Using Templates to Create Reusable Portfolio Items, Stories, Backlog Items, or Defects
Templates are reusable, portfolio items, stories or backlog items or defects that allow you to pre-fill commonly used fields and even define a starting set of tasks or tests. Templates give you flexibility when managing common, repetitive backlog items and their tasks across projects and their sub projects. They can save you time if you routinely create the same types of backlog items with similar information, or if you want to create several items at once.
Request templates are part of the Digital.ai Agility 21.3 release and are not available in older releases.
Templates should be created in the projects in which they will be used. The list of templates you see will be all those in your currently selected project and below in the project tree. Use the copy function if you need to have a similar template in different projects.
Who Uses Templates
Product Owners create story and defect templates for common work patterns, generating consistent backlog items with pre-defined acceptance criteria, tasks, and tests for recurring feature types.
Team Members use templates to quickly create similar work items, reducing data entry and ensuring standard fields are populated for repetitive development patterns or testing scenarios.
Scrum Masters establish team-specific templates for retrospective action items, technical debt stories, and common impediment patterns to accelerate backlog creation.
Administrators configure portfolio item templates and request templates at the organizational level, ensuring consistency across multiple projects and maintaining standard workflows.
Permission Requirement
To view templates: Members need Read access to the project.
To create and use templates: Members need Edit access to the project to create new templates and generate work items from existing templates.
To manage templates (edit, copy, delete, move): Members need Edit access to the project. Deleting templates permanently removes them and all associated tasks and tests.
Troubleshooting
Why can't I see templates from my parent project?
Templates are visible in the current project and all sub-projects below it in the project hierarchy. You won't see templates from parent or sibling projects. If you need a template from another project, use the Copy function to duplicate it, then Move it to your current project.
Can I use the same template across multiple projects?
Templates are project-specific but can be copied to other projects. Create the template in one project, then copy and move it to other projects where you need it. Each project will have its own instance of the template.
Why don't request templates appear in my templates list?
Request templates are only available in Digital.ai Agility 21.3 and later releases. If you're using an older version, you won't see request template functionality. Contact your administrator about upgrading to access this feature.
What happens to work items if I delete a template?
Deleting a template does not affect work items that were previously generated from that template. Only the template itself and its associated tasks and tests are deleted. Existing stories, defects, or requests created from the template remain unchanged.