Slack adds templates to help users kick off projects quicker

Slack users can now access pre-configured templates to help start projects faster when using the collaboration app. 

The collaboration software maker has built out its app functionality in recent years, expanding its focus from instant messaging to include  task management, workflow automation, voice and video, and document editing features. 

The added functions can also introduce more complexity for those that rely heavily on Slack to get work done. With the introduction of templates — available now to customers on paid plans — Slack hopes to make it faster and easier to get up and running with new projects. 

“Teams shouldn’t be reinventing the wheel with each new project,” Rob Seaman, senior vice president for product at Slack, said in a blog post Wednesday. “Templates provide the setup and framework for every line of business, so there’s no guessing at how to get work started.” 

Users can access the template gallery from a tab on the left-hand sidebar in the Slack app, or via Slack’s website. The gallery presents templates tailored to a variety of purposes: marketing campaigns, employee onboarding, or help requests, for example. Templates can also be filtered based on relevance to certain job roles, or topics such as project management or productivity. 

With one click, a template will open up all the channels, lists, workflows, and other elements relevant to a project, and add each as a channel tab. Each element is pre-filled or preconfigured to suit the project type, such as a campaign brief document in Slack’s canvas, or a task tracker in lists. The templates are intended to be a starting point: users can then adapt them to fit their purposes more precisely. 

Users can also create templates that better fit their workflow and publish them for internal use. Custom templates with organization-wide publishing capabilities are available to customers on Enterprise Grid, the most expensive planned aimed at large organizations, Slack said.