A project manager writes on a whiteboard.
Image: Barney Yau/Unsplash

When you think of project management, I would venture a guess that what comes to mind is a fairly common list of tools, such as kanban boards, Gantt charts, timelines, time management, resource management, calendars and communication tools. However, there’s one tool that is often missing from that list — whiteboards.

Your knee-jerk reaction is probably that whiteboards don’t belong in project management, but I would argue that they are a perfect fit, and ClickUp agrees with me.

Why whiteboards work for project management

No matter how much we want to believe so, our thoughts aren’t always organized. Sometimes, they’re a jumbled mess, and the only way to navigate that disarray of ideas is to throw them against a wall and see what sticks. With the traditional set of project management tools, that’s not so easy.

Sure, you can create a specific kanban board for ideas, but it’s not the same. With regular project management tools, it’s not easy to see the relationships between thoughts that can help spawn other ideas and lead you to that game-changing conclusion you’ve been waiting for.

SEE: Hiring kit: Project manager (TechRepublic Premium)

With whiteboards, you are free to toss anything at the wall, move those things around, create relationships between those ideas and brainstorm further ideas for the project. Although every item added to a whiteboard might not make its way into the actual project, even if one bit of your brilliant thought process makes it to your kanban board or Gantt chart, then the whiteboard was well worth it.

When you need to brainstorm for a project, why would you turn to a physical whiteboard — which won’t be accessible to your remote team members — or use yet another service? Neither option is efficient, and given the goal of project management is to be as efficient as possible, it’s always best when you can stay within a single platform for all your needs.

That’s one reason why ClickUp is such a strong option for project managers who might need more than the standard feature set. ClickUp has a whiteboard feature built-in, so you won’t need to turn to yet another service or get awkward with a webcam pointed at your physical whiteboard.

What you’ll need to use a whiteboard in ClickUp

To use the Whiteboard feature, you’ll need a valid ClickUp account. You can use either the free or paid plan, as Whiteboards are available for both.

How to add a Whiteboard view in ClickUp

The first thing you must do is log in to your ClickUp account. Once logged in, select the Workspace that will house the Whiteboard. Once you’ve navigated to the Workspace in question, click + View from the row of tabs near the top of the window (Figure A).

Figure A

The ClickUp tab row is where you access all of your views.
The ClickUp tab row is where you access all of your views.

From the new pop-up window (Figure B), click Whiteboard. It’s under Page Views in the left navigation.

Figure B

The ClickUp View Create pop-up window allows you to create several different views.
The ClickUp View Create pop-up window allows you to create several different views.

The pop-up will change to give you a single option to select (Figure C), Pin View, which will place it at the far left edge in the top bar.

Figure C

You only have one option available for the Whiteboard view.
You only have one option available for the Whiteboard view.

Click Add View. You should then see Whiteboard listed in your top bar (Figure D).

Figure D

We've added our new Whiteboard view to the Workspace.
We’ve added our new Whiteboard view to the Workspace.

Click on the Whiteboard entry and you’ll be prompted to either select a Whiteboard template or start from scratch (Figure E).

Figure E

Either use a Whiteboard template or create a blank one where you can start brainstorming with your team.
Either use a Whiteboard template or create a blank one where you can start brainstorming with your team.

A great addition to project management

After seeing how useful whiteboards are with ClickUp, I cannot understand why more services aren’t adding this feature. With a good whiteboard added into the mix, your project management can be super-charged with brainstorming sessions that don’t have to exist outside of the platform.

Subscribe to TechRepublic’s How To Make Tech Work on YouTube for all the latest tech advice for business pros from Jack Wallen.

Subscribe to the Developer Insider Newsletter

From the hottest programming languages to commentary on the Linux OS, get the developer and open source news and tips you need to know. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays

Subscribe to the Developer Insider Newsletter

From the hottest programming languages to commentary on the Linux OS, get the developer and open source news and tips you need to know. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays