Boilerplate

Boilerplate contracts, code, and text templates are everywhere in the professional world, serving as the invisible foundation for much of our daily work.

History

The term “boilerplate” comes from the 19th-century printing industry, long before it became a legal term.

Back in the late 1800s, syndicates sent pre-written articles, columns, and advertisements to local newspapers on heavy, cast-iron printing plates. Because these plates were durable, tough, and reusable, printers nicknamed them “boilerplates” because they looked just like the heavy sheets of steel used to build steam boilers.

Since the text on these plates couldn’t be changed by the local editors, the word evolved to mean any text that is used over and over again without variation. The legal profession eventually adopted the term to describe those standard, unchangeable clauses at the end of contracts.

The term is also used across several different fields do describe anything that is standardised, reusable, and rarely changes. It can be used in software development and coding, PR, corporate communications, web design, and other fields.

Examples:

Many software developers choose to reuse boilerplate code across multiple program modules to save time.

The advantage is that when you use boilerplate codes, you enable new software functionalities with codes that have been thoroughly tested.

This contract is boilerplate.

Legal professionals frequently rely on pre-drafted boilerplate clauses that they can rapidly adapt to suit clients in various industries.

Good or bad?

Using it is neither inherently good nor bad. It all depends on how it is used. It can be a lifesaver or a risk.

On the plus side, it saves massive amounts of time, reduces mistakes, and ensures consistency.

The downside, though, is that it is generic. The “one-size-fits-all” trap is that it doesn’t account for unique situations. Moreover, it is easy to overlook something and leave in an old company name, a wrong date, or something else that was inserted in the previously used version. It may also sound dry and robotic, which in certain situations is not what you want.