Templates vs Checklists Explained - Task Automation Software

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In this video, we explain the difference between templates and checklists in Process Street simple task automation software.

The difference between templates and checklists is an important concept when getting started with Process Street.

First, you have a process template, which is a set of instructions on how to complete tasks, like a blueprint. Templates lay out exactly how a process is supposed to be completed.

For example, if our process was "Employee Onboarding", the template would be a list of tasks for how to onboard an employee. It could include tasks like giving direct deposit details, getting a building keycard and getting their computer setup.

While it's easy to create your own templates with our drag and drop editor, we also have a public template library with hundreds of examples ready to use or edit.

Checklists, on the other hand, are single copies of your template which track your progress. For example, you would have a different employee onboarding checklist for each new employee.
Here's another way to think about it...

Say you used a Word document to record your progress over all the tasks in your employee onboarding process.

This word document would be your template.

In action, every time a new employee started, you would print off a copy of the document and work through it. With a pen, you’d jot down the employee’s name, check off tasks as you help them get setup, then sign the finished printout and file it away.

This printed COPY of the word document would be your checklist.

Understanding the relationship between checklists and templates is an important first step to streamlining the processes in your team.