Sprint Planning in ClickUp

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Sprint Planning in ClickUp: Step‑by‑Step Guide

ClickUp makes it easier to plan sprints, track work in progress, and keep agile teams aligned from one development cycle to the next. This how‑to guide walks you through creating a full sprint planning workflow inspired by proven agile practices.

Below you will learn how to structure your workspace, set up views, organize backlog items, and run each sprint with clarity and consistency.

Before You Start: Agile Sprint Basics

To get the most from ClickUp during sprint planning, it helps to recap the core ideas behind a sprint.

  • Time‑boxed iteration: Sprints typically last 1–4 weeks.
  • Clear goals: Each sprint focuses on a defined objective or feature set.
  • Prioritized backlog: Work is pulled from a product backlog ranked by value and urgency.
  • Inspect and adapt: Teams review progress and improve at the end of each cycle.

With these fundamentals in mind, you can translate them into a repeatable system in your workspace.

How to Structure Your Space in ClickUp

A clear structure ensures all sprint tasks are organized and easy to find. Use the following layout as a starting point.

Create a Product Space in ClickUp

  1. Create a new Space and name it after your product or team.

  2. Enable key features such as Tasks, Sprints (if available), Custom Fields, and Tags.

  3. Define default task statuses so your team follows the same workflow every sprint.

Suggested core statuses:

  • Backlog
  • Ready
  • In Progress
  • In Review
  • Done

Set Up Folders and Lists for Sprints

Next, organize work into folders and lists that mirror how you plan and execute sprints.

  1. Create a Backlog folder to store all upcoming ideas and requests.

  2. Add lists such as Product Backlog, Bugs, and Technical Debt inside that folder.

  3. Create a dedicated Sprints folder for active and historical sprints.

  4. Inside the Sprints folder, create one list per sprint, using a clear naming convention like Sprint‑01‑Login‑Flow, Sprint‑02‑Search‑Feature, and so on.

Setting Up ClickUp Views for Sprint Planning

Different views in ClickUp help your team visualize work from multiple angles during sprint planning and execution.

Board View for Agile Workflows

Use Board view to manage tasks through the sprint lifecycle:

  1. Add a Board view at the folder or list level.

  2. Group tasks by Status so each column reflects a stage of your workflow.

  3. Drag and drop tasks through Backlog, Ready, In Progress, In Review, and Done during the sprint.

This visual board makes daily standups simple and keeps your team aligned.

List View for Detailed Sprint Planning in ClickUp

List view is best when you need details such as estimates, priorities, and assignees.

  1. Switch to List view on your sprint list.

  2. Show important columns like Assignee, Priority, Story Points, and Due Date.

  3. Use sorting and filtering to focus on high‑impact work first.

Custom Fields to Enhance ClickUp Sprint Planning

Custom fields give your team extra control over sprint data. Consider adding:

  • Story Points or Estimate (number)
  • Sprint Goal (text or dropdown)
  • Release Version (text)
  • Risk Level (dropdown)

These fields help you weigh effort against value and maintain predictable velocity over time.

How to Build a Sprint from the Backlog in ClickUp

Once your structure and views are prepared, you can start turning your backlog into a realistic sprint.

Step 1: Refine and Prioritize the Backlog

  1. Open your Product Backlog list in ClickUp.

  2. Review each task to ensure it has a clear title and acceptance criteria.

  3. Add or update custom fields such as Story Points, Priority, and Risk Level.

  4. Sort by Priority and adjust task order to reflect business value and urgency.

Backlog refinement is continuous, but doing a dedicated session before sprint planning keeps meetings focused and efficient.

Step 2: Define the Sprint Goal

Next, decide what the team wants to accomplish in the upcoming iteration.

  1. Meet with stakeholders and your team to choose a single, clear sprint goal.

  2. Create a new sprint list in the Sprints folder and include the goal in the list description or a dedicated custom field.

  3. Ensure all selected tasks clearly support that sprint goal.

Step 3: Select Work Based on Capacity in ClickUp

Capacity planning keeps your sprint realistic and achievable.

  1. From your backlog, select high‑priority tasks aligned with the sprint goal.

  2. Check the Story Points or estimates field for each task.

  3. Move tasks into the new sprint list until you reach your historical average velocity or agreed team capacity.

  4. Confirm that work is balanced across team members.

Use comments or task descriptions to clarify dependencies so nothing blocks progress mid‑sprint.

Step 4: Finalize the Sprint Plan

  1. In the sprint list, open List view.

  2. Assign each task to an owner in ClickUp.

  3. Set start and due dates so work fits inside the sprint timeframe.

  4. Mark tasks that must be completed first, such as enabling features or handling critical bugs.

Once confirmed, your team is ready to start the sprint and update the Board view daily.

Running and Tracking a Sprint in ClickUp

Execution is where your planning decisions pay off. Use a consistent rhythm throughout the sprint.

Daily Standups with ClickUp Boards

During daily standups:

  • Open the sprint’s Board view.
  • Walk column by column from left to right.
  • Ask each team member to give quick updates on their tasks.
  • Drag tasks across statuses to reflect their true state.
  • Flag blocked tasks using tags or comments.

This keeps the board accurate and makes it easy to spot bottlenecks.

Monitoring Progress and Workload

To stay on track during the sprint:

  • Filter by Assignee to see each person’s workload.
  • Sort by Due Date to identify tasks at risk.
  • Use comments to coordinate handoffs between developers, QA, and product owners.
  • Update estimates if work turns out to be larger or smaller than expected.

Consistent updates in ClickUp help you keep an accurate picture of sprint health.

Reviewing and Improving Sprints in ClickUp

After the sprint ends, use your workspace as a record of what happened and how to improve.

Sprint Review

  1. Filter the sprint list by status to show all Done tasks.

  2. Demonstrate completed work to stakeholders and gather feedback.

  3. Identify any tasks that did not reach Done and move them back to the backlog or into the next sprint.

Retrospective Using ClickUp Tasks

To run a quick retrospective:

  1. Create a new list called Retrospective within your sprint folder.

  2. Add three tasks: What Went Well, What Didn’t Go Well, and Improvements.

  3. Use comments on each task to collect team input.

  4. Turn key improvement ideas into actionable tasks and schedule them in future sprints.

Using Templates and Additional Resources

While this guide focuses on process, you can also learn from other agile tools and examples to refine your approach.

For additional sprint planning ideas and comparisons, review the Asana sprint planning template examples described in this article from the ClickUp blog: Asana Sprint Planning Templates.

If you want expert help tailoring agile processes, you can also consult implementation specialists at Consultevo, who focus on scaling tools and workflows for growing teams.

Next Steps: Make ClickUp Your Sprint Hub

By structuring your space, setting up useful views, and following a consistent planning routine, you can turn ClickUp into a reliable hub for all sprint activity. Start with a single team, track a few cycles, and refine your setup as your velocity and product needs evolve.

Over time, this approach will give you predictable delivery, better visibility for stakeholders, and a more focused development team.

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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