Project Templates

Projects are the true workhorses of PensionPro; they help keep Tasks on track and make sure no data gets missed. However, every single Project is launched from a Project Template, which defines the Project and establishes its Workflow. While this may sound like an unnecessary step for a single Project, a good Project Template can (and will!) be used to launch hundreds of Projects over a number of years. What's more, every Project launched from that Template will be processed in the same way, regardless of the Employee assigned to each Task. This means that Projects will be performed consistently, and can be tracked painlessly. When viewed through this lens, it's easy to see just how powerful a single Project Template can be.

Tier Availability: Business

Article Contents

• Understanding Projects
• Project Template Design Fundamentals
• Key Project Terminology
  • Project Type
  • Project Frequency
  • Start Date / External Deadline
  • Period Start / Period End
  • Start Date Offset / External Deadline Offset
• Designing a Project Template
  • Basic Project Information
  • Project Timing
  • Other Project Preferences
  • Project Workflow
• Adding New Project Templates
  • Adding Workflow to the Project
  • Copying Existing Project Templates
  • Working with Excel Workbook Templates
• Editing a Project Template
• Web Collection Requirements for Projects
• Frequently Asked Questions

Understanding Projects

Without an understanding of how Projects work—and why they're used—the concept of Project Templates will seem entirely foreign. PensionPro recommends reviewing the following articles prior to template creation:

• Projects: An Overview – Recommended starting point. Provides a brief, easy-to-read summary of Projects in PensionPro, omitting any technical instructions.
• Launching & Managing Projects – Covers various general Project concepts, including what aspects of the Project can and cannot be changed once the Project is launched.
• Tasks and Workflow – Discusses Tasks, Task Items, and Task Groupings in detail and explains how they are used in the Project Workflow.

Project Template Design Fundamentals

When thinking about designing a Project Template, it's not always enough to consider what the Project needs to accomplish now, for a single Plan. A little bit of thoughtfulness in advance will enable a firm to reuse the Template across any number of Plans, over and over again. Even when internal processes are updated, a good Template can simply be edited, rather than re-created from scratch.

The article Overview of Project Template Development discusses best practices associated with Template design, and can assist a firm in identifying processes and developing Templates that can respond to those needs.

Key Project Terminology

There is certain terminology that is specific to Projects and Project Templates. Some of these concepts are integral to understanding how the Template will function, and are worth calling attention to.

Project Type

Project Templates are predominantly categorized by their Project Type. When a user starts the process of launching a Project, the first action they will take is selecting the Project Type; this will determine what Templates will be available to choose from.

Project Type is a List Value located under Core > Project.

A firm can add to and manage its Project Types as needed to organize its Templates. However, there are a handful of Project Types that exist by default and cannot be edited; PensionPro provides additional functionality specific to these Project Types. These include:

• Annual Administration
• Distribution
• Extension
• General Web Collection

Project Frequency

While some Projects will only be performed on an as-needed basis, having other Projects recur on a regular basis—without any additional setup—can be desirable to ensure that nothing is forgotten. This is where Project Frequency comes in. Projects can be assigned one of a number of different Frequencies, which dictates how often the Project is performed. Project Frequency is used in conjunction with Period Start and Period End dates.

For many of these Frequencies, when a Project is completed, the user will be prompted to launch the next iteration of the Project. Annual Projects and Non-Recurring Projects are the exceptions to this rule.

Project Frequencies do not differentiate between weekdays and weekends. Daily Projects, for example, would be expected to occur on normal workdays, as well as Saturday and Sunday.

Available Project Frequencies:

• Annual
• Bi-Weekly
• Daily
• Monthly
• Quarterly
• Semi-Annual
• Semi-Monthly
• Weekly
• Non-Recurring

Start Date / External Deadline

The Start Date refers to the date the Project becomes active. The Project may be launched at any time, but Tasks will not appear on Dashboards prior to the Start Date. This can be very useful for recurring Projects, which will ask the user to launch the next iteration of the Project upon completion; PensionPro can track that Project in the background, and only present it to Employees when it's time for work to begin again.

The External Deadline is the date the Project is expected to be fully completed, and is generally used for Project tracking and reporting.

For Non-Recurring Projects, the Start Date and External Deadline can (optionally) be set in the Project Template, or specified when the Project is launched. Templates for Recurring Projects use Offsets to determine these dates, which are discussed later in this section.

Period Start / Period End

Any recurring Project must be assigned a period of time to which that Project applies. For example, a Project Template with a Monthly Frequency may be used to launch one Project for the month of July, one for August, and one for September. To avoid confusion, these Projects cannot overlap, even by a single day. The Period Start and Period End dates dictate which dates fall within the scope of that Project.

The Period dates differ from any Start Date or External Deadline the Project has. Say a firm wished to create a Project to send their client a list of important dates for the upcoming Plan Year; this could be an Annual Project. Perhaps one iteration of this Project has a Period Start of January 1st, 2030, and a Period End of December 31st, 2030. However the Project itself might be performed mid-December of 2029—half a month before the Period Start!

In most cases, the Period End date can be specified when the Project is launched. The Period Start will then be determined automatically by a combination of the Period End and the Project Frequency.

Start Date Offset / External Deadline Offset

The Start Date Offset is a value that determines a recurring Project's Start Date. This value is user-defined as a set number of days, months, or years, and can be positive or negative. When the Project is launched, the Start Date Offset references the Period Start, and then sets the Start Date based off of the time period entered for the Offset.

To illustrate this, assume a recurring Project is launched with a Period Start date of 5/15. A Start Date Offset of 3 days would set the Start Date as (and activate the Project on) 5/18. A Start Date Offset of minus 1 month would set the Start Date as 4/15.

The External Deadline Offset functions similarly to the Start Date Offset, but determines the External Deadline for the Project, and is based off of the Period End date.

Designing a Project Template

Project Templates can be created directly in PensionPro, or imported via Excel. Instructions specific to these methods will be covered later in this article; this section will break down the elements of a Template and discuss Template creation in a manner that can be applied to whichever method is preferred.

Basic Project Information

The fields in the below chart are used for reference or impact Project functionality outside of the workflow. They apply to all Projects.

Project Name	Used as both the name of the Template, and the name of every Project launched from that Template. Must be unique.
Template Description	A short description that can be used to communicate aspects of the Project. For Non-Recurring Projects, the Description will be added to the end of the Project Name as an identifier.
Project Type	Refer to Key Terminology: Project Type.
Project Manager	The Employee who will oversee the Project's progress. This user is not required to complete any Tasks; instead, the Project will appear on this user's My Projects Dashboard. An Employee is assigned as the Project Manager upon launch based on the Employee Plan Role chosen in the Template.
Priority Level	Options are Normal and Critical. If Critical is selected, this Project and its Tasks will show a Critical status on applicable Dashboards and Worktrays, and will be displayed at the top of the grid if no other sorting is applied.
Location	The Location the Template should be limited to. A user can only launch a Project with this Template if they possess the appropriate Location Rights. Set to Not Limited by Location Access to make this Template available to all users. Only available on the Enterprise tier.
Active	Enabled by default. If disabled, the Template is considered inactive, and cannot be used to launch Projects. Additionally, inactive Templates are hidden from the Project Templates tab by default; to view these Templates, select More > Show Inactive.

Project Timing

These options determine any frequencies and dates that will be applied when a Project is launched:

Project Frequency: Refer to Key Terminology: Project Frequency. (Required)

• When a Project is launched from a Template with a recurring Frequency, the user will be asked to provide the Period End date. PensionPro will then determine the Period Start based off of the Frequency and the Period End. See Key Terminology: Period Start / Period End.

Month End: For Monthly and Quarterly frequencies, enabling this option will automatically set the Period End date to be the final day of the month, regardless of whether that day is the 30th or 31st. Users launching the Project will only be able to specify a month and year for the Period End.

Offset: Refer to Key Terminology: Start Date Offset / External Deadline Offset. Based on the Period Start/Period End dates, the Offset values determine the date that the Project becomes active and the date it is due. Start Date Offset and External Deadline Offset each have two fields:

• Increment: The time unit applied to the Offset Amount. Options are Days, Months, Years, None. (Required)
  • If creating the Template using Excel, these should be entered as either D, M, Y, or None, respectively.
  • Setting the Offset to None will disable it. With a disabled Offset, Start Date will be set to the the date the Project is launched, and External Deadline will not be set.
• Amount: The number of time units (specified by Offset Increment) that the date is offset by. Can be positive or negative. (Required)
  • If the Increment is None, set the Amount to 0.

Other Project Preferences

The following options are only applicable to Projects in certain circumstances:

Extensions: Project Templates have the ability to be marked as a Project that can be extended, or as a Project that serves as an extension. This is usually determined by the Project Type. Typically, Projects are neither extensions nor extendable, except in the following situations:

• Annual Administration Projects can be marked as extendable, if desired.
• Extension-type Projects extend Annual Administration Projects (i.e., a 5558 Extension).

Web Collection: Some Projects can utilize Web Collection to require Plan Sponsors to view and submit data via PlanSponsorLink. Specific settings are required for these Projects; refer to the section Web Collection Requirements for Projects.

Project Workflow

The Project Workflow determines how the Project will be performed, such as what Tasks will need to be completed and who is responsible for them. Before diving into creating a Workflow, it is helpful to have an outline of the process sketched out in advance. A Template will need to specify one or more Task Groupings, each of which must contain one or more Tasks. Each Task may contain as many Task Items as necessary.

Task Groupings: While not as vital to a Project's Workflow as Tasks and Task Items, Task Groupings are still useful for organizing Tasks. For example, Tasks named Eligibility, ADP/ACP testing, and Contribution Calculations could be compiled into a Task Grouping called Compliance. In addition, Tasks flagged as Review Steps rely on Task Groupings to determine what information gets reviewed.

Tasks: Each Task represents one step in the Workflow process. Tasks are assigned to Employees, and appear on relevant Dashboards and Worktrays.

• Time Code: Time Slip entries made from the Project tab will be assigned this Time Code. Refer to the article Recording & Tracking Time. (Required)
• Role Assignment: When the Task is activated, it will be automatically assigned to the Plan's Employee Role if one is specified. A Task may be left Unassigned; in this case, it must be assigned to a Worktray.
• Status Assignment: When the Task is activated, the Project Status (or Distribution Status) will automatically update to this value, allowing a Status to be tracked over time. Refer to the article Status Tracking for Projects & Distributions.
• Review Step: Selecting this option indicates that previous Tasks should be reviewed for completeness and accuracy. When working on this Task, answers for all Task Items in the same Grouping will be available, and the Project can be returned back to a Task that was previously completed.
• Days to Complete: The length of time (in days) allotted to complete the Task. If a Task remains active beyond this time period, it becomes overdue. When a Task becomes active, its Due Date is set based on this value; weekends are not factored into this calculation.
• Worktray: In lieu of assigning a Task directly to an Employee, it can be assigned to a Team Worktray, where it can be completed by any member of that Team. If the Worktray is Unassigned, the Task must be assigned to an Employee Role. Refer to the article Using Worktrays.
• Event: Tasks can be linked to certain Events, and then tracked within Event Management. Refer to the article Event Management.
• Category: An additional option for categorizing Tasks for reporting purposes. Task Category is a List Value located under Core > Project.
• Data Collection Step: If the Project uses Web Data Collection, this option correlates the Task to a Data Collection step. When the Task is active, this step is active on PSL. See Overview of Web Data Collection.

Task Items: Each Task may optionally be assigned one or more Task Items. While these may simply provide instructions that an Employee can follow to complete a Task, they are at their most useful when designed and configured to capture data.

• Item: Can be a question that an Employee will be asked to input data for, or can be an instruction for the Employee to perform. (Required)
• Data Type: If the Task Item is intended to collect data, this controls the format that the data will take (such as text box, yes/no dropdown, etc.). Refer to the article Data Types for Task Items. (Required)
• Required: If a Task Item is designated as Required, the Employee will not be able to complete the Task until a value has been entered for the Task Item.
• Project Field: A Project Field can "capture" data that was provided for a Task Item, making the response available for reporting and other purposes. Refer to the article Project Fields.
• Show on Project/Plan: If either option is enabled, a Project Field which has been supplied with data can be quickly accessed via the Project Field view of the Plan and/or Project tab.

Adding New Project Templates

Requires Security Rights: Maintenance

Project Templates are added to PensionPro in one of two ways:

1. Through PensionPro's guided interface, which walks users through Template settings. Sample workflows and settings can be copied from library templates.
2. By importing an Excel workbook template. This method may be quicker for Projects containing many Tasks, but is more complex and only recommended for advanced users.

Both methods are performed using the Project Template Creation tool. To open this tool:

1. Navigate to Maintenance > Templates. The Project Templates grid opens in a new tab.
2. Select Add at the top-right of the grid.

The Project Template Creation tool opens in a new tab. Use the instructions below to walk through each step of the tool.

Options

The Options step differs depending on whether a Template is being added manually or imported via spreadsheet. Refer to the appropriate instruction set below.

Mapping

The Mapping step is used when a configuration in the chosen library template or spreadsheet doesn't match the firm's PensionPro settings. For example, if the source assigns a Task to an Employee Plan Role which doesn't exist, it will be noted in the Mapping step. Users have the opportunity to review and resolve any incompatibilities.

 PensionPro checks the following items:

• Data Types
• Employee Plan Roles
• Events
• Project Fields
• Task Category
• Time Codes
• Worktrays

Any items flagged as incompatible with current settings will need to be resolved by one of the following methods:

• The item can be replaced with a value that is already present in PensionPro; or,
• The missing value can be added to the system at this time.

Each missing item is shown on the left, and replacement values can be chosen via the dropdowns on the right.

• Where possible, these dropdowns will also include a Create New option, which will add the missing item to PensionPro as a new value upon completion of the tool.
• Alternatively, choosing the Automatically add all missing items option next to an item type will apply Create New to all items of that type.

Note: In some cases, the Project Template Creation tool is unable to add new values directly, and Create New will not be available. Instead, PensionPro will link to the page where the item can be created. After adding the appropriate values, use the Refresh option at the top-right to remove any satisfied items from the mapping list.

Once all missing items have been added to PensionPro or replaced with an existing value, use Next to move to the next step.

Review and Finish

The Review step displays the details of the Project Template that will be created, as well as the resolution for any items that required mapping. Ensure that the information shown is accurate, then select Execute to apply the changes and create the Template.

Once complete, the Finish step displays a summary of the changes. The Template Created field provides a link to the new Project Template, where the Project's workflow can be edited and any other revisions can be made.

Adding Workflow to the Project

If a new Template was added from scratch, without using a library template, it will not have a workflow when it's created. Even if a library template is used, the included workflow is a sample and will likely still need customized to fit the firm's processes.

To add a Workflow to the Project Template:

1. Open the Project Template and select the Workflow view from the list on the left.
   • By default, the Task Grouping level of the workflow is displayed. A Project Template must contain at least one Task Grouping.
   • Double-clicking a Task Grouping opens the Task level of the workflow. A Project Template must contain at least one Task.
   • Double-clicking a Task opens the Task Item level of the workflow.
   • The remaining steps are similar regardless of the current workflow level.
2. Select Add at the top-right of the Task Groupings, Tasks, or Task Items grid. The corresponding window displays.
3. Enter the desired Task Grouping/Task/Task Item details. For descriptions of these fields, refer to the section Designing a Project Template: Workflow.
4. Select Save.

Within the Template's workflow, Task Groupings, Tasks, and Task Items can be rearranged by dragging an entry higher or lower in its respective list. Hovering over any of these items in the grid displays the Edit and Delete options on the right-hand side.

Copying Existing Project Templates

In certain situations, it may be easier to tweak an existing Template, rather than creating a new Template from scratch. As with Template creation, copying can be done either within the PensionPro interface, or by downloading an Excel workbook containing the Template. Both options are performed in the Project Templates grid.

To create a copy using the PensionPro interface, hover over the Template to be copied, then select Copy on the right. The Copy Template window displays, and allows Template settings to be changed as needed. Any established Project Workflow will be copied as well.

Working with Excel Workbook Templates

In addition to being added manually, Project Templates can be created in an Excel workbook file and imported into PensionPro. A blank sample Template has been attached to this article and can be found in the sidebar on the right (or at the bottom of the page on mobile devices).

The Excel workbook file contains two worksheets: Instructions and Template. The Instructions worksheet details each field; do not delete this worksheet, or the import will fail. The Template worksheet contains the entirety of the Project Template; the remainder of this section applies only to the Template worksheet.

For more details on any of the following preferences, refer to the section Designing a Project Template.

Rows 1 & 2 of the Template worksheet contain Project settings, akin to those on a Template's Summary view. Row 1 acts as a field header and should not be altered; Row 2 is where corresponding values can be entered.

Row 4 onward contains the Project Workflow. This includes Task Groupings, Tasks, and Task Items. Row 4 acts as a field header, although some of these headers are only applicable to one of the above items, as follows:

• Columns A and B apply to all items.
• Columns C, D, E, F, G, M, N, and O apply to Tasks.
• Columns H, I, J, K, and L apply to Task Items.

The Workflow hierarchy is constructed starting in Row 5. This row will always possess the first Task Grouping. A Project must contain at least one Task Grouping, and each Task Grouping must contain at least one Task. Tasks can contain any number of Task Items.

Workflow items can be rearranged as desired, so long as the Task Grouping > Task > Task Item hierarchy is upheld; however, any layout changes made in Rows 1 through 4 will result in an error during import.

When entering information that references a value within PensionPro (such as Project Type, Time Code, Role Assignment, and Worktray), if the entered value doesn't match PensionPro exactly, it will be caught in the Mapping step when importing.

Editing a Project Template

If an existing Project Template needs to be altered—either to edit the Template's details or to adjust the Project's workflow—there are a number of ways to handle the edit based on the user's preference:

Edit via the PensionPro Interface

To edit a Project Template in PensionPro, double-click its entry in the Project Templates grid to open it at the Summary view. Select Edit at the top-right of the Summary view to edit the Project's details, or select the Workflow view on the left to manage Task Groupings, Tasks, and Task Items. The Workflow is edited in the same manner as described in the section Manual Project Template Creation.

Edit via Spreadsheet Import

Editing a Project Template via spreadsheet largely equates to exporting the original Template, editing it, and re-importing:

1. Click to select the desired Template in the Project Templates grid.
2. At the top-right of the grid, select More > Export. The Project Template is saved in Excel workbook format.
3. Edit the workbook file as desired.
4. Re-import the workbook file using the instructions in the section Importing Project Templates.

Note: The import will fail if the name of the new Project matches that of the existing Project. Either change the name on the Template, or delete the existing template by hovering over in the grid and selecting Delete on the right-hand side.

Web Collection Requirements for Projects

Projects that utilize Web Data Collection are common, but there are additional Template requirements that must be put in place before the feature will work properly. These requirements vary depending on the Project Type.

Data Collection is only applicable to the following Project Types:

• Annual Administration
• General Web Collection
• Distribution

Setup details specific to each type of Data Collection can be found in each of their respective articles. The following are general guidelines applicable to all Project Types:

• Web Data Collection must be enabled within the Project Template.
• The Project workflow (Tasks and Task Groupings) must be established appropriately as indicated in the above articles.
  • Task Items are only required for Questionnaire steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

• I've launched a Template against a number of Plans, but I need to update my Template. Will the changes to the Template affect Projects already launched using the Template?
  Changes to a Project Template will not affect existing Projects. Projects launched following the update will contain the changes.
   
• Does deleting a Project Template delete any Projects launched from that Template?
  No. Launched Projects exist independent of their Templates. 
   
• Can I change the font size or color when adding Questionnaire items to my Data Collection-enabled Project?
  Yes, simple HTML markup code may be used to style font properties for PSL.
  • Text size and color can be adjusted using font tags. For example: <font size="4" color= "red">Text here</font>
  • Text can be formatted as bold or italicized using <strong></strong> or <em></em> tags
     
• I deactivated a Project Template but can no longer find it. Where did it go?
  In the Project Template tab, select More > Show Inactive.
   
• I deleted a Project Template. Can it be restored?
  No; deleting a Project Template is a permanent action.