Using initiative templates
What a template sets up, how to add one, and how to find the right one for your business.
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Checked against the product on September 19, 2026
A template starts an initiative from a common AI use case instead of a blank form, with its value formulas and planned figures already in place.
What a template gives you
- A description and hypothesis for the use case
- Value formulas that turn readings into value entries, and the metrics the template suggests, added to your account's metrics
- Planned figures: one-time CapEx, plus OpEx and the savings or revenue uplift you can expect per value period (per month on most templates; the template page says which), and the time to value. The template's time to value becomes the target Roiva measures the schedule against, so it is worth confirming against your own plan rather than leaving the default — see The initiative lifecycle
- Vendor hints, so costs from a connected finance system can be suggested for it
- A placeholder implementation for each system it runs on that you've already connected (see Tracking implementations)
- Baselines filled in from your own history where your connected systems have it, then from your assessment answers, then from a Roiva estimate where Roiva can make one. Any it can't fill, you record once.
Everything is yours to edit afterwards. The new initiative starts in Identified, and its Setup tab lists what it still needs.
Adding one
Open Templates in the sidebar (or Initiatives → New Initiative → Browse templates). On a template:
- Add to initiatives creates the initiative in one click, with you as its owner.
- Customize first opens the form with everything filled in, so you can change the title, owner or figures before saving.
Anyone on the account can add a template, up to your plan's initiative limit. Once you've added one, its card shows Added and View initiatives in place of the buttons.
If you already have an initiative with that template's title, Add to initiatives opens the form instead, which asks whether to create a numbered copy or add what's new to the one you have.
Finding the right template
- The list opens on templates for your industry, plus the ones that fit any business. Set your industry if it hasn't been set, or choose All industries in the Industry filter to see them all.
- Get recommendations: describe your business in a few sentences, and Roiva recommends templates that fit, with the reason for each. It usually takes ten to fifteen seconds. Your earlier recommendations, and your teammates', stay listed, and the button becomes Your recommendations once you've asked.
- Some templates need a module or an industry pack your plan doesn't include. They say which.
Template or blank?
Use a template when your initiative resembles a common use case (a support assistant, sales email drafting, document review, AI spend optimization). The formulas are the head start: they decide what to measure. Start from scratch when the initiative is unusual; Create manually still has Roiva suggest planned figures, baselines and usually a value formula from its title and category, or adopt a template that clearly fits.