How to Build an Idea Board in ClickUp

An organized idea board in ClickUp gives your team a single place to capture, sort, and act on every idea, from the smallest improvement to your biggest product vision.

This step-by-step guide walks you through setting up a practical idea board using ClickUp views, custom fields, and collaboration tools so you can move ideas from rough concepts to launch-ready plans.

Why Use ClickUp for Your Idea Board

A dedicated idea board helps you avoid losing valuable suggestions in chats, emails, and scattered docs. With ClickUp, you can centralize brainstorming, vet ideas against clear criteria, and plan execution inside the same workspace.

Key benefits of building your board in ClickUp include:

• One source of truth for all ideas
• Clear visibility into status and ownership
• Flexible views for different stakeholders
• Built-in collaboration and feedback
• Simple workflows from idea to delivery

If you want strategic support defining your workflows before you build them, you can also consult specialists like Consultevo to plan and optimize your process.

Plan Your ClickUp Idea Board Structure

Before creating anything in ClickUp, decide how you want to organize ideas and what information you need to track. A basic planning checklist includes:

• Where ideas will live in your Workspace
• What type of work each idea represents
• Who can submit and review ideas
• How you will evaluate and prioritize them
• What stages your workflow requires

Define the Purpose of Your ClickUp Idea Board

Clarify what types of ideas belong on the board so your ClickUp structure stays focused and useful. For example, you might restrict the board to:

• Product feature requests and UX improvements
• Marketing campaign concepts
• Operational efficiency or process changes
• Customer experience enhancements

Document these guidelines in a short description or pinned task within your ClickUp List so everyone knows what to submit.

Decide on Workflow Stages in ClickUp

Next, outline the stages each idea should pass through. In ClickUp, you will reflect these stages as task statuses for your idea board. A simple workflow might look like:

• New Idea — freshly submitted and unreviewed
• Under Review — being evaluated by owners
• Planned — approved and slotted into a roadmap
• In Progress — actively being implemented
• Completed — fully delivered and communicated
• Not Moving Forward — declined or parked

Keep the number of stages small at first. You can always refine and expand your ClickUp workflow later.

Set Up Your ClickUp Space, Folder, and List

With your plan ready, you can create the basic container for your idea board in ClickUp. The structure below keeps everything simple and scalable.

Create a Dedicated Space in ClickUp

1. Create a new Space named something like Idea Management or Innovation.
2. Add a clear Space description explaining that this is the home for all team ideas.
3. Choose a color and icon so the board is easy to recognize in your ClickUp sidebar.
4. Set Space-level sharing to include everyone who should be able to submit or view ideas.

Add a Folder and List for Ideas in ClickUp

1. Inside your Space, create a Folder such as Idea Board.
2. Within that Folder, create a List named All Ideas or Team Idea Backlog.
3. In the List settings, customize task statuses to match the workflow stages you designed earlier.
4. Add a short List description summarizing how to use the board and who owns reviews.

This List will act as the core of your idea board in ClickUp, and each task in the List will represent a single idea.

Use ClickUp Custom Fields to Score and Sort Ideas

Custom Fields in ClickUp let you add consistent, structured information to every idea so you can sort, filter, and prioritize objectively.

Recommended Custom Fields in ClickUp

Add these fields to your idea List to standardize how you capture and evaluate ideas:

• Idea Type (Dropdown) — e.g., Product, Marketing, Operations, Customer Experience
• Impact Score (Number) — rate expected value on a defined scale
• Effort Score (Number) — estimate complexity or resources needed
• Owner (User) — person accountable for reviewing the idea
• Target Release (Date) — when you might deliver the idea
• Source (Text or Dropdown) — where the idea came from (customer call, survey, internal, etc.)

By combining these fields with ClickUp sorting and filtering, you can quickly find low-effort, high-impact opportunities or group ideas by department and timeframe.

Build a Simple Priority Model in ClickUp

You can create a basic scoring approach using the data in your Custom Fields. For example:

• Define Impact and Effort ranges (for instance, 1–5).
• Use a simple formula outside ClickUp at first (Impact minus Effort, or Impact divided by Effort).
• Sort ideas by these scores and then adjust using your judgment.

Once your approach feels right, document it in a pinned task or List description so everyone in ClickUp evaluates ideas consistently.

Design ClickUp Views for Your Idea Board

ClickUp offers multiple view types so you can visualize and manage your ideas in different ways while using the same underlying data.

Create a Board View in ClickUp

A Kanban-style Board view makes it easy to see idea stages at a glance.

1. In your idea List, add a new Board view.
2. Group tasks by Status so each column represents a stage of your workflow.
3. Show key Custom Fields on each card, such as Impact, Effort, and Idea Type.
4. Save filters if you want separate views for different teams or idea categories.

This Board view becomes the primary interface for standups, review meetings, and ongoing prioritization inside ClickUp.

Create a List View in ClickUp

A structured List view helps you sort and scan ideas quickly based on fields.

1. Add a List view for your idea board.
2. Display columns for Impact, Effort, Owner, and Target Release.
3. Sort by Impact or by a combination of fields during review sessions.
4. Save different filters to highlight high-priority or near-term ideas.

You can also add Calendar or Timeline views in ClickUp later if you want to visualize when accepted ideas will be delivered.

Standardize Idea Submission in ClickUp

To keep your idea board clean and actionable, standardize how people submit new ideas into ClickUp.

Use a Template Task in ClickUp

1. Create a task named something like Idea Template — Do Not Edit.
2. In the task description, add a simple structure such as:
   • Problem statement
   • Proposed solution
   • Who benefits
   • Risks or constraints
   • Suggested timing
3. Set default Custom Fields, such as a neutral Impact and Effort score.
4. Save it as a task template so any team member can quickly create new ideas in ClickUp using the same format.

Create a Form for ClickUp Idea Intake

If you want non-ClickUp users or external stakeholders to submit ideas, use a Form:

1. Add a Form view to your idea List.
2. Map fields in the Form to the Custom Fields you created.
3. Set default status for new submissions to New Idea.
4. Share the public link so anyone can submit ideas without learning the full ClickUp interface.

This ensures every new idea arrives structured and ready for review.

Run Effective Idea Reviews in ClickUp

Once your ClickUp board is populated with ideas, you need a consistent review rhythm so nothing gets stuck.

Schedule Regular Review Sessions in ClickUp

1. Create a recurring task called Idea Review Meeting in your idea List.
2. Assign it to the decision-makers or product owners.
3. Add a checklist for agenda items, such as reviewing new submissions, updating statuses, and assigning owners.
4. Link or reference the main Board view so it is easy to open during the meeting.

During each session, move ideas across statuses in ClickUp, adjust Impact and Effort, reassign owners, and add comments with decisions.

Use Comments and @Mentions in ClickUp

Collaboration is crucial for refining and clarifying ideas. In each task:

• Use comments to ask questions or record decisions.
• @Mention subject matter experts for feedback.
• Attach files, screenshots, or research that supports the idea.
• Convert subtasks or comments into tasks if the idea expands.

Keeping all context inside ClickUp prevents information from getting lost in separate email threads or chat history.

Turn Selected Ideas into Actionable Plans in ClickUp

When an idea is approved, use ClickUp task features to break it into a clear execution plan.

Break Ideas into Subtasks in ClickUp

1. Within the idea task, create subtasks for the major work components.
2. Assign each subtask to the right teammate with due dates.
3. Add necessary checklists or additional Custom Fields to track details.
4. Update the main idea status to In Progress when work begins.

You can also convert high-impact ideas into separate Lists or projects in ClickUp while keeping a link back to the original idea for history.

Track Progress and Close the Loop in ClickUp

As work moves forward, update the idea board so everyone can see what is happening.

• Keep statuses updated from Planned to In Progress to Completed.
• Use automation (where available) to notify stakeholders of status changes.
• When an idea is completed, add a brief summary of the outcome in the task.
• Share results in team updates, linking back to the idea task inside ClickUp.

This reinforces that ideas are taken seriously and encourages more thoughtful contributions.

Learn More About Idea Boards in ClickUp

To explore more strategies, examples, and best practices for building idea boards and managing innovation, review the detailed guide on the official blog at this ClickUp idea board article.

By following the steps above and refining your process over time, you can turn ClickUp into a powerful engine for capturing ideas, aligning stakeholders, and shipping meaningful improvements across your organization.