Initiative

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In short: Initiatives in Timebook allow you to manage and track all of your organization’s strategic efforts in one place. By linking Initiatives to Goals and Projects, you can ensure that every effort aligns with the overall vision. This article also details the features of the dedicated module, which enables you to view and manage all Initiatives within your Timebook Workplace.

What are Initiatives?

Timebook Initiatives are strategic efforts that help bridge the gap between high-level Goals and the smaller, more actionable tasks grouped in Projects. Initiatives represent key areas of focus or themes that align with your organization’s objectives and are broader in scope than individual projects but narrower than long-term goals.

In Timebook, you can link Goals directly to Projects. However, Initiatives can be useful if you need an additional level of organization to prioritize resources, track progress toward strategic objectives, and ensure everyone understands the context of their project work within the larger picture. Timebook Initiatives have a dedicated module at the Workplace level, allowing you to view and manage all organizational efforts in one place.

This is an Initiative card focused on the [Work] tab with the drawer expanded.

Multiple Projects can be assigned to each Initiative in Timebook.

This allows you to group related efforts under a common objective, providing better visibility into how different Projects contribute to the overarching strategy.

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Managing Initiatives in a dedicated module

The [Initiatives] module, accessible directly from the Navigator, contains a complete list of all Initiatives in your Timebook Workplace. Each Initiative is displayed as a card highlighting key properties, such as [Date range], [Risk assessment], and [Owner]. Click on an Initiative to view its details and the Projects it contains.

The [Initiatives] module is available at the Workplace level.

As a Head of Department, you can use Initiatives to track all efforts in your domain. You can easily evaluate which supporting Projects are in progress, identify potential roadblocks, and ensure that your department’s work is effectively contributing to organizational priorities.

As a Team Lead, you can easily see which Initiatives are active, understand their context within the broader organizational objectives, and ensure that your team’s efforts are aligned with the company’s priorities.

The [Initiatives] module includes the [Manage view] section that lets you customize how Initiatives are displayed. You can choose different layouts, such as List or Timeline, to best suit your needs. Filters are also available to narrow down the Initiatives shown, for example, by date range or status. Additionally, you can save these customized views either as public, for all members to access, or as private, for your personal use.

have dedicated articles that explain how to manage data views and layouts in several Timebook modules, including this one.

For more information, see Layouts & views

Creating an Initiative and adding Projects to it

You can create Initiatives for your entire Timebook Workplace using the dedicated module described above.

To create an Initiative:

This is how you create an Initiative and assign multiple Projects to it.

1. Click [Add an Initiative] in the top-right corner of the module.

2. Give your new Initiative a meaningful name. At this stage, you can also:

   • Add a short description or define basic properties.

   • Assign multiple Projects to your Initiative.

3. Click [Create...] to save your changes.

4. The new Initiative’s card opens and you can edit its details, add Projects to it, or access other available options.

After you create an Initiative, you can create Projects in it. Open the Initiative’s card, click the [+] button at the top of the list, and start creating Projects. See this article for more information on Project creation.

You can also add existing Projects to an Initiative after the creation process. To do so, open the Initiative’s drawer and use the [Projects] field. See below for more information on features available in the Initiative drawer.

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Initiative cards

Each Initiative card in Timebook has two areas of focus:

• The main area displays the contents of one of the tabs you can select at the top, next to the Initiative’s name. See below for more information on available tabs.
• You can also expand the Initiative’s drawer using the dedicated button in the top-right corner. The drawer will occupy the right side of the screen, showing the Initiative’s basic properties, such as Status or Risk assessment, and linked Goals. See below for more information on the drawer’s contents.

Use the Initiative card to manage Projects and edit properties in the drawer.

In the top-left corner of the card, breadcrumbs help you navigate related content. Depending on your access point, they adjust to guide you back to the most relevant location within your Team or Workplace. This ensures quick access to Initiative-related information based on your context.

In the top-right corner of the card, you’ll find additional options to quickly access, track, and share your Initiative:

• [Add to Bookmarks] saves the Initiative for future reference. You can find it by opening the [Bookmarks] module in the Navigator.

• [Pin to Navigator] adds the Initiative to the [Pinned items] area of the Navigator. You can quickly jump to the pinned Initiative using the menu on the left, no matter where you are in Timebook.

• [Copy link] generates a direct link to the Initiative, making it easy to share with teammates or reference later.

• [Watch] enables notifications for this Initiative, so you’ll be alerted about important updates or changes. You can manage watched items in the [Watched] tab of My Work.

We have a dedicated article on how to use pins and bookmarks to keep your important objects always within easy reach.

For more information, see Bookmarks & pins

Try these options to keep your Initiative handy.

Initiative cards: Tabs

Each Initiative has three tabs located at the top, next to the Initiative’s name:

The [Work] tab in Initiatives

This tab is where you manage all Projects within an Initiative. You can open any Project to view or edit its details. To create a Project inside an Initiative, click the [+] button at the top of the list.

You can also use the [Manage view] button to apply different layouts or filters and view your project work from various perspectives. We have dedicated articles that explain how to manage data views and layouts in several Timebook modules, including this one. For more information, see Layouts & views

The [Summary] tab in Initiatives

You can use this tab to add text, images, and references to provide additional Initiative information. Think of this tab as a canvas for describing and showcasing your Initiative. The [Summary] tab functions like a page in Timebook Documents. For more details on working with page content, see Blocks

The [Updates] tab in Initiatives

This tab is a collaborative space where anyone can share information, provide feedback, and post important news about the Initiative. It serves as a message board, allowing everyone involved to stay updated. You can create new posts, reply to existing ones, add reactions, and mention specific Team members using the @ key.

Use different tabs to summarize, manage Projects, and provide updates inside an Initiative.

The tabs presented above are not exclusive to Initiative cards.

Cards of other object types in Timebook, such as Sprints or Projects, have nearly identical designs.

Initiative cards: Drawer

The main area primarily helps you manage Projects within an Initiative, while the drawer allows you to define properties and link the Initiative to other Timebook objects. You can open the drawer using the button in the top-right corner of the Initiative card and collapse it again when you want to focus more on the work itself.

The Initiative drawer consists of the following sections:

The [Properties] section in the Initiative drawer

This section provides key details for defining and managing the Initiative effectively. It includes options to set the Initiative’s status, assess risks, assign a date range, and designate its owner.

You can also use the dedicated field to specify which Projects to include in the Initiative. All Projects in your Timebook Workplace are available in the dropdown, and you can include or exclude them using the respective checkboxes. This allows you to manage existing Projects in the drawer and add new ones in the main working area of the Initiative card.

The [Linked Goals] section in the Initiative drawer

This section allows you to associate the Initiative with specific Goals. Each linked Goal card displays its title and a Key Result that helps track progress toward achieving the Goal. See below for more information about linking Initiatives to other Timebook objects.

As mentioned above, one of the key benefits of using the drawer is the ability to easily link your Initiative to Goals. These links provide clear, structured connections between strategic efforts and the desired outcomes. Additionally, by linking your Initiative to multiple Projects, you gain full visibility into how lower-level tasks align with high-level objectives.

Use this option in the drawer to link an Initiative to your organization’s broader strategy.

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Related articles

Project

Goal