How to Build a Kanban Board in ClickUp (Step-by-Step)

ClickUp makes it easy to move beyond static Excel Kanban templates and build a live, visual workflow that your entire team can use in real time. This how-to guide walks you through setting up, customizing, and managing a Kanban system using the platform’s List and Board views.

Why Create Kanban Boards in ClickUp Instead of Excel?

Traditional spreadsheets can work for simple Kanban boards, but they quickly become hard to maintain as tasks, people, and projects grow. Using ClickUp as your Kanban tool gives you:

Real-time collaboration instead of emailing updated Excel files.
Drag-and-drop task management in a visual Board view.
Custom workflows with statuses that match your exact process.
Templates to reuse your Kanban setup across projects.

The source article on Excel Kanban templates from ClickUp’s blog shows how hard it is to scale boards in spreadsheets. Building everything directly inside the platform removes those limits and keeps your data in one place.

Understand the ClickUp Hierarchy Before You Start

Before you set up a Kanban board in ClickUp, it helps to know how work is organized:

Workspace: Your overall account for a company or team.
Spaces: High-level categories such as Marketing, Product, or Operations.
Folders: Optional containers that group related projects or workflows.
Lists: Collections of tasks that often become your Kanban boards.
Tasks: Individual work items that move across your Kanban columns.

Your Kanban workflow will usually live in a List, which you can view as a Board for drag-and-drop task movement.

Step 1: Plan Your Kanban Workflow for ClickUp

Before building anything, outline the stages of your process. In Excel, these would be columns; in ClickUp, they become statuses.

Typical stages might include:

Backlog
To Do
In Progress
Under Review
Done

Keep the workflow simple at first. You can always refine or add statuses once your team starts using the Kanban board.

Step 2: Create a Kanban List in ClickUp

Open your Space where the workflow should live.
Optionally create a Folder to group related Kanban processes (for example, “Agile Projects”).
Click + New List and give it a clear name such as “Product Kanban” or “Marketing Pipeline”.
Set basic options like default views and who can access the List.

This List will act as the container for all tasks in your Kanban board.

Step 3: Add and Customize Statuses in ClickUp

Statuses in ClickUp mirror your Kanban columns. To configure them:

Open the List you just created.
Go to the Statuses settings for that List or Space.
Add statuses that match your workflow stages, such as:
- Backlog
- Ready
- In Progress
- Blocked
- Review
- Done
Assign clear colors so each stage is easy to see on the Board.

These statuses will become vertical columns when you switch to Board view in ClickUp.

Step 4: Switch to Board View in ClickUp

Once your List and statuses are ready, turn the List into a Kanban board:

Open your List.
Click + View at the top of the screen.
Select Board from the available view types.
Name the view (for example, “Team Kanban Board”).
Choose whether to make it the default view for everyone.

You now have a Kanban-style ClickUp Board where each column corresponds to a status and each card represents a task.

Step 5: Create Tasks and Map Excel Items into ClickUp

If you are migrating from Excel, treat each spreadsheet row as a task. In ClickUp you can create tasks manually or import data.

Create Tasks Manually

In your Board or List view, click + New Task.
Add a clear task name that matches your Excel row (for example, “Design homepage banner” or “Draft Q3 email campaign”).
Fill in details such as:
- Assignee
- Due date
- Description
- Attachments
Set the starting status, typically Backlog or To Do.

Import Spreadsheet Data into ClickUp

If you want to move an entire Excel Kanban into ClickUp at once:

Export or prepare your sheet so that each row is a task.
Use the import options in your Workspace to bring the file into a List.
Map columns like title, assignee, and due dates to task fields.

Once imported, switch back to Board view to see everything as Kanban cards.

Step 6: Customize Your ClickUp Kanban Board

The real power of a Kanban board in ClickUp comes from customization. You can add context, controls, and automation the spreadsheet version never had.

Use Custom Fields

Custom Fields allow you to adapt your Board to your process. Common examples include:

Priority (High, Medium, Low)
Estimated Hours
Sprint Number or Release
Client or Department

You can then group, filter, or sort tasks using these fields to refine how the board looks and behaves.

Apply Filters and Grouping

In Board view you can focus on just the tasks that matter:

Filter by assignee to see work for a single team member.
Filter by priority to surface urgent work.
Group by fields such as assignee or tag to change how cards are organized.

This flexibility is difficult to reproduce in an Excel Kanban, which is why many teams prefer running boards directly inside ClickUp.

Set Work-In-Progress Limits

While the platform does not strictly block you from moving cards, you can simulate WIP limits by:

Adding a Custom Field for WIP targets per stage.
Using views or filters to highlight overloaded columns.
Creating rules that notify the team when too many tasks move into a specific status.

Step 7: Manage Daily Work on Your ClickUp Board

Once the Kanban board is live, use it as the single source of truth for team work.

Run Standups Directly in ClickUp

In daily standup meetings:

Open the Board view for your List.
Walk through each status column from right to left (Done back to Backlog).
Discuss blocked tasks and drag cards to update their status in real time.

This replaces manual updates in Excel and keeps everyone aligned on the current state of work.

Update Tasks with Drag-and-Drop

To move a task through your workflow in ClickUp:

Grab the card from its current column.
Drag it to the next column that represents the new status.
Release it and the status automatically updates.

This simple action keeps the Kanban board current without editing cells or formulas like you would in a spreadsheet.

Step 8: Save Your Kanban Setup as a ClickUp Template

If you regularly create similar workflows, you can save time by turning your current Kanban List into a reusable template.

Open the List that contains your Kanban board.
Use the List options menu to save the configuration as a template.
Include elements like statuses, Custom Fields, and default views.
When you need a new workflow, create a List from this template to instantly replicate the Kanban structure.

This approach is more scalable than copying Excel files for every new project.

Improve Your ClickUp Kanban Strategy Over Time

As your team uses the Kanban board, refine your setup based on feedback and performance:

Remove statuses that rarely get used.
Combine similar stages to reduce complexity.
Add Custom Fields only when they drive a clear decision.
Experiment with new Board views for different audiences (for example, leadership vs. delivery teams).

You can also explore specialized consulting resources like Consultevo to improve your broader project management approach while still taking advantage of your existing ClickUp environment.

From Excel Templates to Live ClickUp Kanban Boards

If you are currently using Excel Kanban templates, the next step is to translate that structure into a flexible, interactive board inside ClickUp. By creating a dedicated List, customizing statuses, switching to Board view, and adding the right fields, you gain a dynamic system that scales with your team and projects.

Use this guide as your starting point, and continue adapting your Kanban workflow as your process evolves. The more your team works directly in ClickUp, the less time you will spend updating spreadsheets and the more time you can spend delivering real work.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

Get Help

“`