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Set up Plane for your team

This walkthrough will help you get up and running with Plane in no time. You’ll learn how to set up your workspace, create projects, add and manage work items, and organize work into cycles, all through easy-to-follow steps.

What you'll accomplish:

  • Branded workspace ready for your team
  • Team members invited and working
  • First project with real work items
  • Sprint planning with cycles

Before you begin​

Set up your Workspace​

When you sign up for the first time on Plane, we'll prompt you to create a new Workspace. In this guide, you'll see how to customize the Workspace and invite your team members. Your workspace is the central hub where all your projects and team collaboration will happen, so let’s make it feel like home.

Customize workspace details​

Workspace settings

  1. Click on the workspace logo at the top left.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. In the General tab under Administration:
    • Upload your company logo.
    • Update workspace name if you need to change it.

Invite your team​

Get your team members into the workspace so they can start collaborating.

Invite team members

  1. Under Workspace Settings, click Members tab on the left pane.
  2. Click the Add member button.
  3. In the Invite people to collaborate dialog:
    • Type the email address in the provided box.
    • Select the role you want them to have.
      • Admin: Full workspace control and settings access.
      • Member (Default): Can create projects, issues, and collaborate fully.
      • Guest: Limited access to specific projects they're invited to.
    • Use the + Add more link to invite multiple people at once.
  4. Click Send invitation.

Team members will receive email invitations and can access the workspace.

Create your project​

Now that your workspace is ready, it’s time to create your first project. Projects keep all related tasks and work items organized in one place, making it easy to focus on specific goals. Let's set up a project and add work items with basic properties to get your team started on their tasks.

Create project

  1. Look for Projects tab under the Workspace section on your sidebar.
  2. Click the Add Project button.
  3. In the project creation form:
    1. Enter the name and write a brief description explaining what this project aims to accomplish.
    2. Select Planning in the State dropdown.
    3. By default, the project access is Public This means that all Workspace Admins and Members can see and join this project. Change this to Private if you want members to join only through invite.
    4. Select start and end dates if you want to and set a priority level.
    5. Assign a project Lead and add the Members you want to part of this project.
  4. Click Create project to finish the basic setup.
  5. You’ll see a modal with all the features enabled for this project. Leave the defaults as they are and click Open project.

Your team can see the project and access it from their workspace.

Create your work items​

Add tasks so your team can start working immediately.

Create work item

  1. Navigate to the Work items page under your new project.
  2. Click Add work item.
  3. Enter title and brief description about the work item.
    Example:
    • Title
      Design new homepage layout
    • Description
      Create a fresh layout for the homepage focusing on improved navigation, modern visuals, and clear call-to-actions.
  4. Set work item properties:
    • Assignee: You
    • Priority: Medium
    • Start date: Today
    • Due date: One week from today
  5. Click Save to create the work item.
  6. You'll see a new row added in the List layout.
  7. Add a few more work items in the same manner.

Team members see their assigned work and can start immediately.

Plan your first Cycle​

In this final step, you’ll learn how to organize your work into cycles (time-bound periods) for managing tasks like sprints. Cycles help you track progress, prioritize tasks, and stay on top of deadlines.

Create cycles

  1. Click Cycles in your project sidebar.
  2. Click the Add cycle button on the top right.
  3. In the Create cycle modal:
    • Name your cycle: Sprint 1.
    • Set date range: 2 weeks (today through next Friday)
    • Click Create cycle.
  4. Click on your newly created cycle name to open it.
  5. Click Add existing work item
  6. Select the issues you created earlier.
  7. Click Add to cycle.
  8. Return to the main Cycles page to view your active cycle with progress indicators.

Your active cycle shows work items with progress tracking and burndown visualization.

tip

Cycles work best when they're 1-2 weeks long and contain achievable goals for your team.

🎉 Congratulations! You've set up a complete workspace in under 20 minutes. Your team is ready to start collaborating effectively.

What's next?​

  • Ready to level up? Explore these detailed tutorials.