Kelly's Laws of Document Templates

I still see a lot of  value in standardizing even though I've left technical writing and consulting. Document templates make the writer's life easier and help give a consistent and professional look to an organization's internal and external documents.

Here are Kelly's Laws of Document Templates:

1. An MS Word template ends with a *.dot file extension.
2. Document templates should be simple enough for even non MS Word masters to use.
3. Document templates should always be managed centrally by one keeper and not a whole group of keepers
4. Document templates should always include clear descriptions for each of the styles in the template.
5. Document templates should be enforced as standards for all project artifacts.
6. Document template should always automate the table of contents, table of figures, and list of tables.