What it is

A template is a pre-built starting point — a document with the structure, formatting, branding, and standard sections already in place. Instead of starting from a blank page (or copying yesterday’s document and forgetting to delete the old client’s name), you start from a template that has everything correctly set up.

Most organisations have templates for the documents they produce repeatedly: meeting agendas, project proposals, client reports, policies, procedures, internal memos. The good ones live in a central location where everyone knows to find them. The bad ones live on someone’s desktop and get used twice before being forgotten.

SharePoint can host templates at site level (this site uses these templates) or library level (this library has these starting points). When set up well, users see template options when they click ‘New’ — no hunting required. The template gets copied automatically into a fresh document, and the original stays clean for the next person.

Why it matters

Templates aren’t just about looking professional — they’re about embedding good practice into the path of least resistance:

• Templates make standards default. If your client report template has a ‘Risks’ section, every report has one. No reminders required.
• Templates speed up routine work. A meeting agenda template saves 5 minutes per meeting. Across an org, that’s hundreds of hours a year.
• Templates prevent embarrassing mistakes. No more last year’s pricing accidentally going to a new client. No more wrong logos. No more inconsistent formatting that signals you don’t care.

When to use this

• When you create the same kind of document repeatedly (proposals, reports, agendas, policies).
• When you want consistent branding and structure across documents.
• When you onboard new team members and want them to produce work that fits in.
• When you’ve noticed your team copying old documents as starting points and forgetting to remove old content.

How to do it

1. Open the SharePoint library where templates are stored (or the site’s template gallery).
2. Click New and select the relevant template type.
3. A new file is created based on the template — the original stays untouched.
4. Fill in the required sections first (title, owner, date, version).
5. Save the file to the correct working location with a descriptive name.
6. Add any required metadata in the file’s properties (department, document type, etc.).
7. Share a link with collaborators if you need feedback.

Best practices

• Store templates in one well-known location. If templates are scattered across desktops and OneDrives, people will copy old documents instead.
• Assign template owners. Every template should have someone responsible for keeping it current.
• Review templates quarterly. Branding changes, standards evolve, sections become outdated. A 5-minute review every quarter prevents 5 years of drift.
• Include guidance text inside templates. Italicised instructions in [brackets] or commented-out blocks tell users exactly what to fill in.

Common mistakes

• Letting users edit the template directly. Lock down the template; users should create new files from it, not edit the original.
• Storing templates in someone’s personal folder. When that person leaves, the template’s source of truth vanishes.
• Making templates so prescriptive nobody uses them. A 30-page proposal template scares people off. Keep templates lean.

FAQ