Image: James Forteze

Wrike is a popular project management software solution that looks to set itself apart by being more streamlined than its competition. By focusing on a few core functions, it appeals to those looking for a leaner solution than some other project management tools.

Below we’ll look at how to get started with Wrike and how to create your first project and tasks within it.

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Getting started with Wrike

Like most online project management software, Wrike has a generous free tier which allows access to most of its key features.

To create an account, go to the Wrike website and enter your email address to get started. After following the instructions and adding your basic information, you will be taken to a welcome screen containing a walk-through wizard. This wizard asks you some basic questions about your roles and company. However, you can click Next and skip this to get to the main screen.

From there, click the Home icon to get to the main interface of Wrike (Figure A).

Figure A

Figure A: Click the Home icon.

In Wrike, there is a simple structure that holds all of your projects and tasks. The highest level of these are called Spaces (Figure B). These each contain your own personal items, teams and different departments within your organization.

Figure B

Figure B: Spaces in Wrike.

For now, let’s create a new Space. To do this, click on the + icon in the Spaces area. A wizard page will appear with templates to choose from, but we’ll skip those and select Create Blank (Figure C).

Figure C

Figure C: Select blank Space.

This will bring you to the page to create your first Space (Figure D). Here you will name your Space, make it public or private, and invite team members via email. Name your Space, and click Create.

Figure D

Figure D: Create your Space.

Your new Marketing Space will open. Click the Home icon to return to the main dashboard and you will see your new Space has been added (Figure E).

Figure E

Figure E: New Space is added to the dashboard.

Within those Spaces you can add Folders. These file-type folders will be what contain your different projects and tasks. So, you can think of Wrike being a series of Spaces; then, within those Spaces you organize your projects and tasks using Folders.

So, the hierarchy of Wrike project management from top to bottom is:

  • Spaces
  • Folders
  • Projects
  • Tasks

Let’s add a Folder in our newly created Space. Click on the Space you just created. It will be empty, so click on the + icon next to Project And Folders.

Here, select Folder from the left panel (Figure F). Then, name your folder and choose your desired view. Choose List for now, but you can change this at any time.

Figure F

Figure F: Add a Folder.

You should see your newly created folder in the left panel.

Now, we will add a project within the folder we just created. To do this, click the + icon again. But this time, choose Project (Figure G).

Figure G

Figure G: Choose Project.

Name your project, and select a start and end date, then your view. Click Create and your new project will appear above your Folder on the left.

Click and drag your new project into the folder you previously created. Your project is now stored in that folder.

You can repeat this process as much as needed to organize your projects by putting them in separate folders. You can also combine projects under one folder.

Adding and inviting team members to Wrike Projects

At any time you can add team members or invite existing team members to your projects.

To invite team members in general, go to the bottom right of the main screen and click Add Users. Here you can bulk-add all your team members or add individuals to your team (Figure H).

Figure H

Figure H: Invite users.

To add specific team members to individual projects, click on the Members in the header menu, then select Invite Or Edit Members from the right side menu (Figure I).

Figure I

Figure I: Add members to your team.

From this screen you can add members to this project (Figure J). When finished, click Save.

Figure J

Figure J: Add one or more members.

Adding tasks and views in Wrike

Return to the main dashboard by clicking the Home icon. From here, click on the new Space you created earlier. In the panel on the left, click the down arrow next to your folder to reveal your projects inside (Figure K).

Figure K

Figure K: Expand the folder.

Click on the project and notice at the top of the screen there is a + icon next to the View. Click that and select Board View. You will now see a board view has been added for your project (Figure L). You can switch between the views you add at any time.

Figure L

Figure L: Add Board View.

Now, in that Board View you can see the tasks and their corresponding buckets. To add a Task, simply click the + icon, name it, then you will have a new Task.

You can click on the task you just created to open the details panel. Here you can add comments, files and other details (Figure M).

Figure M

Figure M: Task details.

Similar to a kanban board, you can now drag your tasks between buckets as they are worked on or completed. You can change the number or type of buckets at any time by clicking on Edit Workflow in the top right of the Board View.

Any tasks you add in any view will appear in all other views for that project. You can also freely add views as needed and switch between them by clicking each view in the header menu.

So with that, you should have a good knowledge of the core features within Wrike. For those who want a more streamlined and simplified project management solution, Wrike may be a good solution.

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