Starting Documents from Templates

Why templates

A blank page is slow and inconsistent. StretchDocs ships a library of shared templates — controlled starting points that give every document the same structure, headings, and prompts. When your whole team starts SOPs from the same SOP template, every SOP looks and reads the same way, and nobody forgets a section.

Templates are platform-maintained and shared across the suite, so they're available to everyone in every organization. They contain no customer data — a template is just a starting shape.

The built-in templates

• SOP Template (Operations) — a standard operating procedure skeleton: purpose, scope, step-by-step procedure, and responsibilities.
• Product Spec Template (Product) — a specification layout: problem, goals, requirements, and open questions.
• Meeting Notes Template (Team) — attendees, agenda, decisions, and action items.
• Client Handoff Template (Delivery) — everything a client needs at delivery: summary, deliverables, access, and next steps.

The dashboard shows the count of available templates and surfaces the top ones so you can start in a click.

Create a document from a template

1. From the dashboard or library, click New document.
2. Choose From template.
3. Select a template — for example, SOP Template.
4. StretchDocs pre-fills the new document: it copies the template's body and sets a sensible type based on the template's category (e.g., an SOP template creates a document typed for Operations). The title starts from the template name (for example, SOP Draft) — change it to something specific.
5. Set the folder and owner, then click Create.
6. The new document opens in the editor at version 1 as a Draft. Replace the placeholder text with your real content.

What a template gives you (and what it doesn't)

• Copied at creation. The template's structure is copied into your document once. After that, your document is fully independent — editing the template later does not change documents already created from it, and editing your document never changes the template.
• A starting type. The template sets the document type/category so it slots into your governance from the start.
• No lock-in. You can freely add, remove, or restructure sections — a template is a head start, not a constraint.

A realistic example

A new project kicks off and the team needs weekly meeting notes. Instead of formatting a fresh page every Monday, the coordinator clicks New document → Meeting Notes Template, titles it Project Atlas — Weekly Sync 2026-07-13, sets the folder to Project Atlas, and starts typing. Attendees, agenda, decisions, and action items are already laid out. Every week's notes look identical, which makes them easy to scan and search later.

Tips

• Rename immediately. A document called SOP Draft is useless in six months — give it a specific title as soon as it's created.
• Standardize on one template per document type so your library reads consistently.
• Templates are the same for everyone, so onboarding a new teammate is easy: "start every SOP from the SOP template."
• Fill in the placeholder prompts rather than deleting them — they exist to make sure nothing is missed.

FAQ

Can I create my own templates? The starter templates are platform-maintained and shared. If you want a reusable organization-specific starter today, create a well-structured document, keep it Published as a reference, and duplicate its content into new documents.

Will editing a template change my documents? No. Templates are copied at creation. Your document is independent from the moment it's created.

Are templates visible to other organizations? The templates themselves are shared platform starters, but they carry no customer content, and documents you create from them are private to your organization.