How to Build a Project Board in Notion: A Step-by-Step Guide with Templates

Part of our guide on supporting medium-sized teams

This guide walks you through building a Notion project board that tracks tasks, timelines, and team updates clearly and efficiently.

What you need to start managing projects in Notion

Before building a project board in Notion, gather a few basics: a Notion account with access for your team, a clear project goal, and a list of tasks or milestones to track.

You will also need to decide on the key task properties you want to track, such as status, priority, and due dates. These properties let you filter and sort tasks effectively.

Have an idea of your team's workflow style. Do you prefer visual Kanban boards, detailed tables, or calendar timelines? Notion supports all, but each suits different project types.

You might also want to prepare a simple outline of your project phases before building the board. This helps decide which statuses and priorities you need. For example, a software project might have phases like Planning, Development, Testing, and Launch. We cover streamlining team collaboration on GitHub in its own article.

If you plan to track resources or assignees, make sure you have team member information ready. Notion allows linking tasks to people, so have their names and roles clear. This improves accountability and clarity on who does what.

• Notion account with team access
• Defined project goals and tasks
• Task properties: status, priority, due date
• Workflow preference: Kanban, Table, Calendar, or Timeline

Creating a new Notion page for the project

Begin by creating a new page in your workspace dedicated to your project. Name it clearly to avoid confusion down the line.

Choose a blank page or a project template if available, but blank pages give more flexibility to customize your board. If that sounds like your situation, read up on managing files for research workshops next.

Set the page icon and cover to visually distinguish your project, which helps especially when managing multiple projects.

Naming your project page consistently with other projects in your workspace aids future searching and filtering. For example, prefix project pages with the year or department code: '2024-Q2 Website Redesign.'

If you use templates, check if they include default properties or views that fit your workflow. Some templates come with preconfigured Kanban boards or timelines that save setup time, but they might include unused fields you should remove to avoid clutter. The other half of this decision is compare asana and notion.

1. Click 'New Page' in Notion workspace.
2. Enter the project name as the page title.
3. Select 'Empty with icon' for a clean slate.
4. Add an icon and cover related to the project theme.

Adding and configuring the appropriate database view

Add a database to your project page to manage tasks. Notion allows Table, Board (Kanban), List, Calendar, and Timeline views.

Kanban is popular for visual task movement between stages like 'To Do,' 'In Progress,' and 'Done.' Table view offers detailed task properties in rows and columns.

You can add multiple views to the same database, each showing tasks differently. This lets team members pick how to work best. It helps to understand tracking emails across boards before going further.

Configuring your database also means deciding on filters that show only active tasks or specific team members' work. For example, you can filter out completed tasks to keep the board focused on pending work.

Consider using Groups in Board view by the Status property to visualize task progress clearly. This way, columns correspond to stages, making the Kanban view intuitive for quick updates.

1. Insert a database using the '/table' or '/board' command on the project page.
2. Set up the initial columns or statuses for your workflow stages.
3. Create additional views by clicking 'Add a View' and selecting Calendar or Timeline as needed.
4. Configure filters and sorts to show only relevant tasks in each view.

Setting up task tracking with status, priority, and due dates

To track tasks effectively, add properties like Status (select), Priority (select or number), and Due Date (date) to your database.

Status helps visualize progress; use clear labels that fit your workflow, such as 'Backlog,' 'In Progress,' and 'Review.'

Priority flags critical tasks, guiding what needs urgent attention. Due Dates keep your project on schedule and feed into calendar and timeline views.

You can add a 'Tags' property for task categories or departments, which helps with filtering and reporting. For instance, label tasks as 'Design,' 'Development,' or 'QA' to segment your workflow.

Set reminders on Due Dates to notify you or team members before deadlines approach. Notion can send these reminders via app notifications or email, reducing missed or late tasks.

For Priority, use a numbered system (1 to 3) if you want to sort tasks automatically. A task with Priority 1 will appear before Priority 3 in sorted views, giving a clear order to your workload.

1. Click 'Add a Property' in your database.
2. Choose 'Select' for Status and Priority properties.
3. Create options for Status (e.g., To Do, Doing, Done).
4. Add a 'Date' property for Due Date.
5. Set default values or leave blank to fill per task.

Creating a timeline or calendar view for the project

Adding a timeline or calendar view lets you monitor deadlines and project milestones visually over time.

The Timeline view requires a Start Date and optional End Date per task, showing tasks as bars across a stretch of time.

The Calendar view plots tasks on their due dates, good for spotting deadline clusters or gaps in scheduling.

Both views update dynamically when task dates or statuses change, keeping everyone on the same page.

Timeline view works best with tasks that span multiple days or weeks. For example, a task like 'Develop feature X' might run from June 1 to June 14, appearing as a bar stretching across those dates.

Calendar view suits tasks with a specific due date or events such as meetings. It’s less effective for extended tasks without a clear deadline, which can clutter the calendar.

Adjusting the zoom level in Timeline view helps focus on daily details or see the whole project span at a glance. Zoom out for an overview or zoom in for daily task management.

1. Click 'Add a View' and select 'Timeline' or 'Calendar.'
2. For Timeline, assign Start and End Date properties to tasks.
3. For Calendar, link the view to a single Due Date property.
4. Adjust zoom levels and filters to focus on weeks or months.

Linking the project board to a shared team workspace

To make your project board effective for remote or hybrid teams, share it within a common workspace where everyone has access.

Notion lets you set permissions per page or database: view only, comment, or full edit rights.

Embedding project boards inside a central workspace links them to meeting notes, department plans, or company goals, reducing chat noise.

You can also use Notion’s @mentions and comments for asynchronous task discussions inside the board.

Set permissions carefully to avoid accidental edits. For example, stakeholders might only need 'View' access, while project managers get 'Edit' rights.

Using comments inside tasks allows team members to ask questions or update progress without external emails. This keeps communication tied directly to the relevant task.

Regularly check your shared workspace permissions. If a team member leaves or joins mid-project, update their access to keep data secure and collaboration smooth.

1. Click 'Share' on the project page and toggle 'Share to workspace.'
2. Set team member permissions suitable to their roles.
3. Add the project board link to relevant workspace hubs or sidebar.
4. Encourage team members to comment and update tasks directly.

Questions people still ask

I've built multiple project boards in Notion with real teams and seen what setups actually improve productivity.