squared away / file 01

from spreadsheet stand-ups to a single source of truth

I piloted and rolled out ClickUp across a 200-person agency, replacing scattered emails and a hand-dragged Excel board with one system everyone could see.

roleteamtimelinetools
Pilot lead, system architect, and trainer 200+ people across every department July 2025 pilot → December 2025 rollout ClickUp, replacing Workamajig + Excel
200+people moved into one system
600+projects migrated across 450+ clients
~2 hrsof meetings saved per person, per week
01 · the challenge

what was broken

Yes& ran projects on Workamajig, which had no real task management or team communication. So the work lived everywhere else: statuses traded over Teams and email, and an Excel kanban board we dragged cell by cell every morning at stand-up.

Deadlines slipped, items fell through the cracks, and no one could say for sure who owned what.

02 · my role

where I came in

I'd used ClickUp at my previous agency and had been pushing for a better task management tool. When Yes& acquired a team already using ClickUp, I proposed keeping their account and piloting it for the whole agency, instead of migrating them onto a system that wasn't working for us either. I was asked to lead it, from the pilot and workspace architecture to training and change management.

03 · the approach

how I squared it away

the structure
Spaces
Crimson
Cobalt
Emerald
Saffron
▸ ACME · Acme Co.
▾ NORTH · Northwind Health
☰ NORTH admin + non-billable
☰ NORTH-0016 Brand refresh
☰ NORTH-0017 Annual report
▸ BLUE · Bluebird Bank
Slate
Tangerine
space = workstreamfolder = clientlist = project
the template every project starts from
R1first round
  1. 01Develop
  2. 02Internal review
  3. 03Internal edits
  4. 04Internal approval + client delivery
  5. 05Client presentation
  6. 06Client review
R2second round
  1. 01Client edits
  2. 02Internal review
  3. 03Internal edits
  4. 04Internal approval + client delivery
  5. 05Client presentation
  6. 06Client approval
FINALwrap
  1. 01Client tweaks
  2. 02Internal QC + approval
  3. 03Export to trafficking folder
  4. 04Share final files
one template, every project, every client

  • Built a structure people would recognize. Workstream, then client, then project, with our old Excel and Smartsheet schedules rebuilt as templates. New tool, familiar shape.

  • Tested before committing. I piloted on my own accounts, trialed several status workflows, and built custom setups for business development, HR and operations.

  • Treated adoption as the real project. After past tools that didn't stick, the message had to be clear: this one is staying. Group trainings, one-on-ones, office hours, refreshers that continue today, and direct follow-up when procedures slipped.

  • Listened, then adjusted. Pulse surveys in the first months showed what was working, and I tuned the setup around what people actually used.

04 · the outcome

what changed

  • About 2 fewer hours a week in meetings for the average person, because statuses live in ClickUp instead of in conversations.

  • Fewer dropped balls. Every task has an owner, a status, and a due date in one place.

  • Resourcing lives in ClickUp too. For the first time, everyone can see their weekly hours by project, client and workstream.

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Federal Agency Campaign

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