Scale project design for multi-market setups - thoughts?

[ab_cdef]

Hi everyone,

I’m working on a project setup that needs to accommodate multiple markets for an org.

At the moment, our project template includes one task per market, each with its own market-specific actions. We structured it this way to keep accountability clear: every task has a single assignee, rather than bundling multiple assignees into one task where ownership becomes unclear. We also use project-level custom fields to capture market-specific data, but because fields can’t be reused within the same form, the number of fields multiplies as we add more markets. For example, if 1 market needs 2 fields, 2 markets require 4, and so on.

This quickly becomes difficult to scale. Whenever a new market is added, the project template needs to be updated to include a new task, and the custom form needs additional fields. As we onboard more markets, this approach becomes increasingly unsustainable and creates downstream complications, especially for Fusion...

For those who have faced similar challenges: how do you design your Workfront project architecture so it can adapt dynamically as new markets are added? How do you avoid having to constantly update templates and custom forms while still capturing all the necessary market-specific information?

Thanks

[arunku14]

1. Use Role-Based or Dynamic Task Assignment
Instead of creating one task per market, consider:

Parent Task + Subtasks: Create a parent task for “Market Activities” and add subtasks dynamically for each market. This keeps accountability clear while reducing template complexity.
Assign Job Roles, Not Individuals: Templates should assign tasks to roles (e.g., “Market Lead”) rather than named users. This makes it easier to reuse templates across markets. [experience....adobe.com]

✅ 2. Consolidate Custom Forms Using Display Logic
Rather than duplicating fields for each market:

Single Universal Form: Create one custom form with common fields and use display logic or skip logic to show market-specific fields only when relevant. For example:

Dropdown: “Select Market”
Conditional fields appear based on selection.

External Lookup Fields: Use the new External Lookup feature to pull market-specific data dynamically from an external source (e.g., CRM or spreadsheet). This avoids hardcoding fields for every market. [experience....adobe.com], [antegma.com]

✅ 3. Leverage Workfront Planning for Dynamic Architecture
Workfront Planning introduces:

Custom Record Types: Instead of rigid templates, create record types like “Market” or “Campaign” with metadata fields.
Workspaces: Organize markets as records within a workspace, linking them to projects and tasks dynamically.
This approach decouples markets from templates and scales easily as new markets are added. [wndyr.com], [experience....adobe.com], [experience....adobe.com]

✅ 4. Automate Market Onboarding with Fusion
Use Workfront Fusion to:

Bulk Create Tasks from CSV: When a new market is added, Fusion can automatically create tasks and attach relevant forms without manual template edits.
Dynamic Project Creation: Automate project setup using templates and global variables, reducing repetitive manual steps. [experience....adobe.com], [youtube.com]

✅ 5. Blueprint Templates for Standardization
Start with Blueprints for best-practice templates and adapt them for your multi-market structure. Blueprints help maintain consistency and reduce complexity when scaling. [experience....adobe.com], [experience....adobe.com]

Summary of Key Techniques

Display Logic + External Lookup → Avoid field duplication.
Role-Based Assignments → Reduce template updates.
Workfront Planning → Dynamic architecture for markets.
Fusion Automation → Scale onboarding without manual edits.