One row is one project. Studio's projects are the same records agencies run their work through, so this import is usually the last step in moving off a project tool.
What a Row Needs
A Title. Everything else is optional.
Import Clients First
Studio will create a client from a name it does not recognize, so nothing breaks if you skip this. But a client created that way has only a name: no contact, no plan, no revenue. Import Clients first and the projects attach to complete records.
Running It
- Go to Imports → New Import and pick Projects.
- Upload your file, or start from the template at Imports → Templates.
- Check the mapping and run.
The Columns Worth Mapping
- Project ID from your old tool is your Monday item ID, Asana task GID, Basecamp to-do ID, or your own old job code. Map it. It is what lets you re-run the file without duplicating everything, and it is how you find a project again from an old email thread. It can never clash with your Studio project numbers, which are generated separately and are always Studio's own.
- Client Name is matched against your clients by name.
- Status takes new, in progress, in review or done. Bring finished work over as done rather than leaving it out, so the client history is complete.
- Assigned To is matched against your team members by name, so it only works for people who are already in Studio as staff.
- Due Date on a project that is already finished is harmless and worth keeping for the record.
Tasks Inside a Project
This import brings over the projects themselves. Individual tasks, checklists and comments are not part of it. Most agencies find the projects plus their descriptions are what they actually refer back to, and the task-level detail can stay archived in the old tool. If you do need it, Advanced Import can target the task table directly once the projects exist.
After It Runs
- Check the client column on a handful of projects. Any client name that did not match exactly was created new, so this is where you spot “Acme” and “Acme Inc” sitting side by side.
- Merge any duplicate clients before you import invoices, not after.