How to Import a Project Template from Excel in CrmLeaf
All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. The cost mapped to project budget is only usable as a budget when the Budget add-on module is enabled.
Availability: All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. The cost mapped to project budget is only usable as a budget when the Budget add-on module is enabled.
Overview
Many companies already hold their delivery plan as a work-breakdown structure in a spreadsheet. CrmLeaf can read that workbook and build a project template from it in one step, rather than making you retype every milestone and task. The import also maps ownership to your organisation structure and derives milestone timing from the dates in the file.
How It Works
You prepare a workbook with Project, Milestone and Task rows, upload it, and CrmLeaf creates a single template containing the whole structure.
Download sample → Prepare workbook → Upload → Template created → Create projects from it
- Project, Milestone and Task rows create a template in one pass.
- Owner-Role values are mapped to departments and teams, which are created automatically if they do not exist.
- The Est. Cost column is mapped to the project budget.
- Milestone due-date offsets are derived from the dates on the rows, so the structure adapts to each new project's start.
- A downloadable sample file ships with the feature. This import is separate from the older direct project CSV import.
Who Can Use This Feature?
Administrator
- Download the sample workbook and prepare the import file.
- Run the import and review the template it creates.
- Check the departments and teams the import created from Owner-Role values.
This functionality is available only to Administrators.
Prerequisites
- You have Administrator access and permission to add projects.
- Your work-breakdown plan is available as an Excel workbook.
- You have downloaded the sample file so your columns match what the import expects.
- You know which departments and teams your Owner-Role values should map to, because missing ones are created.
For Administrators
Step 1: Download the sample workbook
What to do: Open the project template import and Download the sample file that ships with the feature.
What to verify: The sample shows the Project, Milestone and Task row types and the columns the import reads.
Step 2: Prepare your workbook
What to do: Arrange your plan as Project, Milestone and Task rows following the sample, and complete the Owner-Role values, the Est. Cost column and the dates.
What to verify: Every task row sits under a milestone row, and every milestone row under the project row.
Step 3: Check the Owner-Role values first
What to do: Compare the Owner-Role values with your existing departments and teams and correct spelling variations. The import creates anything it cannot match, which can leave near-duplicates.
What to verify: Each Owner-Role value matches an existing name exactly, unless you intend a new one to be created.
Step 4: Run the import
What to do: Open the project template import, Upload the workbook and Submit it.
What to verify: One template appears in your template library with the expected milestones and tasks.
Step 5: Review the created template
What to do: Check the milestone due-date offsets, the cost mapped to the project budget, and the department or team assigned to each item.
What to verify: A test project created from the template produces the milestone dates you expect from its start date.
Field and Option Reference
| Field / Option | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Project row | Defines the template's project-level information. | Yes |
| Milestone row | Creates a milestone in the template. | Yes |
| Task row | Creates a task under the preceding milestone. | Yes |
| Owner-Role | Mapped to a department or team; created if it does not exist. | No |
| Est. Cost | Mapped to the project budget. | No |
| Dates | Used to derive milestone due-date offsets. | No |
Expected Result
The workbook is imported and one project template is created containing the project, its milestones and its tasks. Owner-Role values are mapped to departments and teams, the estimated cost is carried to the project budget, and milestone due dates are held as offsets so each new project times correctly from its own start date.
Why This Matters for Service Organisations
Most established service firms already hold their delivery methodology as a work-breakdown spreadsheet, built up over years of engagements. Retyping it into a new system is where standardisation attempts usually stall. Reading the workbook directly turns that existing plan into a reusable template in one pass, which is what makes a firm-wide methodology realistic to adopt rather than an intention.
How It Supports Professional Services
- Project, Milestone and Task rows create one template, so an engagement structure a firm already agrees on is imported as it stands rather than rebuilt.
- Owner-Role values are mapped to departments and teams, and any that do not match are created. This is how a plan written in role language — Business Analyst, Account Manager, Senior Associate — lands against the organisation's own delivery structure instead of against named individuals.
- Because ownership resolves to a department or team, one template serves every engagement of that type regardless of who is available to staff it.
- Milestone due dates are held as offsets derived from the workbook's dates, so a standard methodology times itself correctly from each engagement's own start date.
- The Est. Cost column is mapped to the project budget, giving a new engagement a planned figure from the day it is created.
Typical Service Workflow
Methodology → Import → Template → Engagement → Delivery
The import sits before delivery starts, one step further back than the template itself. The mapping and the date offsets are performed by the product; keeping Owner-Role names aligned with the firm's real departments and teams is a housekeeping practice, since unmatched values create new ones.
Other Product-Type Use Cases
The same import suits any business whose plan already exists as a work breakdown — a standard build programme, a commissioning sequence, or a repeatable internal rollout.
Related PSA Capabilities
- How to Create and Use Project Templates — what the import produces and how it is used.
- How to Manage Departments — the structure Owner-Role values resolve against.
- How to Create a Project Budget — where the imported estimated cost becomes a tracked budget.
- How to Create and Complete Project Milestones — the stages whose dates are imported as offsets.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- The import creates missing departments and teams automatically. Tidy your Owner-Role values first to avoid near-duplicate names.
- Milestone dates are stored as offsets derived from the workbook, not as fixed calendar dates.
- This import creates a template, not a live project. Use the template to create projects afterwards.
- Always start from the sample file. A workbook that does not follow the expected row types will not import cleanly.
Common Scenarios
Example: migrating an existing plan. A contractor holds its standard build programme as a work-breakdown spreadsheet, reformats the sheet to match the sample, imports it once, and starts every future build from the resulting template.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| The import does not complete. | The workbook does not follow the Project / Milestone / Task row structure. | Download the sample, reformat the workbook and import again. |
| Unexpected new departments or teams appear. | Owner-Role values did not match existing names, so they were created. | Correct the values in the workbook and reconcile the duplicates. |
| Tasks are attached to the wrong milestone. | Task rows are not positioned under their milestone row. | Reorder the rows so each task follows its milestone. |
| No budget figure appears on projects created from the template. | The Est. Cost column was empty, or the Budget module is not enabled. | Complete the cost column and enable the module if it is part of your plan. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as importing projects from CSV?
No. The Excel import builds a reusable template; the older CSV import loads project records directly.
Do I need to create departments before importing?
No, but it is safer. Any department or team the import cannot match is created automatically.
Can subtasks be included in the workbook?
Templates carry members, milestones, tasks and subtasks. Confirm the exact subtask row format against the sample file.
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