Introduction
If your team already lives in Slack, you’ve probably tried managing projects there too — using message threads, reminders, or shared channels to keep everyone on track. But without the right system, Slack can quickly become noisy and disorganized.
By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly how to use Slack for project management — both the manual way (using native Slack features) and the easy way (with Chaser). You’ll walk away with clear strategies for organizing projects, improving accountability, better task management in Slack, and automating the parts of project management that slow teams down.
Table of Contents
- Is Managing Projects in Slack a Good Idea?
- Using Slack for Project Management
- The Easier Way: Integrating Software to Manage Projects
- Commonly Asked Questions
- Final Thoughts
Is Managing Projects in Slack a Good Idea?
Slack can absolutely support project management — but it’s not a project management tool on its own. It works best when teams value communication speed and visibility over complex workflows. Before deciding to manage your next project entirely in Slack, it’s worth understanding the pros, cons, and limitations.
When It Makes Sense
Slack is great for fast-moving projects where collaboration happens in real time.
You’ll see the most success if your team:
- Already spends most of their day in Slack
- Has fewer than ~50 team members
- Works cross-functionally or asynchronously
- Runs shorter, agile-style projects
- Needs quick visibility into updates and blockers
In these cases, Slack becomes a central nervous system for the project — the place where conversations, decisions, and updates all happen in one visible thread.
Examples:
- A marketing team running a campaign launch
- A product team coordinating a sprint
- An agency managing client projects through Slack Connect
For these teams, managing a project in Slack reduces tool fatigue, increases accountability, and speeds up decision-making.
The Pros
✅ Fewer Tools, Less Friction
Conversations and action items live in one place — no more toggling between Slack, Asana, and spreadsheets.
✅ Real-Time Visibility
Everyone sees updates as they happen — no waiting for status reports.
✅ Faster Feedback Loops
Questions get answered quickly, blockers surface faster, and projects keep momentum.
✅ Instant Adoption
If your team already lives in Slack, there’s no learning curve. Everyone just keeps working where they already are.
The Cons
❌ Tasks Get Lost in Threads
Without structure, action items vanish under new messages. There’s no built-in ownership or tracking.
❌ Limited Reporting
Slack doesn’t provide dashboards, summaries, or ways to track progress across multiple projects.
❌ Manual Follow-Ups
Someone — usually the project manager — has to chase people for updates.
❌ Not Ideal for Complex Projects
If your projects have dependencies, strict deadlines, or approvals, Slack alone won’t cut it.
When It Doesn’t Work Well
Slack-only project management breaks down when:
- Your team is large or distributed across time zones
- Projects are long-term with multiple dependencies
- You need advanced reporting or documentation
- There’s compliance or audit tracking involved
In those cases, Slack is best used as the communication layer — not the full project management system.
Bottom Line
Slack is fantastic for communication. But communication isn’t the same as coordination.
Without automation, Slack still depends on your team to remember, remind, and follow up, which leads to missed deadlines and extra work.
That’s where tools like Chaser come in. Chaser builds the missing structure into Slack, automating task tracking and follow-ups so your team can focus on execution, not administration.
Using Slack for Project Management
You can manage projects in Slack without any external tools — it just takes effort. Here’s what that process looks like.
1. Create a Dedicated Project Channel
Set up a private or public channel for your project. Keep all updates, files, and decisions in one place. Use clear naming conventions like #project-launch-q1 to make it easy to find.
2. Pin Key Messages
Pin critical updates — deadlines, milestones, and reference links — so no one has to scroll endlessly through threads.
3. Use Slack Reminders
The /remind command is helpful for simple follow-ups, but it’s manual and easy to forget who’s responsible for what.
4. Track Tasks with Lists or Threads
If you’re on Slack’s paid plan, try Slack Lists to track deliverables. Otherwise, create a shared message thread or spreadsheet. The downside? Someone always ends up maintaining it by hand.
5. Run Regular Check-Ins
Use daily or weekly threads for quick status updates:
“Yesterday I worked on X. Today I’ll complete Y. Blocked by Z.”
It works… until people stop posting or responding.
6. Track Progress with Emojis
Using ✅ and ⚠️ reactions for status is quick, but hard to track across multiple channels or projects. Additionally, it's hard to see your own workload across projects or channels, so many people revert to tracking all projects in another way (spreadsheet, notebook, or handy dandy Post It).
7. Summarize Updates Manually
To share progress with leadership or clients, you’ll probably copy notes into another sheet or tool, which is the ultimate sign that it’s time for automation.
What These Ideas Miss
This manual method can work…for a while. But it relies on memory and discipline, not structure or automation. It's also not scalable.
Over time, it breaks down because:
- Updates live in threads, not systems. Once messages scroll by, they’re easy to forget, and visibility is gone.
- Accountability relies on people, not process. Managers end up chasing updates.
- Scaling becomes impossible. More projects mean more chaos.
Slack was designed for communication, not coordination.
To turn it into a reliable project management hub, you need automation and visibility — exactly what Chaser delivers.
The Easier Way: Integrating Software to Manage Projects
Here’s how those same seven steps look when you use Chaser for Slack project management.
With Chaser, Slack transforms from a place where work is talked about into a place where work actually gets done.
1. Create a Dedicated Project Channel
Add Chaser to any Slack channel and it instantly becomes a project hub. Tasks, owners, and due dates stay visible in the same place where your team already collaborates.
2. Turn Pinned Messages into Action
Instead of pinning updates, convert them. One click turns a message into a trackable task with a due date and assignee.
3. Automate Follow-Ups
Forget typing /remind. Chaser automatically follows up with task owners before deadlines — and sends reminders if something’s overdue.
4. Skip the Spreadsheets
Chaser provides a shared Slack dashboard that shows what’s due, what’s done, and what’s next. No extra tools or manual tracking.
5. Simplify Standups
Chaser generates daily or weekly summaries automatically so that you can skip repetitive check-in threads.
6. Track Progress Visibly
Tasks update in real time as people acknowledge, complete, or reschedule them. Everyone knows what’s on track and what’s not.
7. Report Without Copy-Paste
Chaser automatically summarizes project health, upcoming deadlines, and completed work — perfect for leadership updates or client reporting.
Why Teams Prefer the Chaser Way
Using Slack alone requires constant follow-ups and manual updates. Using Chaser means accountability, automation, and visibility — built right into your workflow.
No more context-switching. No more chasing people for updates. Just clarity and progress inside the tool your team already uses.
Real Team Examples
Different types of teams use Slack in various ways — but they all share one challenge: keeping projects organized without adding another tool. Here’s how teams are solving that with Chaser.
Agencies & Services Teams
Before: Client deliverables lived in Slack Connect, but tasks didn’t. Account managers had to track updates in spreadsheets or another project management system.
After: Teams now assign tasks directly from client conversations. Chaser automatically handles reminders, and clients see updates in real time.
Result: Faster approvals, fewer “just checking in” messages, and increased alignment with the project team.
Tech & Software Companies
Before: Product launches and cross-team projects were scattered across systems like Jira and Google Sheets, while the team communicated in Slack.
After: Teams use Chaser to assign and track launch checklists right in Slack. Automated summaries replace meetings, and everyone stays aligned and all on the same system.
💡 Result: Less tool fatigue, more focus on project goals and completion.
Nonprofits & Community Organizations
Before: Volunteers and board members communicated in Slack, but no one tracked action items.
After: Chaser keeps everyone accountable with automated reminders and transparent task lists.
💡 Result: Projects stay on track — even with part-time contributors.
Benefits of Chaser
Chaser was built for teams who love working in Slack but hate chasing updates.
It turns everyday conversations into organized, actionable work — automatically.
1. Prevent Important Tasks from Getting Lost
Any message can become a trackable task with one click.
Tasks live in a shared dashboard, reminders go out automatically, and nothing disappears into message history.
2. Avoid App Overload
Chaser eliminates the need for separate task tools.
You can assign, track, and complete work entirely in Slack — saving time and reducing mental clutter.
3. Automate Follow-Ups
Chaser handles the reminders for you.
If something’s overdue, Chaser pings the assignee automatically and updates the team.
Managers get summary reports instead of having to ask, “Where are we on this?”
Commonly Asked Questions
Does Slack have a Gantt chart?
No. Slack is built for communication, not timeline visualization.
If you want project visibility without adding another app, Chaser keeps tasks organized and visible directly in Slack.
Can I manage projects on a free Slack plan?
Yes, but message history and integrations are limited.
Chaser helps fill those gaps by adding structure and automation — even for free Slack users.
Does Chaser require any setup?
No. It installs in minutes and works immediately inside Slack.
No new logins, no training, no extra steps.
Can Chaser integrate with other tools?
Yes. Through Zapier, you can connect Chaser with tools like Google Sheets, Notion, and Salesforce to keep everything in sync.
How is Chaser different from traditional project management tools?
Other tools force you to leave Slack.Chaser works entirely inside Slack — automating follow-ups, tracking tasks, and summarizing progress without adding another platform to your tech stack.
Final Thoughts
Slack is where your team already communicates. But communication alone doesn’t move projects forward — accountability does.
Chaser brings structure, visibility, and automation to Slack, turning it into a true project management engine.
No extra tools. No chasing people for updates. Just a faster, more straightforward way to get work done.
Get started with Chaser today and see how easy project management in Slack can be.
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