task list templates. This feature helps us get more accomplished each day, so feel free to steal our templates to make your team more productive!
1. Onboarding clients and employees to Teamwork Projects
This template is perfect for getting new users acquainted with Teamwork Projects. New software can be overwhelming, so this breaks down the learning process into simple steps for new users — even those who are reluctant to move beyond email — feel confident and supported. There’s no need to worry about anyone jumping ahead on their tasks, by using dependencies, the day two tasks cannot be completed until after the day one tasks have been ticked off. Pro tip: add a link to the relevant help doc in the comments section of each task in case clients want more information and you’re not available.
2. Induction for new employees
A well-organized employee onboarding experience can help new hires settle into a new role more quickly. You want them to see Teamwork Projects as the hub for all of their work, so help them find the tools that will make their job easier. Using an employee onboarding task list template will make sure nothing falls through the cracks over those important first few days. At Teamwork.com we have two onboarding templates, one for the HR team to track all aspects of onboarding new team members, and the second is a template that new starters are greeted with on day one, welcoming them to the company.
HR: New employee onboarding itinerary and checklist
This template acts as a checklist specifically for the HR team to make sure we are fully prepared for new team members first day at Teamwork.com.
New employee: Welcome to Teamwork.com
This template is a great way to welcome our new team members into the company on their first day. We had fun with this task list and added some personality to put everyone at ease. We’ve even added a task for new starters to go down the slide and say hi to five people who aren’t on their team.
3. Event planning
With the trade show season looming, having an event planning template on hand will come in very useful. All those details you need coordinated across multiple teams can be captured and shared in a single task list template. Everyone can see their responsibilities and how they fit into the overall plan. It only takes a few seconds to see what’s been completed or needs attention, so you can eliminate a lot of last-minute meetings for status updates. Once you’ve created a task list template for one trade show, you can easily duplicate it and add new details or important files for the next show. This one tool makes tracking work simple at every event!
4. Content creation
Creating compelling content that generates leads and builds customer engagement isn’t as simple as writing a piece and posting it. Having a clear process helps generate better ideas for content, make deadlines, and get articles posted consistently. If you’ve already defined a process that works well for content creation, by turning it into a template you’ll be able to spend more time writing rather than getting bogged down with planning. Other team members will also benefit as they can use a template which has proven successful in the past. This is especially useful for new team members.
5. Product Launch
This template is ideal whether you’re a startup bringing a new product to market or you’re on a product team in a large organization. Launching a new product and tracking all of the moving parts can be very stressful, but this feature will almost make you feel like you have a personal assistant! With task list templates, you can lock down all of the details, getting them out of your head and into a checklist that you and your team can consult at any time. Deadlines won’t sneak up on you, because they’re set with reminders and woven into reports that you can check in seconds. Our template below dedicates a task to each essential building block that makes up a product launch, and it’s also flexible enough for any team to adapt it to their own workflow.
How to turn a task list into a template
Now that you see what task list templates can accomplish for you, try using them to increase your team’s efficiency. Take a process that works for you and lock it in by creating a template from the task list. You can use a pre made project management template where you can change anything to make or delete anything in a template to make it fit your workflow. To create a template from an existing task list, click the drop-down on the task list header, hover over Templates and select Save as Template.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Custom built task list templates give your team a clear step-by-step guide to achieve their goals. We created them so you and your team will save time and focus on your work instead of worrying that something might be falling through the cracks. Does your team already use templates? Tell us about your different processes in the comments below!
For more information on task list templates, check out our help doc. If you have any questions or suggestions, contact our awesome Customer Support team support@teamwork.com. They are always happy to help.