Using Pre-Built Templates

Rather than facing a blank board and having to design every column, view, and automation from zero, most Hoicko users — especially new ones — start from one of the platform's pre-built templates, which dramatically shortens the path from "I need a board for this" to "I'm actually using it."

How to browse and apply a template

1. Click "+ Create Board" from your workspace and select "Browse Templates" rather than starting from a blank board.
2. Browse by category—templates are typically organized under groupings like Sales, HR, Support, and Project Management.
3. Preview the template to see its default columns, included views, and any pre-configured automations before committing to it.
4. Apply the template—it's instantly added to your workspace as a fully functional board, ready to customize.

What a typical template includes

A well-designed template usually comes with more than just column names — it often includes sensible default status options (e.g., "New," "In Progress," "Closed"), pre-built views appropriate to that use case (a Kanban view for a support queue, a Gantt view for a project template), and in some cases, ready-to-use automations that reflect common best practices for that type of process.

Customizing after applying a template

A template is meant to be a strong starting point, not a rigid, unchangeable structure. Once applied, every element — columns, views, automations — can be freely edited to match your team's specific process. It's genuinely common, and expected, for a team to apply a template and then immediately rename several columns, remove one that doesn't apply, and add two new ones specific to their business.

When it makes sense to skip templates entirely

For highly unique or unusual processes that don't map cleanly to any of the available templates, starting from a completely blank board can actually be faster than trying to force-fit and then heavily modify a template that's fundamentally built around a different structure. As a rule of thumb: if you'd need to change more than half of a template's default columns anyway, it may be simpler to just start fresh.

FAQ

Can templates be customized after applying them? 

Yes, all columns, views, and automations within a template can be edited after it's applied.

How are templates organized in Hoicko? 

Templates are typically grouped by category, such as Sales, HR, Support, and Project Management.