Approval List Templates

Templates allow approvers to build reusable libraries of approval list items. Instead of creating an approval list from scratch for every project, you can maintain a set of standard items — complete with document checks and reference documents — and apply them to new projects instantly.

How Templates Work

A template is a named collection of approval list items that you maintain in your personal template library. Each template item can include:

• Description — what document or evidence is required
• Document checks — AI verification rules that run automatically when documents are uploaded
• Reference documents — example files or templates to help applicants understand what's needed
• Review sequence — a suggested order for submission

When you apply a template to a new project, all items, checks, and reference documents are copied into the project's approval list.

Creating a Template

1. Go to your Template Library from the dashboard
2. Click Create Template
3. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Class 2 Building - Standard Certification")
4. Add items to the template:
   • Write item descriptions
   • Attach document checks
   • Upload reference documents

Creating Items

Each template item has:

• A base description explaining the requirement
• An optional list-specific description that provides context for this particular template (e.g., specific standards or regulations that apply)

When items appear in a project, the descriptions are composed together — the base description followed by any list-specific descriptions from the templates that contributed the item.

Applying Templates to Projects

During the project wizard, select From a template as your creation method:

1. Choose one or more templates from your library
2. The wizard populates the approval list with all items from the selected templates
3. If multiple templates include the same item, it appears only once (deduplicated by item ID)
4. Review and adjust the list as needed before proceeding

You can also combine templates — for example, apply a "General Building" template and a "Fire Safety" template to get a comprehensive approval list.

Automatic Propagation

One of the most powerful template features is automatic propagation. When you update a template, changes flow through to all active projects that use it:

What Propagates

Change	Propagates?
Add a new check to a template item	Yes — added to all linked active project items
Update a check prompt	Yes — updated across all linked active project items
Delete a check	Yes — soft-deleted across linked items
Update item description	No — project items maintain their own descriptions
Add reference documents	No — only copied at project creation time

Propagation Rules

• Only active projects receive updates (inactive, cancelled, and completed projects are not affected)
• Check title generation is handled as a background job for efficiency
• The propagation maintains links between template items and project items, so the system always knows which projects are using which template items

tip

Propagation makes templates especially valuable for document checks. Define your checks once, and as you refine them over time, all your active projects benefit from the improvements.

Managing Your Template Library

Editing Templates

• Add or remove items at any time
• Update item descriptions and list-specific descriptions
• Add, edit, or remove document checks (changes propagate to active projects)
• Upload or remove reference documents

Template Ownership

Templates are personal — each approver maintains their own library. Templates are not shared directly between users, but the items they produce are visible to all project members when applied to a project.

Building Templates from Projects

After completing a project, you may want to capture its approval list as a template for future use. You can create template items based on the items you defined in a completed project.

Best Practices

1. Start with broad templates — create templates for your most common project types (e.g., "Residential Class 1", "Commercial Class 5-9")
2. Invest in document checks — well-crafted checks on template items save review time across every project
3. Use list-specific descriptions — keep base descriptions generic and use list-specific descriptions for regulation or standard references that vary between template contexts
4. Review and refine — after each project, consider what items or checks could be improved in your templates
5. Combine templates — use multiple smaller, focused templates rather than one massive template. This gives you flexibility to mix and match based on project needs