Cameron Cross – Product Review of ClickUp
Positive Aspects of ClickUp
My first impression of ClickUp is a positive one because the “onboarding” process seems very user friendly. It allowed me to sign up for an account quickly and create a workspace. It also allowed me some degree of customizability when setting up the workspace. One thing that I liked is that it allowed me to even pick a theme color. This is important to me because I would like my workspace to be customizable.
This feature that was introduced during the creation of the workspace is extremely helpful because it can help prevent the cluttering of un-needed features.
Another feature that I really liked is that the application allows a user to import their tasks from another task management software.
After creating the workspace, a video introduction for the platform appeared and explained why this tool is a very useful one. One very useful feature that I found with this platform is the fact that there are several tools ranging in experience of the user. I see that there is a simple Todo list feature. For a user that is inexperienced with using project management software, this would probably be an amazing place to start and build their way up to more advanced features such as starting from scratch.
The next feature that I liked on this platform is the fact that there are videos explaining each of the features. Under the “Simple Project Management” tool, a video appeared explaining the project hierarchy:
workspace – space – list
The tasks feature is the “fundamental building block of ClickUp. They are the smaller, more tangible pieces of work that can be completed as part of a larger project.” I love this feature because a project manager can assign tasks to different members of their groups. A project manager can also define the list for each of the tasks which makes task organization significantly cleaner. For example, a project manager can divide tasks into different sprints and can get even more specific than that. They could split up the sprint into a backend and a front end. There is also different statuses for each of the tasks. You can mark tasks as in progress, in review, and TO DO.
Another feature that I liked is the calendar view. I like that it automatically pulls all of the current tasks and lays them out in a calendar for the user to see. This platform also had several other ways of viewing the available tasks. It was a little overwhelming how many different views that this platform has.
This platform has a very clever way of keeping its users on task. The home page shows users a full list of their tasks that they need to get done. It also organizes those tasks based on their completion status and priority.
Negative Aspects of ClickUp
One of the things that I disliked about this platform is the fact that there are so many features. I feel that a new user getting onboarded to a new job could be overwhelmed by all the different features and even possibly miss deadlines due to information overload. However, if a user had help from a knowledgeable coworker, they could turn off many of the unneeded features.
Another aspect of this platform that I disliked is the fact that the overall feel of the website is very similar to Google’s interface. I understand why a project manager would choose this platform over Google’s, but I don’t like the fact that the site feels extremely similar.
A feature that I noticed was missing from this Power App integration. Power Apps are extremely powerful tools that allow the automation of menial tasks in a work space, and I saw no indication that they are available for use on this platform. I did notice that ClickUp has their own automation function, but I’m sure that it will not be as powerful as Power Automate.
Final Thoughts
I believe that that this platform would be extremely useful if project managers provide thorough training for their team. The pricing is free for an induvial user so this would be great for teams on a budget. I think that this tool has a lot of potential, but a team will need to take advantage of the many features that are available if they want to get the full potential out of this platform.
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