How to Manage Creative Work in ClickUp

ClickUp can run your entire creative workflow in one place, from collecting requests to delivering final, approved assets. This how-to guide walks you through building a simple, repeatable system so your team always knows what to do next and nothing falls through the cracks.

Why Use ClickUp for Creative Workflows

Creative teams juggle ideas, revisions, deadlines, and feedback from many stakeholders. Without a clear workflow, you face constant fire drills and scattered communication. Using ClickUp as your creative hub helps you:

• Centralize briefs, assets, and conversations
• Standardize how work is requested and approved
• See status and capacity at a glance
• Automate handoffs and reminders

The steps below show how to build this structure so your tools support the way creative work actually happens.

Step 1: Set Up a ClickUp Space for Creative Operations

Start by creating a dedicated Space inside ClickUp for creative operations. This Space becomes the home for all your requests, campaigns, and assets.

Name and organize your ClickUp Space

1. Create a new Space and give it a clear name like “Creative” or “Marketing & Creative.”
2. Choose brand colors and relevant icons so the Space is easy for everyone to recognize.
3. Inside the Space, create Folders such as:
   • Requests & Intake
   • In-Progress Projects
   • Content Library or Final Assets
   • Templates & Playbooks

This basic structure keeps incoming work separate from active projects and finished deliverables.

Define permissions and roles in ClickUp

Next, decide who can create, edit, and approve work in this Space. Within ClickUp, assign roles such as:

• Requesters: Submit ideas and briefs but do not change workflows.
• Creators: Designers, writers, and producers who execute tasks.
• Approvers: Marketing leaders, product owners, or clients who sign off on final work.

Clear roles reduce confusion about who makes decisions at each step.

Step 2: Build a ClickUp List for Creative Requests

A single, well-structured List in ClickUp for new requests keeps your intake organized and prevents random messages from becoming invisible work.

Create a standardized intake form in ClickUp

1. In the Requests & Intake Folder, create a new List called “Creative Requests.”
2. Add a Form view to that List in ClickUp.
3. Include fields like:
   • Request title
   • Type of asset (social, email, blog, video, design, etc.)
   • Goal and audience
   • Required channels or formats
   • Due date and priority
   • Links to references or brand guidelines
4. Share the form link with stakeholders so all new work comes in the same way.

Each form submission becomes a task in ClickUp with all the details you need to start.

Add custom fields to your ClickUp List

To make sorting and reporting easier, add custom fields such as:

• Campaign name
• Department or requester
• Estimated effort (hours or points)
• Channel (web, email, social, print)
• Content stage (briefing, drafting, design, review, approved)

These fields will later power views, filters, and dashboards in ClickUp.

Step 3: Design Your ClickUp Workflow Stages

The backbone of your creative process in ClickUp is a clear set of workflow statuses that everyone understands and follows.

Map your creative process before building in ClickUp

First, outline the typical lifecycle of a creative task. For example:

1. Request submitted
2. Brief approved
3. In progress
4. Internal review
5. Stakeholder review
6. Revisions
7. Final approval
8. Delivered

Then translate these stages into custom statuses inside the relevant ClickUp Lists.

Create statuses and views in ClickUp

1. Open your List and configure Statuses to match your mapped stages, like:
   • New
   • Ready for Brief
   • In Progress
   • Internal Review
   • Client Review
   • Revisions
   • Approved
   • Completed
2. Add multiple views inside ClickUp to support different roles:
   • Board view: Visual Kanban of work by status.
   • List view: Detailed rows with custom fields.
   • Calendar view: See deadlines and launches by date.
   • Workload view: Monitor creator capacity and avoid overload.

Views help each person see the same ClickUp data in the format that works best for their role.

Step 4: Use ClickUp Tasks to Manage Creative Production

Each creative request becomes a task (or parent task) in ClickUp that you break down into smaller steps.

Create task templates in ClickUp

To keep work consistent, build templates for common asset types. For every template, include:

• A pre-filled description with sections like Objective, Audience, Key Messages, Channels, and Deliverables.
• Subtasks that mirror your process, such as:
  • Draft brief
  • Outline or wireframe
  • First draft or first design
  • Internal review
  • Stakeholder review
  • Final polish
  • Upload final files
• Default assignees for specific roles (writer, designer, producer).
• Estimated time or effort to support capacity planning.

When a new request comes in, apply the right ClickUp template so the team knows exactly what to do.

Manage files and comments in ClickUp

Keep everything tied to the related task to avoid hunting through emails and chats.

• Attach copy docs, design files, and assets directly to the task.
• Use task comments and mentions to ask questions and clarify requirements.
• Pin important instructions in comments or the task description.
• Use watchers so key stakeholders get notified about updates.

This makes the task in ClickUp the single source of truth for each piece of work.

Step 5: Streamline Reviews with ClickUp Proofing

Feedback is where creative work can slow down or derail. Visual review tools inside ClickUp help speed up approvals and reduce confusion.

Upload assets and collect feedback in ClickUp

1. Attach images, PDFs, or videos to the relevant task.
2. Open the file using the Proofing feature in ClickUp.
3. Ask reviewers to leave comments directly on the asset rather than sending email threads.

Reviewers can click on specific parts of a design or document, leave a comment, and automatically create action items for the creative team.

Turn comments into action items in ClickUp

To keep revision rounds structured:

• Convert important feedback into tasks or subtasks.
• Assign each item to the right owner with a due date.
• Group comments by revision round in the task description.
• Use custom fields or tags like “Round 1” and “Round 2” to track when updates are complete.

This way, all requested changes stay visible and accountable inside ClickUp.

Step 6: Automate Handoffs and Notifications in ClickUp

Automation in ClickUp reduces manual work and keeps your process moving without constant check-ins.

Set up simple automations in ClickUp

Common useful automations include:

• When a new form submission is created, assign it to a triage owner.
• When a status changes to “Ready for Brief,” notify the strategist or project manager.
• When a task moves to “Client Review,” add the stakeholder as a watcher.
• When a task is “Approved,” move it automatically to a delivery List.

These simple rules in ClickUp ensure work flows from stage to stage without relying on memory.

Use recurring tasks in ClickUp for recurring creative work

For ongoing deliverables like weekly newsletters, monthly reports, or recurring social campaigns:

• Create a task template with all subtasks and checklists.
• Set the task to repeat on your schedule (weekly, monthly, or custom).
• Automatically assign the task to the right owner for each cycle.

This keeps recurring work predictable and consistent in ClickUp.

Step 7: Track Performance with ClickUp Dashboards

Reporting turns your creative workflow into measurable outcomes that leaders can trust.

Build dashboards in ClickUp for visibility

Create Dashboards that show:

• Number of active requests by status
• Average time in each stage
• Workload by team member
• Requests by department, channel, or campaign

Use charts, tables, and widgets inside ClickUp to highlight bottlenecks and celebrate wins.

Share insights from ClickUp with stakeholders

Share read-only dashboards with leaders so they can see:

• How many projects are in progress
• Which campaigns require the most effort
• Where reviews and approvals are slowing down delivery

When stakeholders see clear data from ClickUp, they are more likely to respect timelines and follow your intake process.

Best Practices for Sustaining Your ClickUp Workflow

Once your creative workflow is running inside ClickUp, refine it regularly.

• Review statuses and templates quarterly to keep them aligned with how your team actually works.
• Hold brief retrospectives after major campaigns and update your ClickUp templates with lessons learned.
• Train new team members with example tasks and walkthroughs so they understand your process from day one.

Continual improvements make your creative operations more predictable and scalable.

Learn More and Explore Additional Resources

For a deeper look at creative workflow software and how it supports teams, review the original guide from ClickUp at this article on creative workflow software. You can also strengthen your broader systems and automation strategy with expert consulting resources such as Consultevo, which focuses on helping teams design efficient digital operations.

By following these steps and tailoring them to your team, you can turn ClickUp into a central, reliable system for managing every stage of your creative work.

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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