It's impossible to effectively scale when knowledge is scattered. (expand to read why)

This principle has 3 core pillars:

• If it's not in ClickUp, it didn't happen
  
  
• System mirrors structure
  
  
• Follow the framework
  
  

Let's take these one at a time.

If it's not in ClickUp, it didn't happen

(if you've decided not to use ClickUp, replace it with your tool of choice)

This is a catchy mantra that teams quickly latch onto. Your people are hungry for it.

It doesn't matter how great your system is if your team doesn't use it religiously. It’s another way of saying "garbage in, garbage out."

Everyone is required to track all work in ClickUp. Every working day, no exceptions.

The only way to create a true single source of truth is to capture all project and task-related activity and key information in a single system.

System mirrors structure

We can't just start throwing everything into a tool without structure.

There must be a logical framework that is easy for your team to understand and that produces the reporting needed for smarter decisions.

Your project management system should mirror your organizational structure. For example, if you're running an agency, you have 3 main areas:

• Growth – marketing and sales (how you acquire clients; think of this as the team promising certain results)
• Delivery – client services (this is how you serve clients; the team keeps the promises made by Growth)
• Operations – HR, finance, legal (the crucial components that help a business function legally and profitably)

The hierarchy of your project management system should reflect that structure and be consistent for ease of use.

For example, here is a sample ClickUp Hierarchy for an agency (using the Delivery team as an example):

Embracing a single tool is the first step, but it's incomplete without a consistent, coherent structure.

Follow the framework

Your team is bought into planning, doing, and tracking their work in ClickUp. With the right structure in place, it’s time to follow the framework.

Everyone commits to making your single source of truth useful by planning work in the right place and with the right principles. You’ll hold each other accountable (see principle #5) — but it all starts with a clear shared vision and buy-in across the team.

Commit and execute.

Example: Here is an example of following the framework.

"If it’s not in ClickUp, it didn’t happen."

Every team needs a shared approach to prioritizing work. Some teams use daily standups, some use a priority flag in their PM platform, and some even use sticky notes.

Start with a due date-driven approach: every actionable task in your PM system must have a due date, and tasks should be completed on or before that date. This is what we mean by "Due Date = Do Date."

(Yes, exceptions happen—and when they do, rules are in place to handle them. But if exceptions become the norm, then estimation, resource management, or priority setting isn’t working.)

This approach saves time and provides clarity. Even if you use another method, you’ll likely return to due dates as your primary means of prioritizing.

There’s a great feeling when someone tells you they’ve finished a task for you—but it’s awful when their work isn’t what you needed.

Often, unclear expectations are to blame. For repeated types of work, clear processes help you quickly communicate exactly what is expected.

When done well, these processes save time and consistently produce high-quality outcomes; when done poorly, they drain efficiency and lead to inconsistent results.

The biggest driver of quality is a team’s ability to create, follow, improve, and simplify processes.

This principle emphasizes the Follow part: your team shouldn’t have to stop their work to hunt down lengthy SOPs—they need easy, accessible "how-to" resources integrated into their workflow.

We've worked with thousands of teams. Almost all have had the best of intentions, but few have truly healthy, shared habits across the entire team.

You might have the best project management tools and processes, but if your team doesn’t follow them, all is for naught.

So, how do we build healthy shared habits?

• Define the habits
  
  
• Share the vision & purpose
  
  
• Train your whole team
  
  
• Daily accountability

Define the habits

Decide on the simple set of habits your team must follow. For our clients, we start with the 10 commandments of project management:

1. If it's not in ClickUp, it didn't happen.
   
   
2. Due dates matter.
   
   
3. Track your time.
   
   
4. Leave a trail.
   
   
5. Follow the framework.
   
   
6. Build assets.
   
   
7. Process lives where work gets done.
   
   
8. Plan for the unplanned.
   
   
9. Build healthy habits.
   
   
10. It's not personal.
    
    

Share the vision & purpose

Start with why. Paint a picture of a more efficient, less frustrating environment for your team:

• Easier access to information means better, faster work.
  
  
• More accurate workloads lead to better balance and less stress.
  
  
• Shared visualization of the plan reduces client fires.
  
  
• A process that lives where work gets done means more consistency and better outcomes.
  
  

But building these habits requires commitment to new ways of working.

Train your whole team

The 10 commandments are brief to be memorable. Now train everyone so they know exactly what that means for their daily routines. Show them what is required and test their understanding to ensure habits stick.

Daily Accountability

We’ll dive into this further in principle #5, but know that without daily accountability, these new habits won’t take root.

Building any habit is hard—multiply that by the number of team members you expect to change at once, and it becomes even tougher. That’s why accountability is our best tool.

Our tip of the spear is the ClickUp Champion, a person who plays both a reactive and proactive role:

• Reactive: Be the go-to support for any how-to questions or issues.
  
  
• Proactive: Ensure accountability for both activity and results.
  
  

To cement this accountability, the following 4 habits are key:

1. Daily Spot Check: Monitor daily activity and coach improvements.
   
   
2. Weekly Roundup: Review activity trends and address individual accountability.
   
   
3. Monthly Review: Present results to leadership for strategic decisions.
   
   
4. Quarterly Analysis: Guide system optimizations based on performance trends.

Investing in tools without investing in habits and accountability is like buying new workout gear and never going to the gym.

There are a few additions to the ZenPilot Methodology that many teams benefit from. 

Here are the 3 most common:

1. Track Your Time (use real data to drive better decisions)
   
   
2. Plan for the Unplanned (work is dynamic; plan accordingly)
   
   
3. Manage Resources Properly by Combining Bottom-Up & Top-Down Resourcing (match the approach with the occasion)

Time tracking is critical at professional service firms—it’s about intentionality, accurate billing, improved estimates, better resource allocation, profitability insights, process improvement, and scope management.

There are hundreds of excuses for poor time tracking, but the main issue is that teams often don’t gain meaningful insights from it. If you can’t point to a decision made because of your time-tracking data, then it’s a colossal waste.

Time tracking must be done well—or not at all.

It creates benefits in three key areas:

• Improving Estimates & Pricing: Use real data on task durations to create more accurate estimates, price profitably, and address scope creep.
  
  
• Optimizing Resource Allocation & Team Utilization: Balance workloads, identify bottlenecks, and enhance efficiency by understanding where time is spent.
  
  
• Analyzing Client Profitability: Regularly review client performance to decide on strategic actions, such as retaining, adjusting pricing, or even parting ways with unprofitable accounts.

When teams understand the “why” and see positive changes from time tracking, it becomes a powerful driver of better decisions.

No team can predict every hour of work in advance. Even teams with repeatable processes know that some work will always be unplanned.

The key is to plan for what you can and allocate a portion of your capacity for the unpredictable. For example, aim to have 80–90% of each team member’s capacity pre-planned, leaving room for those unexpected tasks.

This percentage should be tailored by organization, role, and season.

For instance, an accounting firm might have 70–80% of its workload planned during tax season, with the remaining 20–30% reserved for ad hoc work.

The goal is to avoid booking team members 100% of the time, which inevitably leads to overload when new work appears.

Resource management is one of the top issues many teams face. Balancing client demand with the available supply of skills, time, and budget requires clear ownership and strategy.

Instead of relying solely on fancy capacity planning software, teams benefit from using both:

• Top-Down Resourcing: Use high-level estimates to forecast staffing needs over the next quarter and make strategic staffing decisions.
  
  
• Bottom-Up Resourcing: Break down contracts into deliverables and tasks with specific time estimates, then view the aggregated workload for tactical management.

For example, consider this simplified workload estimate for a new website project over 6 weeks:

Bottom-up resourcing handles day-to-day work, while top-down helps with long-term strategic planning.
Together, they ensure you’re prepared for both predictable and unforeseen workload fluctuations.