diff --git a/app/controllers/phases_controller.rb b/app/controllers/phases_controller.rb
index 4ac06b9..de50db4 100644
--- a/app/controllers/phases_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/phases_controller.rb
@@ -162,10 +162,6 @@
     @phase.description = params["phase-desc"]
     @phase.modifiable = true
     if @phase.save
-      # Set the template's dirty flag to true
-      @phase.template.dirty = true
-      @phase.template.save
-      
       redirect_to admin_show_phase_path(id: @phase.id, edit: 'true'), notice: _('Information was successfully created.')
     else
       flash[:notice] = failed_create_error(@phase, _('phase'))
@@ -181,10 +177,6 @@
     authorize @phase
     @phase.description = params["phase-desc"]
     if @phase.update_attributes(params[:phase])
-      # Set the template's dirty flag to true
-      @phase.template.dirty = true
-      @phase.template.save
-      
       redirect_to admin_show_phase_path(@phase), notice: _('Information was successfully updated.')
     else
       @sections = @phase.sections
@@ -206,10 +198,6 @@
     authorize @phase
     @template = @phase.template
     if @phase.destroy
-      # Set the template's dirty flag to true
-      @template.dirty = true
-      @template.save
-      
       redirect_to admin_template_template_path(@template), notice: _('Information was successfully deleted.')
     else
       @sections = @phase.sections
diff --git a/app/controllers/questions_controller.rb b/app/controllers/questions_controller.rb
index 3b55aa0..47f9a11 100644
--- a/app/controllers/questions_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/questions_controller.rb
@@ -9,10 +9,6 @@
     @question.guidance = params["new-question-guidance"]
     @question.default_value = params["new-question-default-value"]
     if @question.save
-      # Set the template's dirty flag to true
-      @question.section.phase.template.dirty = true
-      @question.section.phase.template.save
-      
       redirect_to admin_show_phase_path(id: @question.section.phase_id, section_id: @question.section_id, question_id: @question.id, edit: 'true'), notice: _('Information was successfully created.')
     else
       @edit = (@question.section.phase.template.org == current_user.org)
@@ -37,10 +33,6 @@
     @section = @question.section
     @phase = @section.phase
     if @question.update_attributes(params[:question])
-      # Set the template's dirty flag to true
-      @question.section.phase.template.dirty = true
-      @question.section.phase.template.save
-      
       redirect_to admin_show_phase_path(id: @phase.id, section_id: @section.id, question_id: @question.id, edit: 'true'), notice: _('Information was successfully updated.')
     else
       @edit = (@phase.template.org == current_user.org)
@@ -61,10 +53,6 @@
     @section = @question.section
     @phase = @section.phase
     if @question.destroy
-      # Set the template's dirty flag to true
-      @question.section.phase.template.dirty = true
-      @question.section.phase.template.save
-      
       redirect_to admin_show_phase_path(id: @phase.id, section_id: @section.id, edit: 'true'), notice: _('Information was successfully deleted.')
     else
       redirect_to admin_show_phase_path(id: @phase.id, section_id: @section.id, edit: 'true'), notice: failed_destroy_error(@question, 'question')
diff --git a/app/controllers/sections_controller.rb b/app/controllers/sections_controller.rb
index 65d5f9f..e05418c 100644
--- a/app/controllers/sections_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/sections_controller.rb
@@ -10,10 +10,6 @@
     @section.modifiable = true
     @phase = @section.phase
     if @section.save
-      # Set the template's dirty flag to true
-      @section.phase.template.dirty = true
-      @section.phase.template.save
-      
       redirect_to admin_show_phase_path(id: @section.phase_id,
         :section_id => @section.id, edit: 'true'), notice: _('Information was successfully created.')
     else
@@ -35,10 +31,6 @@
     @section.description = params["section-desc-#{params[:id]}"]
     @phase = @section.phase
     if @section.update_attributes(params[:section])
-      # Set the template's dirty flag to true
-      @section.phase.template.dirty = true
-      @section.phase.template.save
-      
       redirect_to admin_show_phase_path(id: @phase.id, section_id: @section.id , edit: 'true'), notice: _('Information was successfully updated.')
     else
       @edit = (@phase.template.org == current_user.org)
@@ -58,10 +50,6 @@
     authorize @section
     @phase = @section.phase
     if @section.destroy
-      # Set the template's dirty flag to true
-      @section.phase.template.dirty = true
-      @section.phase.template.save
-      
       redirect_to admin_show_phase_path(id: @phase.id, edit: 'true' ), notice: _('Information was successfully deleted.')
     else
       @edit = (@phase.template.org == current_user.org)
diff --git a/app/controllers/templates_controller.rb b/app/controllers/templates_controller.rb
index 906eb70..1155960 100644
--- a/app/controllers/templates_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/templates_controller.rb
@@ -64,32 +64,9 @@
     customisation = Template.deep_copy(@template)
     customisation.org = current_user.org
     customisation.version = 0
-    customisation.published = false
-    customisation.dirty = false
     customisation.customization_of = @template.dmptemplate_id
-    
-    customisation.dmptemplate_id = loop do
-      random = rand 2147483647  # max int field in psql
-      break random unless Template.exists?(dmptemplate_id: random)
-    end
-    
     customisation.save
     
-    # need to mark all of the original funder's phases, questions, 
-    # sections as not-modifiable
-    customisation.phases.includes(:sections, :questions).each do |phase|
-      phase.modifiable = false
-      phase.save!
-      phase.sections.each do |section|
-        section.modifiable = false
-        section.save!
-        section.questions.each do |question|
-          question.modifiable = false
-          question.save!
-        end
-      end
-    end
-    
     redirect_to admin_template_template_path(customisation)
   end
   
@@ -106,54 +83,11 @@
       redirect_to admin_template_template_path(@template), notice: _('You can not publish a historical version of this template.')
 
     else
-      # Unpublish the older published version if there is one
-      live = Template.live(current_user.org, @template.dmptemplate_id)
-      unless live.nil?
-        live.published = false
-        live.save
-      end
-    
-      # Publish the template
       @template.published = true
-      @template.dirty = false
       @template.save
 
       flash[:notice] = _('Your template has been published and is now available to users.')
 
-      # Create a new version 
-      new_version = Template.deep_copy(@template)
-      new_version.version = (@template.version + 1)
-      new_version.published = false
-      new_version.save
-    
-      # Make all of the templates phase/section/questions as unmodifiable
-      @template.phases.each do |p|
-        p.sections.each do |s|
-          s.questions.each do |q|
-            q.modifiable = false
-            q.save
-          end
-          s.modifiable = false
-          s.save
-        end
-        p.modifiable = false
-        p.save
-      end
-    
-      # Make all of the new version's templates phase/section/questions modifiable
-      new_version.phases.each do |p|
-        p.sections.each do |s|
-          s.questions.each do |q|
-            q.modifiable = true
-            q.save
-          end
-          s.modifiable = true
-          s.save
-        end
-        p.modifiable = true
-        p.save
-      end
-    
       redirect_to admin_index_template_path(current_user.org)
     end
   end
@@ -243,15 +177,6 @@
     authorize @template
     @template.org_id = current_user.org.id
     @template.description = params['template-desc']
-    @template.published = false
-    @template.version = 0
-    @template.visibility = 0
-  
-    # Generate a unique identifier for the dmptemplate_id
-    @template.dmptemplate_id = loop do
-      random = rand 2147483647
-      break random unless Template.exists?(dmptemplate_id: random)
-    end
 
     if @template.save
       redirect_to admin_template_template_path(@template), notice: _('Information was successfully created.')
@@ -271,7 +196,7 @@
     
     current = Template.current(current_user.org, @template.dmptemplate_id)
     
-    # Only allow the current version to be updated
+    # Only allow the current version to be destroyed
     if current == @template
       if @template.destroy
         redirect_to admin_index_template_path
diff --git a/app/models/phase.rb b/app/models/phase.rb
index d3e813a..3f0df0c 100644
--- a/app/models/phase.rb
+++ b/app/models/phase.rb
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@
 class Phase < ActiveRecord::Base
 #	extend FriendlyId
 
+  after_save     :make_template_dirty
+  after_create   :make_template_dirty
+  before_destroy :make_template_dirty
+
 	##
   # Associations
 	belongs_to :template
@@ -25,11 +29,7 @@
 
   validates :title, :number, :template, presence: {message: _("can't be blank")}
 
-
-
-
-
-
+  
   # EVALUATE CLASS AND INSTANCE METHODS BELOW
   #
   # What do they do? do they do it efficiently, and do we need them?
@@ -104,4 +104,13 @@
     end
     return phase_copy
   end
+
+  # --------------------------------------------------
+  private
+  # Mark the parent template as dirty
+  def make_template_dirty
+    self.template.dirty = true
+    self.template.save!
+  end
+
 end
diff --git a/app/models/question.rb b/app/models/question.rb
index eac588d..822719a 100644
--- a/app/models/question.rb
+++ b/app/models/question.rb
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 class Question < ActiveRecord::Base
-
+  after_save     :make_template_dirty
+  after_create   :make_template_dirty
+  before_destroy :make_template_dirty
+  
   ##
   # Associations
   has_many :answers, :dependent => :destroy
@@ -29,7 +32,6 @@
 
   validates :text, :section, :number, presence: {message: _("can't be blank")}
 
-
   # EVALUATE CLASS AND INSTANCE METHODS BELOW
   #
   # What do they do? do they do it efficiently, and do we need them?
@@ -112,4 +114,12 @@
  		return suggested_answer
  	end
 
+  # --------------------------------------------------------
+  private
+  # Mark the parent template as dirty
+  def make_template_dirty
+    self.section.phase.template.dirty = true
+    self.section.phase.template.save!
+  end
+
 end
diff --git a/app/models/section.rb b/app/models/section.rb
index 2a38972..de0a64d 100644
--- a/app/models/section.rb
+++ b/app/models/section.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 class Section < ActiveRecord::Base
+  after_save     :make_template_dirty
+  after_create   :make_template_dirty
+  before_destroy :make_template_dirty
 
   ##
   # Associations
@@ -48,4 +51,12 @@
     return section_copy
   end
 
+  # ---------------------------------------------------
+  private
+  # Mark the parent template as dirty
+  def make_template_dirty
+    self.phase.template.dirty = true
+    self.phase.template.save!
+  end
+
 end
diff --git a/app/models/template.rb b/app/models/template.rb
index e0cc33a..10bd4b1 100644
--- a/app/models/template.rb
+++ b/app/models/template.rb
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 class Template < ActiveRecord::Base
   include GlobalHelpers
 
+  before_create :set_creation_defaults
+  after_create  :set_modifiable_statuses
+  
+  before_save   :pre_publishing
+  after_save    :post_publishing
+
   ##
   # Associations
   belongs_to :org
@@ -119,4 +125,64 @@
     return !modifiable
   end
 
+  # --------------------------------------------------------
+  private
+  # Initialize the published and dirty flags for new templates
+  def set_creation_defaults
+    self.published = false
+    self.dirty = false
+    
+    # Generate a unique identifier for the dmptemplate_id if necessary
+    if self.dmptemplate_id.nil?
+      self.dmptemplate_id = loop do
+        random = rand 2147483647
+        break random unless Template.exists?(dmptemplate_id: random)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+  
+  # Unpublish older versions when publishing the template
+  def pre_publishing
+    if self.published?
+      # Unpublish the older published version if there is one
+      live = Template.live(self.org, self.dmptemplate_id)
+      if !live.nil? and self != live
+        live.published = false
+        live.save!
+      end
+      # Set the dirty flag to false
+      self.dirty = false
+    end
+  end
+  
+  # Once the version has been published, create a new one which should
+  # be returned by the Template.current method
+  def post_publishing
+    # Create a new version 
+    new_version = Template.deep_copy(self)
+    new_version.version = (self.version + 1)
+    new_version.save
+  end
+
+  # Update the modifiable flags on phases->sections->questions 
+  def set_modifiable_statuses
+    # If we're working with a customization and its version 0 
+    # we should mark all of the phases->sections->questions 
+    # as unmodifiable
+    if !self.customization_of.nil? && version == 0
+      self.phases.includes(:sections, :questions).each do |phase|
+        phase.modifiable = false
+        phase.save!
+        phase.sections.each do |section|
+          section.modifiable = false
+          section.save!
+          section.questions.each do |question|
+            question.modifiable = false
+            question.save!
+          end
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
 end