A playbook to create project directory layout based on the best practices.

ansible_template.yml

- hosts: localhost
  vars:
    dprefix: ~/playbook/
    role_prefix: "{{dprefix}}roles/"
    env_files:
      - "{{dprefix}}production"
      - "{{dprefix}}staging"
    var_dirs:
      - "{{dprefix}}group_vars/"
      - "{{dprefix}}host_vars/"
    playbook_files:
      - "{{dprefix}}site.yml"
      - "{{dprefix}}webservers.yml"
      - "{{dprefix}}dbservers.yml"
    common_role_prefix: "{{role_prefix}}common/"
    common_role_dirs:
      - "{{common_role_prefix}}"
      - "{{common_role_prefix}}tasks/"
      - "{{common_role_prefix}}handlers/"
      - "{{common_role_prefix}}templates/"
      - "{{common_role_prefix}}vars/"
      - "{{common_role_prefix}}defaults/"
      - "{{common_role_prefix}}meta/"
    common_role_files:
      - "{{role_prefix}}common/tasks/main.yml"
      - "{{role_prefix}}common/handlers/main.yml"
      - "{{role_prefix}}common/templates/example.conf.j2"
      - "{{role_prefix}}common/vars/main.yml"
      - "{{role_prefix}}common/defaults/main.yml"
      - "{{role_prefix}}common/meta/main.yml"
  tasks:
    - name: initialize directory layout
      file: path="{{item}}" state=directory mode=0755
      with_items:
        - "{{role_prefix}}"
        - "{{var_dirs | list}}"
    - name: initialize file layout
      file: path="{{item}}" state=touch mode=0644
      with_items:
        - "{{env_files | union(playbook_files) | list}}"
    - name: initialize common role directory layout
      file: path="{{item}}" state=directory mode=0744
      with_items:
        - "{{common_role_dirs | list}}"
    - name: initialize common role file layout
      file: path="{{item}}" state=touch mode=0644
      with_items:
        - "{{common_role_files | list}}"

we can use command ansible-playbook -c local ansible_template.yml -e dprefix=/Users/justdoit/workspace/devops/ansible/dev/ to initialize a directory layout.