Add features to release templates

What is the challenge?

Often, teams will create release templates when they have repeatable projects that follow similar steps. But release templates just include phases and todos. Many teams have more complex template needs for their project work. To do this today, they use parking lot releases full of phases and activities and copy these to use them as templates. But, the process of having to copy a parking lot release, then move it to an active release is not as simple a process as using release templates.

What is the impact?

This can add friction for teams who work off these templates to get used to using Aha! when it is a couple step process to create a project from a template.

In addition, when a release is copied from a parking lot all child records reflect their old due dates. But release phase templates have due dates of phases dynamically update based on release dates. Without features as a part of release templates, you need to manually align dates of all features to the new release date of the project.

Describe your idea

Have release templates include features. This way, teams no longer have to maintain parking lot releases as templates. Instead parking lots can be used for managing unplanned work as intended.