Roadmap templates let you package a set of Goals and Initiatives, laid out quarter by quarter, into a reusable plan. You can then apply that plan to any client in a few clicks instead of building their Roadmap one Initiative at a time.

This article explains how to create, edit, duplicate, and delete Roadmap templates in Settings, and what happens when you apply a Roadmap template to a client, including how owners and quarters are assigned.

Accessing Roadmap templates in Settings

You can manage Roadmap templates from Lifecycle Manager's Settings.

1. Click your account name in the upper left corner of any page.
2. Click Account Settings.
3. In the Features section of the Settings navigation, click Roadmap.
4. Make sure the Roadmap templates tab is selected.

You can also open this page by clicking Roadmap settings in the upper right of the Roadmap page when you're viewing all clients.

The Roadmap settings page is only shown to users whose role allows them to manage Roadmap templates. For more information, see Manage roles and permissions in Lifecycle Manager.

Understanding the Roadmap templates list

The Roadmap templates list shows every template available to your team:

• ScalePad
  Templates provided and maintained by ScalePad. These are read-only.
• Custom
  Templates your team has created or duplicated.

Use the controls at the top of the list to find the right template:

• Search templates - Search by template name or description.
• Source - Show only ScalePad or Custom templates.
• Category - Show only templates in one or more categories.
• Display - Switch between the Card and List views.

In the List view, each row shows the template's details and options:

• Name
  The name of the template, and whether it's a ScalePad or Custom template.
• Category
  The category the template belongs to, if one has been set.
• Initiatives
  The number of Initiatives in the template.
• Updated
  When the template was last changed.
• Actions (the ... menu)
  • Duplicate
  • Delete (Custom templates only)

Creating a new Roadmap template

Use this flow when you want to set up a reusable plan your team can apply to clients' Roadmaps.

1. From the Roadmap settings page, on the Roadmap templates tab, click + New template.
2. Enter a Name for the template.
3. Optionally, choose a Category, or type a new one to create it. Categories help you group and filter your templates.
4. Optionally, add a Description.
5. Add any Goals you want to create for the client (see Adding Goals to a Roadmap template below).
6. Add at least one Initiative and arrange your Initiatives by quarter (see Adding Initiatives to a Roadmap template below).
7. Click Create template.

Adding Goals to a Roadmap template

Goals in a Roadmap template are based on your Goal templates. When the Roadmap template is applied, a new client Goal is created from each Goal template you add.

1. In the Goals section, click + Add goal.
2. Search for a Goal template, or choose one from the ScalePad or Custom groups.
3. Repeat to add more Goals. A Roadmap template can include up to 25 Goals.

To remove a Goal, click the Delete icon beside it.

For information on creating and managing Goal templates, see Managing Goal templates (New UI).

Adding Initiatives to a Roadmap template

The Initiatives section is laid out as a sequence of numbered quarters. Quarter 1 is the client's current quarter at the time the template is applied, Quarter 2 is the quarter after that, and so on. See How quarters are assigned below for details.

Within each quarter, you can add Initiatives in two ways:

• Add initiative
  Write a new Initiative just for this Roadmap template. A drawer opens where you enter the Initiative title and, optionally, an executive summary and action items. Click Done when you're finished. Initiatives created this way are saved inside the Roadmap template only. They don't appear in your Initiative templates list.
• From template
  Choose one of your existing ScalePad or Custom Initiative templates. Each Initiative template can only be added once per Roadmap template.

A Roadmap template must include at least one Initiative, and can include up to 25.

For information on creating and managing Initiative templates, see Managing Initiative templates.

Arranging Initiatives by quarter

• Reorder or move Initiatives - Drag an Initiative by its handle to change its order or move it into a different quarter.
• Add a quarter - Click + Add quarter at the end of the sequence to plan further ahead.
• Remove an empty quarter - Click Close gap on a quarter with nothing planned. Later Initiatives move up one quarter.
• Leave an Initiative unscheduled - Drag the Initiative into the Not scheduled area below the quarters. Initiatives created from it won't have a target quarter. To schedule it again, click Add to a quarter and choose a quarter.
• Edit or remove an Initiative - Click the ... menu on the Initiative, then click Edit initiative or Remove initiative. Edit initiative is available for Initiatives you wrote using Add initiative. To change an Initiative that came from an Initiative template, edit the Initiative template itself.

Choosing a default owner

Each Initiative has an owner picker. Choose who the Initiative should be assigned to when the template is applied:

• Person applying the roadmap - The Initiative is assigned to whoever applies the template. This is the default.
• Client team roles - The Initiative is assigned to the member of the client's team who holds that role.
• A specific person on your team.

The default owner can be changed for each Initiative when the template is applied.

Editing an existing custom Roadmap template

1. From the Roadmap settings page, on the Roadmap templates tab, click the custom template you want to change.
2. Update any of the template fields, Goals, or Initiatives.
3. Click Save changes.

ScalePad templates open with a Read-only label and can't be changed. To customize one, duplicate it instead.

Duplicating Roadmap templates

You can duplicate both ScalePad and custom Roadmap templates. This is useful when you want to reuse most of a plan but adjust it for a specific type of client.

1. From the Roadmap settings page, on the Roadmap templates tab, find the template you want to copy.
2. Click the ... menu for the template and click Duplicate. You can also open the template and click Duplicate in the upper right.
3. The copy is saved as a new custom template with (copy) added to its name, and opens so you can make your changes.
4. Update the name and any other details, then click Save changes.

The original template remains unchanged and available.

Deleting a custom Roadmap template

1. From the Roadmap settings page, on the Roadmap templates tab, find the custom template you want to remove.
2. Click the ... menu for the template and click Delete. You can also open the template, click the ... menu in the upper right, and click Delete.
3. Click Delete template to confirm. This can't be undone.

Deleting a template does not delete any Goals or Initiatives that were already created from it.

Applying a Roadmap template to a client

1. In the Plan section of the left navigation panel, click Roadmap.
   If a client is selected in the client picker, the template will be applied to that client. Otherwise, you'll choose a client in a later step.
2. Click the Templates tab.
3. Click the template you want to use, or click the ... menu for the template and click Use template.
4. If you're viewing all clients, choose the client under Client.
5. Review each Initiative. Optionally:
   • Change the Initiative's owner using the owner picker.
   • Click Add goal to link the Initiative to one or more of the client's existing Goals. Click Manage goals to open the client's Goals page.

   

6. Click Preview roadmap.
7. Review the preview, which lists the Goals to be created and the Initiatives grouped by the quarter they'll be scheduled in. Resolve any issues shown (see How owners are assigned below).
8. Click Create (for example, Create 2 goals and 5 initiatives).

When the Goals and Initiatives have been created, you're taken to the client's Roadmap.

If you change an owner or a linked Goal after previewing, click Preview roadmap again before creating.

What gets created

• Goals
  One client Goal for each Goal in the template. Each Goal uses its Goal template's title, description, and Outcomes, and starts with a status of On Track. No target period is set, so you can add one afterwards.
• Initiatives
  One Initiative for each Initiative in the template, filled in with that Initiative's content (such as its title, executive summary, and action items), scheduled in its target quarter, and assigned to its owner.
• Links between Goals and Initiatives
  Each new Goal is linked to any Initiatives in the Roadmap template that were added from Initiative templates linked to its Goal template. Initiatives are also linked to any existing client Goals you selected before previewing.

Only the Initiatives listed in the Roadmap template are created. If a Goal template has its own linked Initiatives, they aren't created as extra Initiatives when the Roadmap template is applied.

All of the Goals and Initiatives are created together. If anything can't be created, nothing is created, so you won't end up with a partial Roadmap. Once created, the Goals and Initiatives are independent of the template and can be edited like any others.

For more information on working with client Goals, see Managing Client Goals (New UI).

How quarters are assigned

Quarters in a Roadmap template are relative, so the same template works whenever you apply it:

• Quarter 1 becomes the client's current quarter on the day you apply the template, based on the client's fiscal year.
• Quarter 2 becomes the following quarter, Quarter 3 the one after that, and so on.
• Initiatives in the Not scheduled area are created without a target quarter.

The preview shows the quarter each Initiative will land in, along with the full date range the Roadmap covers.

How owners are assigned

• Person applying the roadmap - The Initiative is assigned to you.
• A specific person - The Initiative is assigned to that person.
• A client team role - The Initiative is assigned to the client team member who holds that role for this client.

If nobody on the client's team holds the selected role, the preview shows a message on that Initiative. Either click Use person to choose someone instead, or, if you can manage the client's team, click Assign role now to give that role to a member of your team for this client. If more than one client team member holds the role, click Use person to choose who should own the Initiative.

You'll need permission to create Initiatives for the selected client. If the template includes Goals and you can't create Goals for that client, the preview shows a message and the template can't be applied to that client.

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