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Document Templates

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In this article:

Overview

A document template is a file that you can connect to KanBo and use directly from the card as a basis for creating new documents.

Why do you need document templates?

The benefits go far beyond time savings:

  • Consistency: Using templates can help ensure that all documents have a consistent look and feel, which can improve the professional image of the company.
  • Efficiency: You can save time and effort by providing a starting point for new documents, eliminating the need to recreate common formatting and layout elements from scratch each time.
  • Branding: Documents can include logos, colors, and other branding elements helping to reinforce the company’s brand identity.
  • Collaboration: Templates make it easier for multiple people to work on the same document. They provide a clear structure and can be set up to include revision tracking and other collaboration tools.
  • Quality: They can help ensure that documents are well organized and easy to read. This is a great way to improve the overall quality of company communications.

By connecting your corporate document library to KanBo, you can provide users with easy access to selected files.

Document templates in KanBo work coordination platform theoretical scheme

Example: Diagram showing the use of document templates in cards. Using different types of document templates connected with the space, users can create new documents in cards.

For a better understanding of this feature, we will use the following example. We have three types of document templates linked with the space. We need to create a presentation based on the company template. 

Document templates in KanBo work coordination platform scheme

Example: The Social Media Marketing Strategy 2023.pptx file was created based on the company’s existing document template Presentation.pptx.

You can also forget about the problem of multiple versions of the same file. Only one source document template is stored in your library. Any changes to its contents are automatically reflected in KanBo. Therefore, when you want to create a document based on it, you will always get the latest version.

There are 4 steps to make your work easier:

  1. Prepare a source folder = create a library of document templates
  2. Register the source in KanBo = add a link to the files directory
  3. Add the source to the space = choose a catalog of templates for the space
  4. Creat new documents using templates = create files based on ready-made templates

Follow the instructions below to complete the entire process.

Create card templates with prepared document templates inside. You can share document access for particular departments and workers. Go to our guide about working with card templates.

Preparing document templates sources

All the document templates you might need for a space should be placed in one folder. Of course, there can be many subfolders with many files in them, but the most important thing is the main folder – the source. You need to connect it to KanBo. We recommend using SharePoint for this purpose.

Example: Here you can see seven folders. Each of them has been prepared for a different department of the company and its corresponding spaces. It’s quite possible that you already have a file library, in which case you can skip to the next step.

Registering document template sources in KanBo

First, connect the source folders to KanBo. Then you can add them to the space and, as a result, to the card. See how to do it in a few simple steps.

Only users with the Document sources role can add document template sources to KanBo.

To register a document template source in KanBo:

  1. Open KanBo.
  2. On the Sidebar, go to your avatar, and then select  Settings >  Document templates sources.
  3. Select the + Add button.
  4. Enter the name and paste a link to the document templates library (use SharePoint).
  5. Select Add to confirm.

Note that it must be a link to a SharePoint folder, not a whole group.

If you have many templates for different spaces, we recommend adding each folder separately. 

Adding document template sources to spaces

Only space owners can add document sources to spaces.

Now it’s time to add the document template source to the space.

  1. Open the space.
  2. On the space top bar, go to More (the three-dot menu), and then select  Settings >  Document template sources.

Here are all the document sources already connected with the space.

  1. Select + Add. 
  2. Select the document template sources you want to add to the space, and then confirm your choice with the + Add selected button.

Creating documents based on templates

To finally create card documents using the document template:

  1. Open the space.
  2. Open a card.
  3. On the card elements section, select + Add element > Document >  Add new document from template.
  4. Select the document template (use breadcrumbs for navigation).
  5. Type a name for the document created with this template.
  6. Select Add.

A new document will appear on the card. As you can see, this is not an empty file, but a ready-to-use template of a company document.

FAQ

A document template is a file that can be connected to KanBo and used directly from a card to create new documents.

Yes, you can share document access for particular spaces = space users. This makes it easier to manage who has access to particular documents. 

All document templates should be placed in one folder, which can have subfolders. This source folder should be connected to KanBo, preferably using SharePoint.

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