# Projects How-to Guide
## Introduction
Projects in Motion give structure and clarity to your team’s work. Whether you’re building repeatable workflows, launching one-off initiatives, or adapting on the fly, projects help you organize tasks, track progress, and keep everyone aligned. With templates, stages, and blockers, Motion makes it simple to set up and manage projects that fit your exact needs.
#### At a Glance
In this guide, you’ll learn how to:
* Build a Project Workflow Template (PWT) for repeatable processes
* Add and remove ad hoc stages as your project evolves
* Assign and reassign tasks within a project
* Duplicate projects to save time and reuse structures
* Create a project from scratch for one-off initiatives
* Build a regular project template for quick setup
* Set up blockers to manage dependencies
* Track project progress through stages and statuses
* Share projects with other teams
***
## Craft a Project Workflow Template (PWT)
How to create a template
A Project Workflow Template is where you lay out the nuts and bolts of your process. Think of it as designing the *instructions* Motion will follow every time you launch this type of project. At the end of this step, you’ll have a reusable project template you can launch again and again.
1. Click the **+ New** button then choose **New Project**.
2. Select **New Project Workflow Template** (want to dig deeper? \[Read more here])
3. Select which workspace you want this PWT to live in — think of it as the project's home base. (Read more about why this matters)
4. Write a short description of your project. Motion AI will **create a draft starter workflow** for you **review and edit.**\
\&#xNAN;*Ex. "I am building a project to launch a marketing campaign for our summer collection. The main channel is digital marketing, primarily SEO and SEM."*
5. Add any files, briefs, or references that can give Motion more context about your project or process. The more Motion knows, the smarter the draft.
6. Click **Generate & Preview** and watch Motion bring your project outline to life — drafted with stages, tasks, and structure based on your description. You’ll see it all laid out and ready to edit before saving.”
Let's move to the next step to learn what was generated.
{% hint style="info" %}
**💡 Pro tip**: When writing your project description, include the repeatable stages and example tasks you want Motion to capture. The more detail you give, the better your draft will match your real-world process. Don't be afraid to experiment with different descriptions!
{% endhint %}
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl5yhd3esgq39ozs8svyc1k" url="" %}
### Explore template window
How to explore your template window
**The left sidebar (Template info)**
* **Template details** → Name, description, labels, color, and folder. This is where you give your template an identity.
* **Project defaults** → Set priority, roles, and text variables. These defaults carry into every project you launch from this template.
* **Roles** → Assign placeholder roles (like *Marketing Manager* or *SEO Specialist*) so Motion knows who owns which tasks. When you launch the template, these roles can be mapped to real teammates.
**The main canvas (Stages + Tasks)**
* **Stages** → These are the big phases of your project (e.g., Planning, Content Creation, Launch). Think of them as milestones that keep the whole project moving forward. Each stage groups related tasks together so you can track progress step by step.
* **Tasks** → Inside each stage, you’ll add the actual pieces of work to complete. Each task can have owners, deadlines, dependencies, and labels.
The next step we will learn how to edit each stage and task.
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl6548oesks39ozjy10uh87" url="" %}
### Edit tasks and stages
How to editing tasks and stages
This is where you shape the actual flow of your project — the stages, tasks, and dependencies that make your process run smoothly. Think of it as building the skeleton your future projects will follow.
At the end of this step, you’ll have a complete project blueprint: stages as milestones, tasks as building blocks, and owners in place — ready to reuse for every project of this type.
1. **Add stages to your workflow (milestones):** Click **+ Create New Stage** and name the main phases of your process (e.g., *Planning, Content Creation, Launch*).
2. **Create tasks within each stage (building blocks):** Click **+ Task** under a stage and enter the work items you want to include. Your workflow is now breaking big goals into bite-sized steps.
3. **Update task details:** Click **Edit** to open a new window with all the task details. Adjust the task name, duration, priority, role/assignee, dependencies, or labels.
4. **Assign owners:** Use the **Assignee** field to designate who’s responsible for each task. Every task now has an owner — no more “who’s doing this?” confusion.
5. **Placeholder roles:** Instead of assigning a specific teammate, you can assign a role (like Marketing manager or Designer). Roles act as placeholders in your template.
6. **Add relative start dates and deadlines:** Enter deadlines for tasks or stages where timing is critical. Motion will respect these constraints when scheduling.
7. **Expected duration:** Every stage and task has an expected duration field, this tells Motion how long you think the work should take. Start with rough estimates — you can always refine later. Motion adapts as you adjust, and updates apply to future and unvisited stages.
8. **Stages duration** is the total time you expect the whole stage to space (e.g. Planning takes 1 week).
9. **Tasks duration** is how much time a single task should take (e.g. Draft ad copy takes 2 hours).
10. **Set dependencies:** Link tasks together by clicking **Blocked by** so one task can’t start until another is complete. Motion understands task order and won’t schedule work out of sequence.
11. **Review your structure:** Look over your stages, tasks, owners, and dependencies to confirm they reflect your real-world process. You’ve just transformed your workflow from messy notes into a repeatable machine.
{% hint style="info" %}
💡 **Pro tip:** Start simple. You can always refine stages, tasks, and roles later, and every new project launched from this template will benefit automatically.
{% endhint %}
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl6cxveesy039oz9pwwx49k" url="" %}
### Add ad-hoc stages
How to add an ad-hoc stage to your project
1. Navigate to your project within Motion that you wish to add an Ad-Hoc Stage.
2. Choose to insert an Ad-Hoc Stage between existing stages.
3. Create and name your new project stage.
1. Optional: You can adjust the color of this stage by selecting the arrow icon to the left of the stage name.
4. Once your stage name and duration have been set, select 'Create New Stage' to proceed.
5. You will be prompted to confirm the changes being made to your project and the disconnect from the workflow template this project was created from (this is intentional).
6. Once the stage has been added to your project, adjust the stage details and settings as required. Then, add tasks to your newly created Ad-Hoc Stage and you are good to go!
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl73uzrev0639oz4sej3es5" url="" %}
### Assign and reassign tasks
How to assign and reassign tasks
1. Open your project and navigate to the task you want to assign.
2. In the task card, click on the **Assignee** field.
3. Select a team member from the dropdown list. The task will now appear on their calendar and agenda.
4. To reassign, simply repeat the step and choose a different team member. Motion will automatically update schedules to reflect the change.
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl7nyo9evna39oz949sngyr" url="" %}
### Use placeholders
How to use placeholders
Placeholders let you set up your project structure before you know exactly who will own each task.
1. When building your project template, assign tasks to a **placeholder role** instead of a specific person (e.g., *Designer*, *Reviewer*, *PM*).
2. Save your project template with placeholders intact.
3. When you create a new project from that template, Motion will prompt you to map each placeholder to a real team member.
1. For example, you can map *Designer* to Sarah, *Reviewer* to Alex, and *PM* to Brian.
2. You can also assign multiple placeholders to the same person if needed.
4. Once mapped, Motion will auto-assign all placeholder tasks to the chosen team members across the entire project.
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl7shn1evt839oz20j55irt" url="" %}
### Save and reuse
How to save and reuse
Once your workflow looks right, it’s time to lock it in for future projects.
1. Hit the **Save** button in the bottom-right corner.
2. A confirmation window appears: *“Your project workflow template has been created!”* You can choose to immediately **Create project with this template** or click **Ok got it** to keep it ready for later.
Think of it like this:
* **New projects** → always use the latest version of your template.
* **Active projects** → any stage you haven’t started yet will automatically get the updated structure, tasks, or assignments.
That means you don’t just save time up front — your workflows stay flexible and can evolve with your process, even mid-project.
{% hint style="info" %}
💡 **Pro tip:** You can always revisit your template later to make updates. Any improvements you add will carry forward into **every new project** you create from the template. Even better — if you already have **active projects** running, changes will also apply to any **unvisited stages** (stages that haven’t started yet).
{% endhint %}
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl8gbydex1q39ozywbfc9md" url="" %}
## How to build a project from scratch
How to Build a Project From Scratch
1. To begin building your project, select the ***+ New*** button located in the upper left-hand corner of your Motion homepage. This will produce the project creation modal.
2. Next, select the ‘*New Project' option from the list of actions.*
3. *Then select 'Create Project From Scratch' in the project creation modal.*
4. Customize your project settings: project name, workspace, assignee, start date/deadline, etc.
5. Once you have added your preferred settings, be sure to save your project. Upon saving you can begin adding tasks to your project.
6. To add a task to your project, you can either select the + sign located in the upper right-hand corner of the project modal, or select **+ New** from the right-hand side of the project modal.
7. Once you have added your project tasks, you will be presented with the option to add stages to your project. (Note: Stages will operate as milestones for your project, equipped with their own deadlines)
8. You can always access/edit your project again by selecting the **Projects and Tasks** tab or by navigating to the specific Workspace your project was created in.
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl8kc0pexcs39oz6ika8d9c" url="" %}
## Build a regular project template
How to Build a Regular Project Template
1. To begin building your project, select the ***+ New*** button located in the upper left-hand corner of your Motion homepage. This will produce the project creation modal.
2. Next, select the **New Project** *option from the list of actions.*
3. Select ***+ New Regular Template*** located at the base of the project creation area and then select the specific Workspace you would like to create this project template in.
4. From here simply, title your project, add a description, select the project status, project priority level, and add any labels (if applicable).
5. Finally, you’ll need to name your project template in the lower left-hand corner of the project template modal; then select ***Create Template*** to save your Regular Template.
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl90r0xeykp39oze7ajopvo" url="" %}
### Project management actions
How to set blockers in Projects
Sometimes tasks hit a wall — maybe you’re waiting on a review, data from another team, or a dependency that isn’t finished yet. In Motion, you can mark a task as **Blocked** to make that clear.
* Blocked tasks stand out visually, so the team knows where attention is needed.
* They don’t disappear — they remain in the project until unblocked.
* Using blockers ensures nothing stalls silently in the background.
{% hint style="info" %}
💡 **Pro tip:** Treat blockers as signals, not setbacks. The sooner you mark something as blocked, the faster your team can resolve it.
{% endhint %}
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl9gabvez4939ozxf6tj5sv" url="" %}
### Track project progress
How to Track Project Progress
1. **Open your Project**\
Navigate to your workspace and select the project you want to review.
2. **Use Stages for Progress Visibility**
1. Each project is broken into **stages** (e.g., Research, Design, Launch).
2. You can quickly see how many tasks are completed, in progress, or overdue within each stage.
3. **Check Task Statuses**
1. Tasks update automatically as team members mark them *Todo*, *In Progress*, or *Done*.
2. The status view helps you understand workload and blockers at a glance.
4. **Monitor Deadlines and ETAs**
1. Look at the **ETA** and **Deadline** columns to track if tasks are on time or slipping.
2. Past-due tasks are flagged in red, making it easy to spot issues.
5. **Switch to a View for Insights**
1. **List View** → for detailed task breakdowns.
2. **Kanban View** → for workflow stages and task movement.
3. **Gantt View** → for timeline tracking and dependencies.
6. **Leverage Dashboards (Optional)**
1. For cross-project tracking, add dashboards to visualize progress with charts and metrics.
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfl9rfhfezoj39ozwrgah7ox" url="" %}
### Share project templates
How to Share Project Templates Across Teams
You can share a project template with another team by duplicating it into their workspace. This ensures that all tasks, stages, and structures are preserved while giving the new team a copy to use and adapt.
1. **Go to the Workspace Settings**
1. Navigate to the workspace that holds the template you want to share.
2. Open the **Project Templates** tab.
2. **Find the Template to Share**
1. Hover over the template you want to share.
2. Click the **three dots (…)** menu.
3. **Duplicate the Template**
1. Select **Duplicate**.
2. In the duplication window, use the dropdown to choose the **target workspace** you want to share the template with.
4. **Confirm the Duplication**
1. Click **Duplicate template**.
2. The selected workspace will now have its own copy of the project template, with all stages and tasks intact.
{% hint style="info" %}
**💡Pro tip:** Sharing via duplication is great for standardizing workflows across departments while allowing each team to customize their own copy without affecting the original.
{% endhint %}
{% @supademo/embed demoId="cmfla15rpf00v39ozr0zmtu7u" url="" %}
---
# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:
```
GET https://www.usemotion.com/help/project-management/projects/projects-how-to-guide.md?ask=
```
The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.