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Multi-Output Blueprint

A single Report Forge blueprint can have multiple output templates. This tutorial builds three output templates from one blueprint — an Executive Summary PDF (4 pages), a Full Detail PDF (12 pages), and a Data Export Excel — all generated from the same edition.

Advantage: Contributors enter data once. Report owners generate three different report formats without maintaining separate blueprints.

Scenario​

You manage a monthly project progress report with the following audience split:

AudienceFormatDetail level
Board / ClientExecutive Summary PDFHigh-level KPIs, RAG, narrative
Project Team / PMOFull Detail PDFAll sections, detailed data
Data teamExcel exportRaw data for further analysis

Step 1 — Confirm the blueprint section structure​

Before building the output templates, map which blueprint sections feed which outputs:

Blueprint sectionExecutive PDFDetail PDFExcel
Project Status (RAG, narrative)✓✓✓
EVM KPIs✓✓✓
Risk RegisterSummary onlyFull table✓
Action LogSummary onlyFull table✓
Cost ReportKPI cardsFull table✓
Lookahead—✓✓
Progress Photos—✓—
Technical Appendix—✓—

Step 2 — Open the Output Designer​

  1. Open the blueprint → Output Designer.
  2. The template panel (left) shows any existing templates.

Step 3 — Create Output Template 1: Executive Summary PDF​

3a — Add the template​

  1. Click + New output template.
  2. Name: Executive Summary
  3. Format: PDF
  4. Page size: A4, Landscape
  5. Click Create.

3b — Page 1: Cover page​

  1. Add a page → name: Cover
  2. Add logo component → bind to workspace branding.
  3. Add text component: {{var.ProjectName}} — Monthly Progress Report
  4. Add text component: Reporting period: {{[sections.ProjectStatus.ReportingPeriod]}}
  5. Add a RAG indicator component → bind to sections.ProjectStatus.OverallRAG.
  6. Style with full-bleed primary colour background.

3c — Page 2: KPI summary​

  1. Add a page → name: KPI Summary
  2. Add a 4-column KPI card grid (CPI, SPI, Cost Variance, Schedule Variance).
  3. Add a 3-column RAG grid (Schedule, Cost, Quality).
  4. Add a brief narrative text component → bind to sections.ProjectStatus.ExecutiveSummary.

3d — Page 3: Top risks (summary only)​

  1. Add a page → name: Key Risks
  2. Add a Table component → bind to the Risk Register section.
  3. Add a filter: Status ≠ "Closed" AND RAG ≠ "Green".
  4. Add columns: Risk ID, Description, RAG Status, Mitigation owner.
  5. Add page visibility rule: COUNTIF([sections.RiskRegister.rows.RAGStatus], "Red") + COUNTIF([sections.RiskRegister.rows.RAGStatus], "Amber") > 0

3e — Page 4: Key actions​

  1. Add a page → name: Key Actions
  2. Add a Table → filter: Status ≠ "Complete", sort by Due Date ascending.
  3. Add columns: Action, Owner, Due Date, Status.
  4. Add page visibility rule: COUNTIF([sections.ActionLog.rows.Status], "Open") > 0

Step 4 — Create Output Template 2: Full Detail PDF​

4a — Add the template​

  1. Click + New output template.
  2. Name: Full Detail
  3. Format: PDF
  4. Page size: A4, Portrait
  5. Click Create.

This template includes all blueprint sections with full detail. Build it section by section:

4b — Include pages from the Executive template​

For the cover, KPI summary, and top risks pages — these can be duplicated from the Executive template:

  1. In the Full Detail template, click + Add page → Copy from template.
  2. Select the Executive Summary template.
  3. Select the cover, KPI, and key risks pages to copy.
  4. The copied pages are fully editable in the Full Detail template.

4c — Add full risk register page​

  1. Add a page → name: Risk Register
  2. Add a Table → bind to the full Risk Register section, no filter.
  3. Add all columns including technical details: Likelihood, Impact, Root Cause, Mitigation, Review Date.
  4. Add a Sort: RAG Status descending (Red first), then Due Date ascending.

4d — Add full action log page​

  1. Add a page → name: Action Log
  2. Add a Table → bind to full Action Log section, no filter.
  3. Include all columns.

4e — Add cost report page​

  1. Add a page → name: Cost Report
  2. Add a Combo chart (cost trend with running_sum — see Running Aggregates Tutorial).
  3. Below the chart, add a full cost table with period and cumulative columns.

4f — Add lookahead and photos pages​

Repeat for remaining sections — add a page per major section, with full tables and any relevant charts.

Step 5 — Create Output Template 3: Data Excel​

5a — Add the template​

  1. Click + New output template.
  2. Name: Data Export
  3. Format: Excel
  4. Click Create.

5b — Add Excel sheets​

Excel output templates use sheets instead of pages. Add one sheet per blueprint section.

Sheet 1 — Project Status:

  1. Add a sheet → name: Project Status
  2. Add a Table → bind to all fields in the Project Status section.
  3. No filter, no formatting — raw values only.

Sheet 2 — Risk Register:

  1. Add a sheet → name: Risk Register
  2. Add a Table → bind to all Risk Register columns.
  3. Include hidden columns that are not shown in the PDF outputs (e.g. internal reference fields).

Sheet 3 — Action Log:

  1. Add a sheet → name: Action Log
  2. Full action log data.

Sheet 4 — EVM:

  1. Add a sheet → name: EVM Data
  2. All EVM fields including computed CPI, SPI, and variance fields.

Sheet 5 — Metadata:

  1. Add a sheet → name: Metadata
  2. A single-row table with edition metadata: edition name, reporting period start, reporting period end, data date, report date, created by, approved by, approved on.
tip

The Excel Data Export is primarily used by the data team to feed BI tools or consolidation spreadsheets. Keep the column names consistent across periods — downstream consumers depend on stable column headers.

Step 6 — Test all three output templates​

  1. Open a test edition in Approved status (or use Preview mode with a Draft edition).
  2. Click Generate output → select Executive Summary → generate and review the PDF.
  3. Repeat for Full Detail PDF.
  4. Repeat for Data Export Excel — open the file and verify all sheets and columns.

Common issues to check:

  • Cover page date tokens resolve correctly.
  • Conditional pages (Key Risks, Key Actions) appear/disappear based on data.
  • Excel column headers are clean (no formula remnants, no blank headers).
  • PDF page numbers are sequential across the full detail document.

Step 7 — Configure output names​

Set the default filename for each template:

  1. Open each template → Template settings → Output filename.
  2. Use tokens for dynamic names:
    • Executive: {{var.ProjectName}}_Executive_{{[sections.ProjectStatus.ReportingPeriod]}}
    • Full Detail: {{var.ProjectName}}_Detail_{{[sections.ProjectStatus.ReportingPeriod]}}
    • Data Export: {{var.ProjectName}}_Data_{{[sections.ProjectStatus.ReportingPeriod]}}

This ensures generated files are named consistently and can be archived without manual renaming.