How to Build a Book of Work in ClickUp
A structured book of work in ClickUp helps you capture every project, prioritize demand, and keep cross-functional teams aligned in one dynamic workspace.
This step-by-step guide shows you how to translate the concepts from the Book of Work templates into a practical, repeatable setup you can use for portfolios, programs, and project intake.
What Is a Book of Work and Why Use ClickUp?
A book of work is a centralized view of all approved, in-flight, and upcoming work across your organization or department.
Instead of scattered spreadsheets and status decks, you maintain a single source of truth that shows:
- All initiatives and projects in one place
- How work aligns to strategic goals and themes
- Priorities across teams and time horizons
- Ownership, dependencies, and risks
Using ClickUp for your book of work gives you:
- Configurable templates for programs, projects, and portfolios
- Multiple views (List, Board, Gantt, Timeline) on the same data
- Custom fields for governance, value, and effort scoring
- Real-time updates instead of static reports
The instructions below are based on the Book of Work templates and best practices described on the original ClickUp book of work guide.
Step 1: Set Up Your ClickUp Hierarchy for a Book of Work
Start by designing a clean hierarchy so your book of work scales as demand grows.
Plan Your ClickUp Spaces and Folders
Use one dedicated Space for your portfolio or business unit. Inside that Space, create Folders to separate logical groups of work, for example:
- Strategic Programs
- Operational Projects
- Run-the-Business Work
- Experiments / Discovery
This mirrors how many PMOs and strategy offices structure their book of work before they digitize it in ClickUp.
Create the Core Book of Work List in ClickUp
Within the portfolio Space, add a List named something like “Book of Work – Master”. This List will hold one task per initiative or project.
Each task represents a line item in your book of work, not every individual activity. Activities, sprints, and tasks under that initiative can live in separate Lists that link back to the master record.
Step 2: Add Governance Fields to Your ClickUp Book of Work
To make your book of work truly useful, enrich each initiative with governance and prioritization data.
Essential Custom Fields in ClickUp
On your master List, add Custom Fields like:
- Business Owner (User or Text)
- Sponsor (Text)
- Program / Theme (Dropdown)
- Strategic Objective (Text or Dropdown)
- Requested Start (Date)
- Target Launch (Date)
- Status (Dropdown: Proposed, Approved, In Progress, On Hold, Complete)
- Value Score (Number)
- Effort (Number or Dropdown)
- Risk Rating (Dropdown)
These fields reflect the key attributes a traditional PMO tracks in spreadsheets, but in ClickUp they are filterable, sortable, and available in every view.
Configure a Simple Scoring Model in ClickUp
Use number fields to implement a scoring model that supports prioritization:
- Create numeric fields like Revenue Impact, Customer Impact, and Compliance / Risk Avoidance.
- Add a Total Score field.
- Use Formula fields (in Business plans and above) or a manual rule to calculate overall priority based on these inputs.
This allows you to line up all proposed initiatives and make transparent decisions about what enters the book of work.
Step 3: Capture and Approve Demand in ClickUp
A strong book of work begins with consistent intake. Use ClickUp forms and statuses to channel requests into your portfolio.
Build a ClickUp Intake Form
Create a new List called “Intake – Requests” in the same Space. Add the same core Custom Fields you use in your master List, then:
- Open the List settings and choose Form View.
- Include fields such as description, business owner, value drivers, estimated effort, and deadlines.
- Share the form link with stakeholders, or embed it on your intranet.
Every submitted form creates a task in your intake List. This feeds your book of work pipeline.
Design an Intake to Book of Work Flow in ClickUp
Use a clear status flow to move items from request to approved work:
- New → request just arrived
- Under Review → being sized and scored
- Approved → prioritized into the book of work
- Rejected / Deferred → logged but not pursued
When a request is approved, convert or move the task into your master “Book of Work – Master” List to track it alongside active initiatives.
Step 4: Build ClickUp Views for Your Book of Work
The power of using ClickUp for your book of work is in switching perspectives without recreating data.
Create Portfolio-Level ClickUp List Views
On the master List, configure these views:
- List View – Portfolio: Group by Status or Program, sort by Total Score or Target Launch.
- Board View – Kanban: Group by Status to visualize flow from Proposed to Complete.
- Table View – Governance: Show governance fields (Owner, Sponsor, Risk Rating) for steering meetings.
Save filters for “In Progress Only,” “High Risk,” or “This Quarter” to quickly answer stakeholder questions.
Use Timeline and Gantt Views in ClickUp
For roadmap-style discussions, add:
- Timeline View keyed to Target Launch and Requested Start.
- Gantt View combining start and due dates, dependencies, and milestones.
These views are ideal for quarterly planning, where you can visually see when initiatives overlap and where you have capacity constraints.
Step 5: Link Delivery Work to Your ClickUp Book of Work
Your book of work should stay connected to day-to-day execution.
Relate Delivery Lists to the Book of Work
For each approved initiative in ClickUp:
- Create a dedicated project List or Folder for its detailed tasks and sprints.
- Use the Relationships feature to link the initiative task in your book of work to its delivery List or key epics.
- Surface roll-up fields (e.g., Story Points or Task Count) on the master record if available on your plan.
This gives leaders visibility into progress without requiring teams to duplicate updates in slide decks.
Standardize ClickUp Project Templates
To keep your book of work consistent, create project templates that include:
- Standard task statuses (Ideation, In Progress, Blocked, Done)
- Pre-built views (List, Board, Gantt)
- Required Custom Fields (e.g., Workstream, Capability, Component)
Attach these templates to your book of work process so every new initiative launched from the portfolio follows the same structure.
Step 6: Automate Governance and Reporting in ClickUp
Automations keep your book of work accurate without extra admin overhead.
Useful ClickUp Automations for a Book of Work
Examples of automations you can configure:
- When Status changes to In Progress, set Requested Start to today.
- When a task is moved to Complete, set Target Launch to today and update a Completion Date field.
- When Risk Rating = High, assign an additional reviewer or PMO lead.
These rules reduce the risk of stale data and ensure your ClickUp views stay trustworthy for leadership.
Run Recurring Book of Work Reviews in ClickUp
Use recurring tasks or reminders to:
- Review new intake items weekly
- Re-score initiatives monthly or quarterly
- Archive completed or cancelled work after a defined period
During review meetings, share your ClickUp views directly instead of exporting to slides, ensuring everyone sees live data.
Step 7: Improve Your Book of Work with Expert Help
Once your initial book of work is running in ClickUp, you can refine scoring models, capacity planning, and governance.
If you need help designing an enterprise-ready setup, you can work with specialists such as Consultevo, who focus on scalable workflows and automation.
Next Steps: Start Your Book of Work in ClickUp
To summarize, you can build a powerful book of work in ClickUp by:
- Designing a clear hierarchy with a master portfolio List.
- Adding governance and prioritization Custom Fields.
- Channeling all demand through an intake form.
- Creating portfolio, timeline, and governance views.
- Linking delivery work back to each initiative.
- Automating routine updates and review cycles.
Use the concepts and templates from the official ClickUp book of work article as a reference, then adapt them to your organization's terminology, approval gates, and strategic planning cadence.
By following these steps, you move from static spreadsheets to a living, connected book of work that gives leaders and teams instant clarity on what matters most and how execution is tracking.
Need Help With ClickUp?
If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.
“`
