Organizing templates

Template organization fundamentals

Template organization in Tallyfy speeds up workflow discovery by 80%. Traditional training methods fail - people forget 90% of what they learn within a week. Use folders, naming conventions, and governance frameworks to keep your templates organized.

Organization strategies

Folder structures

Folder strategies that reduce template search time by 70%:

• Department-based organization: Create folders for each department (HR, Finance, Operations)
• Process type organization: Group by process type (Approvals, Onboarding, Reviews)
• Frequency-based organization: Separate by frequency of use (Daily, Weekly, Monthly)
• Client-based organization: For service businesses, organize by client or client type
• Hybrid approach: Combine methods with sub-folders (Department > Process Type)

Naming conventions

Requirements for consistent template naming:

• Be descriptive but concise: Use clear, specific names under 60 characters for better readability in Tallyfy
• Use prefixes: Add department or category prefixes (HR-, FIN-, OPS-) for quick identification
• Include version numbers: Append version information when appropriate (v2.1) for change tracking
• Avoid special characters: Stick to letters, numbers, and hyphens to prevent system issues
• Consider searchability: Include keywords that users might search for to improve findability

Example naming pattern: [Department]-[Process Name]-[Version]

Tagging system

Tags provide an additional organization layer beyond folders:

• Keep your tags consistent across all templates
• Tag things that don’t fit neatly into folders (like complexity or approval type)
• Common tag categories include:
  • Priority: High, Medium, Low for urgency classification
  • Complexity: Simple, Moderate, Complex for skill level requirements
  • Process Stage: Planning, Execution, Closing for workflow phases
  • Approval Type: Manager, Executive, Client for authorization levels
  • Time Requirement: Quick, Standard, Extended for duration expectations

Process design and step granularity

Structuring complex processes (50-100+ steps)

When migrating from detailed checklists or complex procedures with many steps, consider these strategies:

Step grouping approaches:

• Task-based grouping: Combine related actions into single steps with checklists
  • Instead of: 10 separate steps for document preparation
  • Use: 1 step called “Prepare documents” with a 10-item checklist field¹
• Milestone organization: Break long processes into logical phases
  • Phase 1: Research (15 steps)
  • Phase 2: Production (30 steps)
  • Phase 3: Review (20 steps)
• Responsibility clustering: Group steps by who does them
  • Manager tasks (5 steps combined)
  • Team member tasks (8 steps combined)
  • External vendor tasks (3 steps combined)

When to use granular steps:

• Different people handle each step
• Steps happen at different times or locations
• You need separate deadlines per step
• Specific approvals required between steps
• Tracking individual step metrics matters

When to combine steps:

• Same person does multiple actions in sequence
• Actions happen together in one sitting
• Steps share the same deadline
• No handoffs between actions
• Steps are quick checkboxes (use checklist field instead)

Complex process example (Blog post creation - 75 original steps):

• Before: 75 individual steps including “Open document”, “Write title”, “Check spelling”
• After: 12 consolidated steps with checklists:
  1. Research topic (checklist: 8 items)
  2. Create outline (checklist: 5 items)
  3. Write first draft (checklist: 10 items)
  4. Internal review
  5. Revisions (checklist: 6 items)
  6. Final editing
  7. Create graphics
  8. SEO optimization (checklist: 7 items)
  9. Publishing setup
  10. Social media preparation
  11. Schedule publication
  12. Post-publish checks (checklist: 5 items)

Template governance

Access control and permissions

Control who can view, edit, and use templates:

• Template owners: Designate specific owners responsible for each template’s maintenance and updates
• Edit permissions: Limit template editing to certain roles or individuals to prevent unauthorized changes
• Usage permissions: Control who can launch processes from templates based on responsibility levels
• Visibility restrictions: Make templates visible only to relevant teams to reduce clutter and improve focus
• Review requirements: Set up approval workflows for template changes to ensure quality control

Complete template hiding

To completely hide a template from Standard and Light users² in the Templates section, you must restrict ALL THREE permissions (EDIT, READ, and LAUNCH) for those users. If any single permission remains, the template will still appear in their Templates view.

Standardization requirements

Requirements for template consistency:

• Create template standards: Define what every template must include
• Use template components: Build reusable snippets for common elements
• Develop style guides: Document your formatting and content rules
• Create template templates: Start new templates from a proven base
• Regular reviews: Check templates against your standards every quarter

Change management process

Required steps for template changes:

1. Change request: Write down what you want to change and why
2. Impact assessment: Check how this affects running processes
3. Approval process: Get the right people to sign off
4. Implementation: Make your changes
5. Communication: Tell everyone what changed
6. Version control: Keep track of all versions

Template maintenance

Audit schedule

Quarterly template reviews should check:

• Usage analysis: Which templates get used? Which don’t? Focus on the popular ones
• Accuracy check: Do templates match how you actually work now?
• Compliance verification: Are you meeting all regulatory requirements?
• Duplicate identification: Find and merge templates that do the same thing
• Orphaned template cleanup: Archive templates nobody owns anymore

Archive management

Archive old templates instead of deleting them:

• Archive unused templates: Move outdated templates to an archive folder
• Document archiving reasons: Write down why you archived each one
• Set review dates: Schedule when to check if archived templates are still needed
• Maintain access: Keep archives available to administrators
• Create archive policies: Decide when templates get archived (like after 6 months of no use)

Template metrics

Key metrics for template health:

• Template count: Total number of active templates
• Template usage rate: How often each template is used (aim for monthly use minimum)
• Template effectiveness: Process completion rates by template (target 95%+)
• Template feedback: User ratings and comments
• Template age: Time since last update or review (review every 6 months)

Organization examples

Small business structure

Basic folder structure:

├── Core Operations
│   ├── Client Onboarding
│   ├── Project Management
│   └── Invoicing
├── Internal Processes
│   ├── HR
│   └── Administration
└── Archived Templates

Medium business structure

Department-based structure:

├── Sales & Marketing
│   ├── Lead Management
│   ├── Proposal Creation
│   └── Client Onboarding
├── Operations
│   ├── Project Execution
│   ├── Quality Assurance
│   └── Client Communications
├── Finance
│   ├── Invoicing
│   ├── Expense Processing
│   └── Reporting
├── Human Resources
│   ├── Recruitment
│   ├── Employee Onboarding
│   └── Performance Reviews
└── Archived Templates
    ├── 2023 Archive
    └── 2022 Archive

Enterprise structure

Multi-department hierarchy:

├── Department 1
│   ├── Process Category A
│   │   ├── Active Templates
│   │   └── Under Development
│   ├── Process Category B
│   │   ├── Active Templates
│   │   └── Under Development
│   └── Department Archives
├── Department 2
│   ├── Process Category C
│   │   ├── Active Templates
│   │   └── Under Development
│   └── Department Archives
├── Cross-Departmental
│   ├── Approvals
│   ├── Reviews
│   └── Reporting
└── Global Archives
    ├── 2023 Archive
    ├── 2022 Archive
    └── Legacy Systems

Management tools

Documentation requirements

Required documentation for each template:

• Purpose and scope: What the template is for and when to use it
• Key stakeholders: Who owns and maintains the template
• Required fields: Which fields must be completed
• Integration points: How the template connects with other systems
• Change history: Record of updates and modifications

Review schedules

Template review frequencies:

• Critical templates: Review quarterly
• Standard templates: Review semi-annually
• Low-use templates: Review annually
• Schedule reminders: Set up automatic review notifications
• Document reviews: Track who reviewed when and what changes were made

Related articles

Templates > Using folders for templates

Template folders in Tallyfy organize workflow blueprints for faster discovery and better team efficiency by allowing users to create logical groupings that reduce search time by 60-80% while maintaining separate systems for templates versus running processes.

Documenting > Templates

Templates are reusable blueprints that transform business processes into self-driving workflows by capturing every step and decision point while automatically assigning tasks sending reminders and tracking progress to eliminate process variations and reduce completion time by 40%.

Templates > Tags

Tags in Tallyfy function as flexible keywords that can be applied to multiple templates and processes simultaneously for enhanced organization and filtering capabilities beyond traditional folder structures.

How To > Effective operations manuals

Building an operations manual requires transforming static documentation into dynamic digital workflows with clear ownership logical organization rich media content and continuous improvement mechanisms to ensure consistent quality and effective execution across teams.

Footnotes

1. A step field type in Tallyfy that contains multiple checkbox items within a single step ↩

2. View-only users who cannot complete tasks but can see process progress ↩