Create and use templates

I need a clean, reusable template for our weekly editorial brief so teammates stop recreating the wheel. Make a document that already has the headline, target audience, 300‑word synopsis section, key sources list, SEO keywords field, and a checklist for legal and image clearance. Put it in the team’s Content Templates folder and share edit rights with Maya, Jonah, and Priya. Confirm it opens correctly on phones before I send the link on Monday.

Before I hand this brief to production, make approving it idiot‑proof. Move the expected publish date and word count right under the headline, surface the two must‑use sources in a highlighted box, and add a red flag if the synopsis mentions a competitor. Make the checklist binary—yes/no—and pin the final approver’s signature line at the bottom so procurement won’t miss it.

I pasted my working draft into a new document and told the team to edit, but I’m unsure whether to lock sections or give full edit rights. Maya ramps edits fast and overwrites my headers; Jonah needs freedom to add comments; the content owner will sign off Wednesday. What’s the least disruptive sharing setup and who should have which permission so we avoid accidental losses but keep momentum?

We keep wasting time remaking the editorial brief and then fixing permissions afterward. Templates are created but either buried in personal folders or edited into unusable messes. How should I change the habit so templates are discoverable, stable, and actually used—who should own the template, what naming convention prevents duplicates, and what permission routine stops accidental rewrites?