An industrial plant module-based engineering method includes the following processes. The process is for duplicating a source engineering template having one or more source child templates to create a duplicated engineering template having one or more duplicated child templates, without duplicating any instances. The process is for selecting at least one child instance instantiated from the source engineering template and having an original link to the source engineering template. The process is for changing the original link into a new link between the selected at least one child instance and the duplicated engineering template. The selected at least one child instance has the new link to the duplicated engineering template and is free of the original link to the source engineering template, and wherein unselected one or more child instances remain to have the original link to the source engineering template.