Finish Projects Faster

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Communicate and work on a project in one place.
Explain how to add information and files to a channel.
Describe ways to align on action items in a channel.

Communicate with Your Team

Now that you’re set up to work with your team in Slack, here’s how to finish a project faster by keeping relevant communication, information, and action items in one place rather than scattered across emails, chats, and calls.

Every project should have a dedicated channel in Slack where your team can communicate and work in one place.

Create a Channel

Click the plus button in the sidebar.

Creating a channel by clicking the plus button in Slack.

Select Channel.
In the Create a channel popup, choose a workspace (if applicable), then click Next.
Name the channel, then click Next.
Choose a channel type (public or private), then click Create.
Add people from your organization if you’re ready, or wait until later.

Add Teammates

Click the user icon in the top right of the channel.
Click Add people.
To add a few people, search for members by name, email address, or user group and select them. To add a large group, paste the list of names or email addresses into the field.
When you're done, click Add.

After adding your teammates to the channel, post a welcome message or hold a kickoff meeting. You can also record a clip so teammates in any time zone can catch up asynchronously.

Adding a prefix to the channel name makes it easier to search for and the channel’s purpose more clear. Use the prefix project- for a channel dedicated to a project.

Add Information and Files

You can create a project brief in a canvas and add other documents to the channel so they’re easily accessible without having to leave Slack. This is useful for new channels so teammates that join can quickly find relevant information.

Create a Project Brief

From a channel, click the add canvas icon in the channel header.

An image of a cursor pointing at the channel canvas icon in the Slack desktop app.

Click the Channel overview template.
Add key information to the canvas, such as a project overview, people involved, goals—anything you’d like.

Add Files

Add files to a channel or canvas by simply dragging them into the message field or into a canvas.

Adding a file to a conversation in Slack by dragging it into the message field.

You can also install other file sharing apps like Google Drive and OneDrive with Slack.

Browse the Slack App Directory of more than 2,000 apps that can help you connect Slack with software you already use at work.

Align on Tasks

Use the channel to add accomplishments and align on action items in one convenient place so you and the team can move a project forward.

Add and Assign Items

Click the canvas icon in the channel header.

Pointing to the canvas icon in the channel's header.

Near the bottom of the canvas, click the check list icon.
Add action items and check them off when they’re done. You can also assign people to items so they get notified. Simply type the @ symbol followed by their name, then select them from the list.

You can browse canvas templates for more resources to move your project forward in Slack. On the left navigation bar, select canvas browser Canvases (if you don’t see the Canvases icon in the navigation bar, simply hover over ellipsis icon More, select Canvases), then click on + New in the top-right corner and select Start from a Template.