Most of us have used a template in the past to create a presentation or start a document, and many of us are guilty of reusing the last great version of a document as a starting point instead of locating and using a template. This pragmatic approach helps to avoid wheel reinvention and utilises the efforts of the clever person who created the file in the first place – however, the problem with reusing a last good version versus using a template is that your new file takes on any issues that existed in the original doc, and you could very likely be using out of date branding, terminology and styles.
What’s the point – why use a template?
Attention to detail and branding
Using SharePoint as the ‘go-to’ place for your templates
- Navigate to the document library that you wish to save the final document to, e.g. Client Files > Acme > Proposals.
- Click the New button and select the relevant template from the pull down menu.
- Add content and make your edits to the file.
- Save the document to the correct folder.
This makes it really easy to control consistency in your documents. Users don’t have to second guess if they’re working from the most recent template with the correct logo and styles etc, and they don’t need to care where the templates are stored or remember how to search to locate them. They just create a new doc based on the template (content type) and save it to the folder they navigated to in SharePoint.
Tip: Use the promoted links app to help users quickly locate logos stored in image libraries. Your marketing team or office manager can ensure only approved branding and logos are accessible. You can also set up key templates as promoted links, making navigation a breeze for end users.
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