How to Move Your Work to ClickUp Step by Step
If you are ready to upgrade from Trello or monday.com, ClickUp gives you a single workspace to manage projects, docs, and automation in one place. This guide walks you through a clear, simple process to move your work and get productive fast.
Using the comparison of Trello vs. monday.com from the original ClickUp blog article, we will build a practical how-to plan to import boards, recreate workflows, and roll out your new system.
Why Choose ClickUp for Your Workspace
Before moving anything, confirm that ClickUp is the right home for your tasks and projects. The source comparison highlights key gaps in Trello and monday.com that this platform covers in one place.
- Flexible hierarchy for teams of any size
- Multiple project views for every role
- Built-in docs, whiteboards, and goals
- Time tracking and detailed reporting
- Scalable automation for repetitive work
Instead of stitching together many tools, you can centralize collaboration and planning in a single system.
Plan Your Move to ClickUp
A smooth transition starts with a clear plan. Before importing, map what you have today in Trello or monday.com and what you want to improve inside ClickUp.
1. Audit Existing Boards and Workspaces
List the current structures you use in your tools:
- Teams and departments
- Boards, groups, or workspaces
- Key lists or categories of tasks
- Fields, labels, or columns you rely on
- Automations that save time
Mark which elements are essential and which you can archive or clean up during the move.
2. Design Your ClickUp Hierarchy
Use the audit to design a clean hierarchy that supports growth. A common pattern looks like this:
- Workspace: Your company or organization
- Spaces: Departments such as Marketing, Product, Operations
- Folders: Programs or major themes, like Campaigns or Product Launches
- Lists: Specific projects, sprints, or pipelines
- Tasks and Subtasks: Individual work items
Note where each old board or group will land. For example, a Trello board might become a Folder, while its lists become Lists in your new setup.
Import Your Work into ClickUp
Once you know where everything should live, start the technical move into ClickUp. The platform offers imports that save hours compared with manual copying.
3. Prepare Data from Trello or monday.com
Before importing, clean your current system so you avoid clutter:
- Archive closed or outdated boards and groups
- Delete unused labels, columns, or custom fields
- Merge duplicate items where possible
- Standardize naming for projects and tags
This preparation gives you a fresh, consistent structure on day one.
4. Use the ClickUp Import Tools
Inside your new workspace, use the built-in import options to bring data over. Follow these general steps:
- Open your workspace settings.
- Find the import section.
- Select Trello or a compatible format for monday.com data.
- Authenticate or upload the export file.
- Map boards and lists to new Spaces, Folders, and Lists.
After the import, spot-check several projects to confirm tasks, assignees, due dates, and fields look right.
Rebuild Workflows with ClickUp Views
One of the biggest advantages of ClickUp is its range of views, letting teams see the same work in different ways without rebuilding anything.
5. Create Core ClickUp Views
Start with a standard set of views in each Space or major Folder:
- List View: For detailed task management and inline edits
- Board View: For kanban-style stages similar to Trello
- Calendar View: For time-based planning and deadlines
- Gantt or Timeline: For scheduling projects end to end
- Table View: For spreadsheet-style work management
Configure filters and sorting so each view focuses on one responsibility, such as current sprint work or upcoming launch tasks.
6. Configure ClickUp Custom Fields and Statuses
Replicate the most important information from your old tools as structured fields:
- Use custom fields for budgets, priority, or owners.
- Standardize workflows with clear statuses, such as To Do, In Progress, In Review, Done.
- Group statuses by stage so reporting is accurate.
This consistency makes it easier to build dashboards and charts later.
Automate Repetitive Work in ClickUp
The comparison of Trello and monday.com shows how automation is crucial at scale. Take advantage of automation to eliminate manual steps in ClickUp.
7. Translate Old Automations
List the automations you use today, such as:
- Move card when status changes
- Notify assignee when due date is near
- Create a template task for recurring work
Recreate these in your new workspace using triggers and actions so your team keeps the same safety nets.
8. Add New Automation Opportunities
Now go further and add automations that were hard to achieve in your previous tools:
- Auto-assign tasks by list, tag, or priority
- Update custom fields when status changes
- Create follow-up tasks when a project closes
- Mirror work into a management list for weekly review
Always test each rule on a sample project before rolling it out for everyone.
Collaborate with Docs and Whiteboards in ClickUp
One advantage often missing from basic boards is rich documentation. You can centralize notes, plans, and diagrams in the same platform.
9. Set Up Docs for Each Major Space
Create a small library of core documents:
- Team handbook or ways-of-working guide
- Project brief templates
- Meeting notes templates
- Requirements or specs for product work
Link docs directly to tasks so context is always one click away.
10. Use Whiteboards for Planning
Replace scattered diagrams with shared whiteboards:
- Map workflows and user journeys
- Sketch project roadmaps
- Capture brainstorming sessions
Turn sticky notes from planning sessions into actionable tasks attached to your Lists.
Roll Out ClickUp to Your Team
A successful move depends on adoption. Treat your rollout as its own project with clear steps and owners.
11. Create Onboarding Lists and Templates
Build a simple onboarding List for new users:
- Intro task with key docs and videos
- Tour of Spaces and views
- Practice tasks for updating status and comments
- Checklist for personal notification settings
Use task templates so every new teammate gets the same guidance.
12. Set Expectations and Best Practices
Publish a short usage guide that covers:
- Where to create new projects
- How to name tasks and Lists
- When to update statuses
- How to use comments and mentions
- Which views each role should check daily
Reinforce the habit of keeping information updated so reports and dashboards remain trustworthy.
Measure and Improve Your ClickUp Setup
After the initial launch, review how the workspace performs and refine your setup.
13. Use Dashboards and Reporting
Create dashboards for key stakeholders:
- Team workload and capacity
- Project timelines and milestones
- Overdue tasks and blockers
- Cycle time or lead time where relevant
Review these views in weekly or biweekly check-ins and adjust statuses, fields, or automations as you discover bottlenecks.
14. Iterate Based on Feedback
Hold short feedback sessions with each team after a few weeks:
- What feels easier than before?
- Where are people still confused?
- Which views or fields feel unnecessary?
- What should be automated next?
Update templates and training materials to reflect what you learn.
Next Steps and Additional Resources
You now have a practical process to move from Trello or monday.com into a unified workspace, set up key views, and roll out collaboration features. To deepen your strategy and implementation, you can explore additional guidance from specialists such as Consultevo for workflow and automation optimization.
For more detailed feature comparisons that informed this guide, review the original analysis of Trello vs. monday.com in the ClickUp blog post and apply the same thinking to keep improving your workspace over time.
Need Help With ClickUp?
If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.
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