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1 Click the add button, or choose Edit > Add New job template.

2 Enter the name of this job template.

The name describes this job type. Jobs are sorted by job type on job lists, traffic reports, and profitability reports, so the name should be meaningful. The same name can’t be used twice.

3 Enter a short description of this job type, then click Save.

Once the job template is named and saved, you can change its estimate options, milestone headings, and template.

Coming soon

1 From the job template window, click once on a job template to select it.

2 Click in the edit button, or choose Edit > Edit Description.

3 Make your changes, then click Save.

1 From the job template window, click once on a job template to select it.

2 Click in the edit button, or choose Edit > Edit Description.

3 Make your changes, then click Save.

1 Click once on a job template to select it.

2 Click the delete button, or choose Edit > Delete.

Deleting a job template doesn’t change any jobs that were associated with it, but it isn’t recommended. Jobs will appear on job lists even if the job template has been deleted, but they won’t show the job template’s description.

Every estimate gets a basic set of estimate options from the Estimate Options settings in Preferences. These options are system-wide settings that are used on every new job by all users. These basic options include a standard disclaimer, estimate heading (which is automatically set as Estimate), and contingency.

These standard options are replaced by the settings you enter on a job template. When a job is opened with a job template, its estimate options -- which are usually specific for the job type -- are copied to the new job, replacing the system’s standard options.

In addition, the job’s estimate options can be further customized as needed. Changing the job’s estimate options doesn’t affect the job template or the system’s basic estimate options.

To change a job template’s estimate options

1 Click once on a job type/job template to select it.

Coming soon

Every job template can contain traffic milestones that are specially designed to manage different job types.

Milestones are the key, big events in a job’s life. Milestones usually aren’t tasks (but could be), instead they represent the job’s important steps: Creative meetings, client presentations, management approvals, print dates, and more. Milestones are used to show the Big Picture of open jobs on traffic reports and job lists. They help you keep from missing the job’s most vital and critical dates, from its start to completion.

For flexibility, every job type can have different traffic milestones. This is because your print production jobs have different meetings, approvals, and other critical steps than a radio production or an annual report.

Due to limitations in printers and paper sizes, there’s a limit to the number of milestone headings that can be created for each job type. Some job types may use all of the traffic headings, while other (probably less complicated job types) may use just a few. you’re not obligated to use every milestone; instead, only use the milestones that are truly useful to tracking jobs in production. Milestone headings are always copied from the job template to the job ticket. To be consistent with other jobs of the same type, they can’t be modified on an individual job ticket. The headings themselves can only be changed in job templates -- which will affect every open job that has the same job type.

Milestones are the basis of the traffic system in Clients & Profits Pro. Traffic reports are the center of three systems for tracking jobs in production (the others are job lists by production status and job schedules using tasks).

Traffic reports combine some of the better elements of the job list, which simply shows open jobs, and the job schedules, which show tasks and due dates in full detail. The traffic report is like a job list, since it doesn’t show tasks. But while the job list is excellent at showing where jobs stand now, it doesn’t give production managers a good sense of what’s upcoming. That’s where the traffic reports excel: They are essentially job lists with due dates.

Customizable milestone headings. Every job type’s job template can contain special milestone headings. These headings will be applied to every job that has this job type. Traffic reports show milestones by job type.

Traffic milestones shouldn’t replace job schedules. There’s still a place for both systems, and which one you’ll use depends on a job’s complexity.

The advantage to traffic reports is that they present a clear overview of a job’s important dates. The disadvantage is that you can’t print a to-do list using traffic information. Milestones don’t contain much information beyond the date, unlike job tasks. Job tasks include specific details about start dates, due dates, resources, and specifications needed to complete them.

So to get detailed work-to-do reports on a task-by-task basis, especially for each staff member, you’ll use job schedules. But to track a job’s key dates, regardless of its tasks, you’ll use traffic milestones. Both reports work together to provide the most complete look at your work in progress possible. Remember, not every task on a job ticket needs to be scheduled. You should only schedule those job tasks that need to appear on daily to-do checklists for your resources.

1 From the job template window, click once on a job template to select it.

2 Click on the Milestones link.

The Traffic Milestones window shows the job template’s milestone headings. The name of the job type appears at the top of the window for reference.

3 Make your changes to the job template’s milestone headings, then click Save.

You can enter any kind of information into the milestone headings, up to the length of the column. You can use any letter, number, word, or abbreviation. If you change a job template’s milestone headings, beware of its open jobs. When you change the milestone headings, you’re changing the column headings on the traffic reports. Any open job that has traffic information expects these column headings to stay in place; if you rearrange the column headings, the job’s milestone dates may be wrong. If you change the milestone headings, be sure to edit the milestone dates for open jobs.

Coming soon

Coming soon

From the Job Types/job templates window, click the print button or choose File > Print Job Types.