Build a work plan with Project, Milestone, and Task nodes

Break an initiative into meaningful work without changing the Spaces structure.

Use this tutorial when a team needs to understand the parts of an initiative, such as a customer launch or an internal improvement. You will build a small work structure on an existing Design canvas.

Understand the two kinds of project

A project in Spaces is the place you navigate to for views, tasks, and access. A Project node on Canvas organizes work inside the diagram. Dropping a Project node does not create another project in the Spaces sidebar, publish work to a department, or give anyone access.

Start in the Spaces project whose team should own this work. If you actually need another Spaces project, use the project-creation guide and the applicable creation permissions.

Build the plan

  1. Add a Project node from the left rail or Insert → Work items → Project. Name it Northstar launch plan and add a short description of the intended outcome.
  2. Add a Milestone named Ready for launch. Use milestones for meaningful checkpoints rather than every small action.
  3. Add Task nodes for Confirm scope, Prepare launch materials, and Approve launch checklist.
  4. Turn on Work. Draw from each Task to the Project node to record which Canvas project it belongs to.
  5. Connect Approve launch checklist → Ready for launch to show its contribution, then Ready for launch → Northstar launch plan to place the milestone in the project structure.
  6. If a task needs a breakdown, add smaller Task nodes and connect each smaller task to its parent Task. Keep these separate from process-order arrows.
  7. Open All Tasks to set owners, dates, and statuses on the work. Confirm that the tasks appear in the expected project context.

Result: the canvas explains the structure, while the task records support follow-through. The arrangement becomes useful because the work has clear names, owners, and relationships.

Add an impediment with a next action

If customer approval is missing, add a Blocker describing it. Connect the affected Task to the Blocker and choose blocked by. If you create a Task to remove the impediment, connect that Task to the Blocker and choose resolves.

Record the responsible person and next step in the task details. Do not assume that adding a Blocker node or drawing a relationship automatically sets every related task's status or completes another item.

Keep the hierarchy readable

Use Project → Project only when a nested Canvas work structure is useful. It does not create a department tree or move a Spaces project. Keep visual groupings and work relationships distinct: a swimlane can explain a team's area, while a Work connector records the supported relationship.

Before a team review, inspect the task records as well as the diagram. Treat pins and positions as visual explanations, not calculated completion measures.