> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://notionsolutions.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Notion Project Management: Set Up Projects and Tasks That Hold Up - URL: https://notionsolutions.net/notion-project-management/ - Published: 2026-10-30T10:17:26.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T10:36:30.000Z - Description: Notion works well for project management when you build two related databases, Projects and Tasks, with a few views. It fits freelancers, agencies and small teams; skip it if you need workload planning, a built-in timer or critical-path scheduling. See the build, plan limits and a 17-point check. - Author: Kevin Turner - Tags: guide, Notion task workflows **Notion works well for project management when you build it as two related databases, Projects and Tasks, each with a few views. It fits freelancers, agencies and small teams who want plans, briefs and tasks in one place. It's the wrong pick if you need workload planning, a built-in timer or critical-path scheduling.** I'd start from Notion's own Projects & tasks template and add one piece at a time, because every property you add is one more field someone has to keep filling in. For a solo freelancer who mostly needs a task list, the To-do list template is enough. For a studio or small team running several client projects at once, choose Projects & tasks. For a product team that already plans in sprints, choose Projects, tasks & sprints. If you bill every task by the hour or balance people's capacity week by week, read [when another tool fits better](#something-else) before you build anything. ## Pick the starting template [Notion's projects and tasks guide](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/getting-started-with-projects-and-tasks?ref=notionsolutions.net) lists three built-in project management templates and says the Projects and tasks template is only available in the Notion app, where you add it from Templates in the sidebar. Whichever one you start with, you can add properties later. Pick by how many databases you want on day one. __Notion's three built-in project templates__ | Template | What it creates | Who it fits | | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | To-do list | One database for creating, organizing and tracking tasks. | A solo freelancer, or a one-off project you want to keep minimal. | | Projects & tasks | Two separate databases related to each other, so every task belongs to a project and moves its progress bar. | My default for client work and small teams. | | Projects, tasks & sprints | The same two databases plus time-boxed sprints. | Product and engineering teams that already work in sprints. | Client work adds one layer above Projects: a Clients database. [The client project tracker build](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-client-project-tracker-template/) walks through that Clients, Projects and Tasks chain, so this guide stays with the two databases every setup shares. ## Build the two databases Whether you start from the template or a blank page, check each piece below and keep the property names Notion uses, so its help pages still match your screen. 1. **Projects.** Status, an owner (a Person property), start and end dates, Priority, a Tasks relation and a completion rollup. Notion's [three key databases guide](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/three-key-databases-for-teams-and-how-to-use-them?ref=notionsolutions.net) builds that rollup on the Tasks relation's status with "Calculate percent per group" set to complete, then shows it as a progress bar. 2. **Tasks.** Assignee, a due date, Status and a Project relation. Notion's guide states the rule plainly: one project can have many tasks, but each task should only relate to a single project. I'd hold that line, because a task linked to two projects counts toward two progress bars. 3. **Status for progress.** The [Status property guide](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/status-property-gives-clarity-on-tasks?ref=notionsolutions.net) fixes three groups, To-do, In Progress and Complete, and lets you add your own stages inside them; with a Select, anyone can type a new option without noticing a similar one already exists. Notion's managers guide tracks status with a Select, and that works when a team agrees on its options. I'd still use Status, and [Status vs Select for project tracking](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-status-vs-select-project-tracking/) covers the full trade-off. 4. **Turn Tasks into a task database.** Open the settings menu at the top of the database, select More settings, then Turn into Tasks, map the status, assignee and due date properties and select Turn into task database. [Notion's task database help](https://www.notion.com/help/sprints?ref=notionsolutions.net) says your assigned tasks then appear in My tasks, a widget inside Home that tracks your tasks across all task databases. 5. **An ID, if people refer to tasks by number.** Click + at the far right of the database, select ID, then Add ID prefix. A task numbered TASK-123 opens at notion.so/TASK-123, and those URLs only work when the ID has a prefix. If relations and rollups are new to you, [the relations and rollups walkthrough](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-relations-and-rollups/) builds both from scratch. [Relation vs rollup](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-relation-vs-rollup/) answers the narrower question of which one a given field needs. [![Projects database with status, owner, dates, priority, tasks relation and a completion progress bar, linked to a Tasks database with assignee, due date, status and project relation, with starter views listed under each and tasks feeding My tasks on Home](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5c/30/5c30c46b-86a3-4d20-984f-4f6ae8ad1ed2/content/images/2026/10/notion-project-management-two-databases.webp)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5c/30/5c30c46b-86a3-4d20-984f-4f6ae8ad1ed2/content/images/2026/10/notion-project-management-two-databases.webp?ref=notionsolutions.net) Two databases and one relation: each task belongs to one project, and the project's progress bar counts its finished tasks. ## Set up the views that do the daily work Each view should answer one question. The Projects & tasks template already ships with the ones I'd keep, four in Projects: - **Active:** a board that hides every project not marked Planning or In progress. - **Mine:** filtered to "Me", so it shows the projects of whoever is looking. - **All:** a table for bulk edits and a full read of every property. - **Timeline:** projects by start and end date. Notion's guide uses it to see where commitments overlap and judge whether the team has room for a new project. Three more sit in Tasks: - **By project:** tasks split by their parent project. - **Mine:** tasks assigned to "Me". - **People:** tasks arranged by assignee, which gives a manager everyone's list on one screen. A timeline only plots items that have dates. Notion's [timeline help](https://www.notion.com/help/timelines?ref=notionsolutions.net) asks for a date property holding a range, or separate start and end properties chosen under Layout, then Show timeline by. A board groups its cards by a Status property by default when the database has one, as the [board help page](https://www.notion.com/help/boards?ref=notionsolutions.net) notes. That board is one view of the same tasks, and [the Notion kanban board guide](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-kanban-board/) handles columns, cards and WIP limits. For anything beyond these starters, [choosing a database view](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-database-views-for-client-work/) matches each layout to the question it answers. If a Mine view drops tasks you expected, [tasks missing from a filtered view](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-filtered-view-missing-tasks/) traces the filter rule that hides them. ## Break big tasks down Notion's [sub-tasks and dependencies guide](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/tasks-manageable-steps-sub-tasks-dependencies?ref=notionsolutions.net) suggests reaching for sub-tasks once a tasks database passes about 50 rows. I read that as Notion's hint, not a threshold. I'd split a task when it holds more than one person's work or more than one handoff, because that's where a single status stops telling the truth. - **Sub-items.** Open the database settings, select More settings, then Sub-items, Turn on sub-items. In tables, lists and timelines you can show them nested in toggles or as a flattened list. Deleting a parent deletes all of its sub-items, so move the ones you want to keep first. - **Dependencies.** In a timeline, hover over a task and drag the arrow on its right side to the task it depends on. The dependency shows only in timeline views, and the [tasks and dependencies help page](https://www.notion.com/help/tasks-and-dependencies?ref=notionsolutions.net) lists three date-shifting modes: Shift only when dates overlap, Shift & maintain time between items, and Do not automatically shift, plus an Avoid weekends toggle. When a blocked task refuses to move, check the shift mode first; [dependencies not shifting dates](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-dependencies-not-shifting-dates/) goes through each one. For a simple next-step chain without timeline dates, [a self-relation with Next and Previous](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-self-relation-next-previous/) is lighter. Charts can leave sub-items out until the database shows them as a flattened list, which [the chart and sub-items fix](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-chart-missing-subitems/) walks through. ## Connect meetings and docs to projects Projects and Tasks hold the plan. The reasons behind it sit in briefs and call notes, and that's the part Notion handles well, because a related database puts them on the project page. The three key databases guide names Meeting Notes, Docs and Tasks & Projects as the three key databases for teams. A consultant writing as LearnChangeDo settles on four in [a minimalist Notion project system](https://medium.com/@LearnChangeDo/the-minimalist-approach-to-creating-a-complete-project-management-system-in-notion-that-actually-2165bdf29daf?ref=notionsolutions.net): Projects, Tasks, Meeting Notes and Resources. I'd [add Meeting Notes first](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-meeting-notes/) and relate it to Projects. Decisions and action items from client calls then land on the project page, where the next person working on it will look. Docs or Resources can wait until someone asks where a file went. The same consultant names a pattern the Complex System Paradox: "The more features a team requested, the less likely they were to use them over time." That's the case for building slowly. Add a database when the team keeps asking a question the current setup can't answer, and use [when to split or merge databases](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-database-organization/) to make that call. For a small team, Notion's [project management migration guide](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/migrating-to-notion-for-project-management?ref=notionsolutions.net) recommends one general teamspace holding the tasks, projects, docs and meetings databases. Database templates keep new pages consistent. Click the dropdown arrow next to New at the top right of the database and select + New template; one for a project brief and one for meeting notes cover most teams. The [database templates page](https://www.notion.com/help/database-templates?ref=notionsolutions.net) warns against filling in a relation inside a template unless every new page should link to the same page. If new tasks already land on one client, [why every new task links to the same client](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-template-same-relation/) finds the template value behind it. To put a filtered copy of Tasks or Meeting Notes on any page, type "/" and choose Linked view of database. ## Automate the repetitive parts Notion's [project management automations guide](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/create-streamlined-project-management-workflow-using-database-automations?ref=notionsolutions.net) documents two examples worth copying: - **New task flow** in Tasks: + Add trigger, then + Page added; the actions give the new page the status Not Started, assign a team member and send a Slack notification. - **Project kickoff** in Projects: when a project's status changes from Not started to Planning, Add page to creates a Project Kickoff page in the meeting notes database, tags the team, sets the meeting date to Today and notifies the project manager. Buttons cover the deliberate one-click version. The migration guide describes a button that adds a task, assigns it to a team member and gives it a status in one click. Recurring work belongs to repeating database templates, which create a copy of a template daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. Your plan decides which of these you can build. [Notion's pricing table](https://www.notion.com/pricing?ref=notionsolutions.net) lists automations on Free as basic, buttons only, and custom database automations from Plus. The [database automations help page](https://www.notion.com/help/database-automations?ref=notionsolutions.net) adds two behaviors that catch people: automations won't act on pages whose access is restricted, and an automation can't trigger another automation, though a button can. Repeating templates fall under that rule too, which [why a repeating template doesn't trigger your automation](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-recurring-template-not-triggering-automation/) explains. Before you write one, settle the trigger, the action and the exception; [the trigger, action and exception method](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-automations-trigger-action-exception/) gives you that checklist. [Buttons vs database automations](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-buttons-vs-automations/) decides which one a step needs. For repeating work, [recurring tasks in Notion](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-recurring-tasks/) separates calendar repeats from repeat-after-completion. ## Decide who sees what Everyone in a teamspace can open the Projects and Tasks databases you add there, so your own team needs no extra sharing. Contractors and clients come in as guests. Notion's [sharing and permissions help](https://www.notion.com/help/sharing-and-permissions?ref=notionsolutions.net) says a guest needs their own Notion account, and anyone using one of your organization's email domains joins as a member instead. The plan sets the guest count: Free lists 10 external guests, and Plus and above list unlimited guests. Guests only reach the individual pages they're invited to. That's why I'd keep clients out of the internal Tasks database below Business and give each client a page built the way [client portal permissions](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-client-portal-permissions/) describes. On Business and Enterprise, database page-level access limits people to their own rows. Open the source database rather than a linked view, select Share, then under Page-level access choose Add a new rule and pick a Person or Created by property. People who reach the database only through such a rule can't create new pages in it, so give them a form for requests. Notion applies the broadest access a person has, so check the rest of the Share menu as well. Hiding columns is a separate control. [Property access](https://www.notion.com/help/database-property-access?ref=notionsolutions.net), also on Business and Enterprise, decides which properties people can see and change. If a client says a property is missing, [a client who can't see a database property](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-client-cannot-see-database-property/) starts with column access. Whether a collaborator should be a guest at all is its own decision, covered in [guest vs member in Notion](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-guest-vs-member/). ## Report progress The completion rollup already gives each project a progress bar. For more, Notion's [charts help](https://www.notion.com/help/charts?ref=notionsolutions.net) offers vertical bar, horizontal bar, line, donut and number charts. Members on Free can try one chart, and paid plans get unlimited charts. A chart shows up to 200 groups and 50 subgroups at a time, and you can't edit entries from a chart view. A dashboard view, added with + Add a view and then Dashboard in the view picker, arranges charts, tables, boards, calendars and timelines in one layout with global filters. On Free, I'd spend the one chart on open tasks grouped by assignee, because it shows at a glance who's carrying the most work. [The project dashboard and weekly review](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-project-dashboard-weekly-review/) turns these views into a weekly routine. If a progress bar sits at zero while tasks are done, [a rollup that isn't working](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-rollup-not-working/) lists the empty and missing values to check. ## Add sprints only if you ship in sprints Sprints need a task database first. Open its settings menu, select More settings, then Sprints, then Turn on sprints. The sprints help page says that creates a Sprint board with Current Sprint, Sprint planning and Backlog views, plus a Sprints database with a Timeline. Sprints run for one to eight weeks, and Complete sprint asks whether unfinished tasks move to the next sprint, go to the backlog or stay put. Turning sprints off permanently deletes the sprints database, the sprint board and the task-to-sprint relations, so don't switch it on just to look around in a live workspace. For client work billed by deliverable, I'd leave sprints off; the project dates already carry the schedule. ## Capability test: 17 project-management requirements This test takes the requirements project tools are usually judged on and checks each one against Notion's help pages and pricing table. Native means Notion ships it. Build with properties means you assemble it from databases, relations and views. Not available means Notion doesn't ship it, so you'd need a workaround or another tool. [![Seventeen project-management requirements sorted into twelve native, two built with properties and three not available, with plan tags on automations, charts, guests, per-record permissions and forms](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5c/30/5c30c46b-86a3-4d20-984f-4f6ae8ad1ed2/content/images/2026/10/notion-project-management-requirements-check.webp)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5c/30/5c30c46b-86a3-4d20-984f-4f6ae8ad1ed2/content/images/2026/10/notion-project-management-requirements-check.webp?ref=notionsolutions.net) Twelve of 17 requirements are native, two take a little building, and three need another tool or a workaround. __Notion against 17 project-management requirements__ | Requirement | Result | Plan | What Notion documents | | ------------------------------- | --------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Task owner, due date and status | Native | No plan note | A [task database](https://www.notion.com/help/sprints?ref=notionsolutions.net) requires status, assignee and due date properties. | | Sub-tasks | Native | All plans, Free included | Sub-items in the same database, per the [tasks and dependencies help](https://www.notion.com/help/tasks-and-dependencies?ref=notionsolutions.net). | | Dependencies with date shifting | Native | All plans, Free included | Three [shift modes](https://www.notion.com/help/tasks-and-dependencies?ref=notionsolutions.net) plus Avoid weekends. | | Timeline (Gantt-style) view | Native | No plan note | Notion's [views guide](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/when-to-use-each-type-of-database-view?ref=notionsolutions.net) calls the timeline a Gantt chart; items need start and end dates. | | Kanban board | Native | No plan note | A [board](https://www.notion.com/help/boards?ref=notionsolutions.net) groups by Status by default. | | Recurring tasks | Native | No plan note | [Repeating database templates](https://www.notion.com/help/database-templates?ref=notionsolutions.net) repeat daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. | | Automations | Native | Free: buttons only; database automations from Plus | Triggers include Page added, Property edited and a recurring schedule, per the [automations help](https://www.notion.com/help/database-automations?ref=notionsolutions.net). | | Progress and reporting | Native | Free: one chart; paid: unlimited | Progress bar rollups, [charts and a dashboard view](https://www.notion.com/help/charts?ref=notionsolutions.net). | | Client and contractor access | Native | Free: 10 external guests; Plus and up: unlimited | Guests per the [pricing table](https://www.notion.com/pricing?ref=notionsolutions.net); each guest needs a Notion account. | | Per-record permissions | Native | Business and Enterprise | Database [page-level access](https://www.notion.com/help/sharing-and-permissions?ref=notionsolutions.net) through a Person or Created by property. | | Intake forms | Native | Basic on Free, custom on Plus, conditional logic on Business and Enterprise | Each [form question maps to a database property](https://www.notion.com/help/forms?ref=notionsolutions.net). | | Sprints | Native | No plan note | Sprint board and Sprints database from the [sprints help](https://www.notion.com/help/sprints?ref=notionsolutions.net). | | Milestones | Build with properties | Any plan | No milestone type; the [views help](https://www.notion.com/help/views-filters-and-sorts?ref=notionsolutions.net) uses a timeline to plot project milestones. | | Portfolio across projects | Build with properties | Any plan | The [migration guide](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/migrating-to-notion-for-project-management?ref=notionsolutions.net) adds a goals or portfolio database related to Projects. | | Workload and capacity planning | Not available | None | No built-in workload view; Notion's [managers guide](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/managers-view-what-everyones-working-on?ref=notionsolutions.net) uses a board grouped by project owner instead. | | Time tracking timer | Not available | None | No built-in timer; hours need a time-entries database you build. | | Critical path and baselines | Not available | None | No built-in critical path or baseline. A second date property can hold the original plan. | **Composite result: 12 of 17 requirements are native, 2 can be built with properties and 3 are missing.** Two of the native items need a paid plan for their core function: database automations start on Plus and page-level access on Business. Three more work on Free with a cap: one chart, 10 external guests and basic forms. That leaves 10 of 17 working natively on Free, 3 of them capped. ### Which "Notion can't do that" claims are out of date Some published lists of Notion's project-management limits predate its current features. Here's where six of them stand. __Common claims about Notion's project-management limits, compared with its documentation__ | Claim | Status | What changed | | ------------------------- | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | No dependency view | Out of date | Dependencies show on the timeline with three [date-shifting modes](https://www.notion.com/help/tasks-and-dependencies?ref=notionsolutions.net). | | No built-in reporting | Out of date | Progress bar rollups, five [chart types and a dashboard view](https://www.notion.com/help/charts?ref=notionsolutions.net). | | No communication features | Out of date | Comments on a page or a block, with mentions, per Notion's [evolving project management guide](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/project-management-that-evolves-with-your-team?ref=notionsolutions.net). | | No milestones | Partly true | No milestone type, but the [timeline plots project milestones](https://www.notion.com/help/views-filters-and-sorts?ref=notionsolutions.net). | | No portfolio view | Partly true | No portfolio object; an extra database [related to Projects](https://www.notion.com/help/guides/migrating-to-notion-for-project-management?ref=notionsolutions.net) does the job. | | No time tracking | Still true | No built-in timer; hours are a database you build. | Of the six claims, three are out of date, two are partly true and one still holds. Capterra's [summary of its Notion reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/186596/Notion/?ref=notionsolutions.net) points the same way. Reviewers appreciate the flexibility to assign, track and organize tasks, while some mention the lack of automation and native calendar integration compared with dedicated task tools. Others note that setup can be manual and wish for more intuitive built-in progress tracking, and some want more automated reminders. Both complaints fit the test above: automations exist, but database automations start on Plus, and every report is something you set up yourself. ## When another tool fits better The three missing rows are the real deal-breakers. If every task needs a running timer, a workload view or a critical path, a project tool that ships those will cost you less effort than rebuilding them in databases. Hours are the one gap with a reasonable workaround, which [logging time in Notion](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-time-tracking/) builds with a time-entries database and Start and Stop buttons. Task-led client work, where nobody needs a project page behind the tasks, is the ClickUp question. [Notion vs ClickUp for client work](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-vs-clickup-client-workflow/) compares the two workflows. Trello fits work that moves as cards across one board. [Notion vs Trello](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-vs-trello/) weighs that simpler board against a database that also holds briefs and notes. When several people maintain linked client data through forms and tailored editing screens, [Notion vs Airtable for a client database](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-vs-airtable-client-database/) makes the case for a database-first tool. Asana suits dated deliverables with owners and handoffs, and [Notion vs Asana for small teams](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-vs-asana/) compares client guests, seats and timelines. Coda, now Superhuman Docs, suits a team where one or two builders set up tables and automations that everyone else fills in; [Notion vs Coda](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-vs-coda/) covers that split. ## My verdict Run projects in Notion if you're a freelancer, consultant or small team whose projects come with briefs, call notes and client pages. A project page that holds the brief, the notes and the tasks together is the reason to choose it. Skip it if you'll need a timer, a workload view or a critical path within the first month. The minimum setup I'd start with: - The Projects & tasks template, added from Templates in the sidebar. - Status on both databases and one project per task. - Tasks turned into a task database, so everyone's work shows in My tasks. - Four views: Projects Active, Projects Timeline, Tasks Mine and Tasks By project. After a month, add a Meeting Notes database related to Projects. By then you'll know which decisions keep getting lost, and that's what the notes are for. Then look at the plan: if you need database automations, Plus is the first plan that lists them, and if clients should see only their own rows, page-level access means Business. One more Free limit matters for teams: the pricing table lists pages and blocks as unlimited for individuals but limited for workspaces with 2 or more members. ## Questions the setup leaves open ### Can I import my projects from Asana or another tool? Yes for Asana, which has an importer. Notion's migration guide says projects from any other project management tool have to be moved by hand, so rebuild them in the Projects and Tasks databases the template creates. ### Does Notion connect to GitHub for issue tracking? Yes. The migration guide says the Projects, tasks & sprints template includes a unique ID for each task and a GitHub connection for linking pull requests to tasks. ### Can Notion AI run part of the project for me? Notion's pricing lists a trial of Notion AI on Free and Plus and adds Notion Agent and AI Meeting Notes on Business, and [the Notion AI review for small teams](https://notionsolutions.net/notion-ai-review-small-teams/) sorts out which capability does which job.