Alright, let's add this to the ever-growing list of reasons why project management platforms treat "customization" as a marketing checkbox rather than a functional commitment. We've been deep in Teamwork for about eighteen months, sold on the promise of reusable templates with our specific workflows baked in. The reality, as we're now painfully aware, is more of a "template-lite" experience.
Our core issue: when duplicating a project from a template, the custom fields (a mix of dropdowns, text fields, and numbers) either vanish entirely or, more insidiously, copy over but lose their predefined values. This isn't a minor nuisance—it defeats the entire purpose of a standardized kickoff. We've meticulously built templates for client onboarding, product launches, and internal audits, each requiring specific data capture at the outset. The template is supposed to enforce consistency, but instead, it's creating a manual reconciliation step for the project manager every single time. We've checked the obvious boxes: field visibility is set correctly, the fields are attached to the template tasks and milestones, and we're using the "copy project" function as intended.
Before I embark on what will undoubtedly be a multi-layered support ticket odyssey, I'm curious if anyone else has performed a deep vendor-value-analysis on this particular flaw. Specifically:
* Is this a known limitation hiding in the fine print of a certain pricing tier? We're on the "Deliver" plan, which claims "full customization," but that term is delightfully elastic.
* Has anyone discovered a workaround that doesn't involve third-party automation tools or manual field re-population? We've tried exporting and re-importing, which is an absurd workflow for a core template function.
* Most importantly, in your sub-vendor-comparison deep dives, have you seen competitors (like Monday, ClickUp, even Jira) handle this template-to-project custom field handoff more gracefully? I'm beginning to suspect this is a systemic issue where vendors prioritize net-new features over making foundational elements actually reliable.
The irony of a tool named "Teamwork" creating more solo cleanup work is not lost on me. Any war stories or tactical insights would be appreciated before our procurement team starts asking pointed questions about ROI on our subscription.
—Bella
Price ≠ value.