Project Templates & Duplication

Project templates let you save a project configuration as a reusable blueprint. Instead of building every new project from scratch, you can apply a template that pre-populates equipment lists, crew roles, time periods, additional costs, and module configuration — reducing setup time from hours to minutes for events you run regularly.

Templates vs duplication

NexusRMS offers two ways to reuse project configurations, and understanding the difference is important:

• Template — A reusable blueprint stored in your template library. Templates can be applied to any number of new projects and are maintained independently. When you update a template, future projects that use it benefit from the changes, but existing projects are unaffected.
• Duplication — A one-time copy of a specific project. Duplicating creates a new project with a new project number, resets the status to Inquiry, and has no ongoing link to the original. Duplication is best for repeating a specific past event rather than maintaining a general-purpose blueprint.

System templates vs custom templates

NexusRMS provides two categories of templates:

• System templates — Pre-built templates provided by NexusRMS for common event types such as corporate conferences, music festivals, weddings, and trade shows. System templates are marked with the is_system_template flag and are read-only — you cannot edit or delete them. However, you can duplicate a system template into a custom template if you want to modify it.
• Custom templates — Templates created by your team for your specific workflows. Custom templates are fully editable and can be shared across all users in your organisation.

Template data model

Each ProjectTemplate record includes the following fields:

• Name — The display name of the template
• Slug — A URL-friendly identifier generated from the name
• Description — A summary of what the template is designed for
• Icon — A visual icon displayed on the template card in the picker
• Colour — A colour for the template card, helping users identify templates at a glance
• Template category — A classification such as "Festivals", "Corporate", "Weddings", or "Touring"
• Is active — A toggle to enable or disable the template without deleting it
• Sort order — Controls the display position of the template in the picker
• Parent template — The parent_template_id field links to the original template when a template has been duplicated

Template contents

The core of a template is stored across several JSON fields that define what gets pre-populated when the template is applied:

• Enabled modules — A JSON object with two sub-keys: core and addons. Each sub-key contains a list of module names with boolean values controlling which tabs appear on the project. For example: core might enable equipment and crew but disable transport, while addons might enable RAMS but disable phase planning.
• Financial settings — A JSON object containing default financial configuration such as tax rate, payment terms, and discount rules
• Workflow settings — A JSON object defining default workflow behaviours such as auto-confirmation rules and notification preferences
• Document settings — A JSON object specifying default document templates and boilerplate text for quotes, contracts, and call sheets
• Default values — A JSON object containing any other default field values to pre-populate on the new project

Module structure example

The enabled_modules field uses the following structure:

• Core modules — equipment: true, crew: true, transport: false (controls which core tabs appear)
• Addon modules — phase_planning: false, rams: true (controls which addon tabs appear, subject to the tenant's subscription)

A dry-hire template might disable crew and transport, while a full-service template might enable every available tab including crew scheduling, transport planning, and RAMS.

Usage tracking

NexusRMS tracks how often each template is used via two fields:

• Usage count — The total number of projects created from this template
• Last used at — The date and time the template was last applied to a new project

These metrics help you identify your most popular templates and retire unused ones.

Creating a template

There are two ways to create a custom template:

1. Save as Template — Open an existing project, click the Actions menu, and select Save as Template. NexusRMS captures the project's configuration — including equipment, crew roles, time periods, additional costs, and module settings — and saves it as a new template. You will be prompted to provide a name, category, icon, colour, and optional description.
2. Create from scratch — Navigate to the project templates section and click Create Template. Build the template by configuring modules, adding default equipment, crew roles, and settings without needing an existing project as a starting point.

Using a template

When creating a new project, the creation form includes a Template picker. Templates are displayed as cards showing their icon, colour, name, and category. Select a template to pre-populate the project with its configuration. You can filter the picker by category using the dropdown at the top. Applying a template is optional — leaving the template field empty creates a blank project.

Templates pre-fill the following elements: equipment lists, crew role requirements, time period structures, additional cost items, module configuration (which tabs are enabled), financial settings, workflow settings, and document presets.

Duplication

Project duplication is separate from templates and creates a full copy of a specific project. To duplicate a project, open it, click the Actions menu, and select Duplicate.

Key differences from templates:

• The duplicated project receives a new project number
• The status is reset to Inquiry regardless of the original project's status
• There is no ongoing link between the original and the copy
• All data is independent from the moment of duplication

Selective copying

When duplicating a project, NexusRMS presents a set of checkboxes allowing you to choose which elements to include:

• Equipment lists — Copy all equipment items and quantities
• Crew assignments — Copy crew role requirements and named assignments
• Transport plans — Copy transport trip configurations including vehicle types and routes
• Time periods — Copy the full time period structure with types and billable settings
• Additional costs — Copy miscellaneous cost items
• Documents — Copy document templates and boilerplate text
• Notes — Copy internal notes and instructions

Deselecting an option excludes that element from the new project, giving you fine-grained control over what gets carried across.

Managing your template library

Your template library is accessible from the project settings area. From here you can:

• Edit any custom template to update its equipment, crew, modules, or settings
• Deactivate templates by toggling is_active off — deactivated templates do not appear in the template picker but are preserved for future use
• Delete custom templates that are no longer needed (system templates cannot be deleted)
• Duplicate a system template to create a custom version you can modify
• Reorder templates by adjusting the sort order to control how they appear in the picker

Tips

• Create templates for your most common event types — If you run the same style of event repeatedly (e.g., corporate AV setups, outdoor festivals, wedding packages), a well-configured template saves significant setup time.
• Use module configuration in templates strategically — Disable tabs your team does not need for a given event type. A dry-hire template with only Equipment and Documents enabled keeps the interface clean and focused.
• Review usage tracking periodically — Templates with zero usage may be outdated or poorly named. Either update them to be useful or deactivate them to keep the picker uncluttered.
• Duplicate rather than template for one-off repeats — If you are repeating a specific past event (same client, same venue, similar dates), duplication is faster than maintaining a general-purpose template.

Next steps

Continue to the next article to learn about recurring projects, where you will configure automatic project recurrence for regular events using scheduling rules.