Use Template Databases

This guide shows you how to quickly set up a structured team goals database in Notion using pre-built templates. Database templates provide ready-made structures for common use cases, saving time and ensuring best practices for team goal tracking and project management.

When to Use Database Templates

Database templates are ideal when you need to establish consistent team workflows quickly. The team goals template specifically helps organizations track quarterly objectives, monitor progress across different teams, and maintain visibility into project deadlines and deliverables.

Key Benefits

• Pre-configured properties for goal tracking (quarters, progress, due dates)
• Multiple view options for different team perspectives
• Consistent structure across team workspaces
• Built-in formulas and calculations for progress tracking

Navigation

To access database templates, navigate to any workspace where you have editing permissions. You can create a database template from a new page or add it to an existing page structure.

1

From your Notion sidebar, locate and click in the area where you want to create your new database page. This will open the page creation interface where you can select different content types.

2

Click on the Add icon, Add cover, Add comment, NEW PAGE area or similar content creation element. This opens a dropdown menu with different content types and templates available for your workspace.

3

From the content menu, select Database - Inline. This format creates a database directly embedded in your page, making it easy to add context and explanation around your team goals database.

4

When the database creation dialog appears, click More templates to access the full library of pre-built database templates. This expands your options beyond the basic templates shown initially.

5

Browse the available templates and click on Set team goals, achieve together or a similarly named team goals template. This template is specifically designed for collaborative goal tracking and includes properties for progress monitoring, deadlines, and team assignments.

6

In the template customization screen, you'll see various property options. Click Quarter to include this property in your database. This allows you to organize goals by quarterly periods, making it easier to align with business planning cycles.

7

Click Progress to add a progress tracking property to your database. This typically includes options like percentage completion, status indicators, or progress bars that help visualize how close each goal is to completion.

8

Choose Days until due to add automated deadline tracking. This formula property calculates the remaining days until each goal's due date, providing immediate visibility into timeline urgency.

9

After selecting your desired properties, click Continue to move to the next customization step. This advances you to the view configuration options where you can set up how the data will be displayed and organized.

10

Choose By Team as your default view configuration. This creates a grouped view that organizes goals by team assignments, making it easy for different teams to focus on their specific objectives while maintaining overall visibility.

11

Click Done to create your team goals database with all selected properties and views. The template will be instantiated with sample data and configured views, ready for your team to start adding their actual goals and tracking progress.

Understanding Template Properties

The team goals template includes several key properties designed for effective goal management:

• Quarter: Organizes goals by business quarters (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) for strategic alignment
• Progress: Visual progress indicators showing completion status and current state
• Days until due: Automated calculation providing real-time deadline awareness
• Team assignments: Person or multi-select properties for assigning goals to individuals or teams

Customizing Views

The "By Team" view provides grouped organization, but you can create additional views for different perspectives:

• Timeline view: Visualize goals across time periods for deadline planning
• Kanban board: Track goals through progress stages (Not Started, In Progress, Complete)
• Calendar view: See goal deadlines and milestones in calendar format

Best Practices for Team Goal Management

1. Set clear, measurable objectives: Use specific metrics and outcomes rather than vague descriptions
2. Regular progress updates: Establish weekly or bi-weekly check-ins to update progress status
3. Link to supporting documents: Connect goals to project plans, research, and relevant documentation
4. Use consistent naming conventions: Establish clear patterns for goal titles and team assignments

Integration with Other Notion Features

Team goals databases work seamlessly with other Notion capabilities:

• Create related databases for tasks, milestones, and team members
• Link goals to project pages with detailed documentation and resources
• Use filters to create focused views for specific teams or time periods

Conclusion

Database templates provide a powerful starting point for team goal management in Notion. By leveraging pre-built structures with quarterly organization, progress tracking, and team views, you can establish effective goal tracking workflows quickly. The template approach ensures consistency across teams while allowing for customization to match specific organizational needs.

Once your team goals database is set up, consider expanding it with additional properties, creating automated workflows, and integrating it with other databases and pages in your Notion workspace for comprehensive project management.