If you’re drowning in repeat client work—same deliverables, new client every week, and the project management busywork never seems to ease up—this guide’s for you. Monday is a flexible platform, but if you’re not careful, it can become as chaotic as your inbox. Here’s how to set up recurring client projects in Monday so you’re not reinventing the wheel every time a new one comes in.
1. Start With a Process That Actually Works
Before you touch Monday, step back. Write down your real process for handling a client project—don’t just copy the ideal process from some template site.
- What actually happens, step by step?
- Where do things get stuck?
- Who’s involved at each stage?
- What needs to be tracked, and what’s just noise?
Pro tip: If you skip this, you’ll end up building a fancy board that nobody uses.
2. Build a Master Template Board
You want a single source of truth—a “master board” you can clone for each client or project cycle.
How to Set Up Your Master Board
- Create a new board from scratch. Don’t use the first template you see. Go custom.
- List out your standard project phases or tasks as groups or pulses (Monday’s term for items).
- Add columns for what matters. Typical columns:
- Task owner
- Status (customize the labels to your workflow)
- Due date
- Notes or links
- Client name (if you’re managing multiple clients in one board)
What to skip: Don’t overcomplicate. Monday offers columns for everything under the sun, but half of them just add clutter. Start simple—add only what you’ll actually use.
3. Automate the Boring Stuff
Monday’s automations are powerful, but it’s easy to go overboard. Focus on automations that eliminate repetitive work:
- Automate task creation: If you have the same set of tasks for every project, use the “Create items in this group when status changes” automation to spawn new tasks for each new client.
- Recurring tasks: Monday doesn’t have true recurring tasks (yet), but you can fake it with automations. For example, “Every Monday, create a new item in [group].”
- Status updates: Notify yourself or a teammate when a task is overdue, or when something needs approval.
What to ignore: Avoid automations that just create notification noise. Only automate what saves real time or prevents mistakes.
4. Use Board Templates or Duplicates (But Know the Gotchas)
When you have your master board dialed in, save it as a template or just duplicate it for each new client or project cycle.
- Templates: Good for standardizing workflows across a team. But, if you change the template later, old boards don’t update—so you’ll need to re-duplicate for changes.
- Duplicate boards: Fast and simple. Just watch out for duplicated automations that can get messy if you’re not careful.
Pro tip: Name boards clearly—e.g., “Client Name – Q3 Onboarding.” Otherwise, things get lost fast.
5. Track Everything in One Place (But Don’t Micromanage)
You want visibility, not micromanagement. Use dashboards to get a bird’s-eye view:
- Set up a high-level dashboard that pulls in key data from all your active boards.
- Upcoming deadlines
- Blocked items
- Who’s overloaded
- Use filters to highlight what needs attention today, not everything under the sun.
What to skip: Don’t build dashboards so complicated you need a manual to use them. Less is more.
6. Make Handoffs and Communication Obvious
Most recurring project pain comes from dropped balls and unclear handoffs. Monday can help:
- Assign owners to every task—no “unassigned” items.
- Use status columns for handoffs (“Ready for review,” “Waiting on client”).
- Use the updates section in each item for real notes, not just “per our conversation…” fluff.
Pro tip: Use @mentions to pull people in only when they’re needed. Don’t make people live in notifications.
7. Archive and Reset Without Losing Your Mind
After a project wraps up, don’t just leave boards cluttering your workspace.
- Archive completed boards so you can reference them later if needed.
- If tasks repeat on a schedule, reset dates and statuses on the master board, or duplicate for the next cycle.
What to ignore: Don’t try to build the “perfect” archive system. Just keep it searchable and tidy.
8. Integrate Only What Adds Real Value
Monday plays nice with a ton of tools—email, Slack, file storage, and more. But integrations can quickly become a mess.
- Integrate your calendar if you actually use due dates.
- Connect Slack for essential notifications, not every status change.
- Bring in files from Google Drive or Dropbox if you need to share assets.
What to skip: Stay away from integrations just because they look cool. If you’re not sure you’ll use it weekly, it’s probably not worth the setup.
9. Regularly Review and Prune
Recurring projects change over time. Set a reminder every month or quarter to review:
- Is your process still working?
- Are there columns, automations, or dashboards nobody uses?
- Are boards or tasks piling up with no owner?
Toss what’s not adding value.
What Actually Works—and What Doesn’t
Works: - Keeping your boards dead simple and adding complexity only when needed. - Using automations for true time-savers, not just notifications. - Cloning boards/templates instead of building from scratch every time.
Doesn’t work: - Overbuilding dashboards or automations you’ll never use. - Trying to make Monday handle every single business process—it’s a project tracker, not your entire business OS. - Ignoring cleanup—messy boards become ignored boards.
Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
There’s no magic setup—every team tweaks things over time. The key is to start simple, get your recurring client projects running smoothly, and only add complexity when you know you need it. Monday is flexible, but it rewards clarity and restraint over bells and whistles.
Try it out, see what actually helps, and don’t be afraid to cut what isn’t working. The goal: less time fiddling with software, more time getting work done.