Case Study | Migration from ClickUp to Zoho Projects

Mari Clift
16/04/25 09:04 - Comment(s)

The Company

A rapidly growing software company, focused on optimising delivery and collaboration, set out to consolidate its toolset as part of a broader operational review. While ClickUp had supported their initial growth, the ongoing subscription costs began to outweigh the value it provided, particularly when compared with the wider capabilities of Zoho One. The team identified an opportunity to not only reduce costs, but also expand functionality across project management, time tracking, and reporting by migrating to Zoho Projects within the Zoho One suite.

Overview

As part of its phased transition into the Zoho ecosystem, the Software Company undertook the migration of its project management operations from ClickUp to Zoho Projects. This move was a key step toward unifying delivery teams with the broader business operating system - streamlining collaboration, centralizing data, and improving visibility across departments.

To facilitate the migration, Both& developed a custom framework that combined Python-based data extraction with Zoho tools for import controls. Other Zoho tools were used to ensure data integrity between ClickUp and Zoho Projects. Through a series of comparison queries and validation dashboards, the team confirmed complete accuracy before finalising the cut-over.

The result was a transition with full data fidelity and zero operational downtime.

Problem Statement & Key Challenges

The Software Company had been using ClickUp to manage both internal and client-facing projects. However, as the organisation moved toward consolidating operations within the Zoho One platform, ClickUp became a siloed bottleneck, operating independently of key systems such as CRM, support, HR, and finance.

Migrating to Zoho Projects presented several technical and operational challenges:

  • No native integration pathway: ClickUp did not offer a direct export/import mechanism to Zoho Projects, requiring a fully custom migration approach.

  • Complex task hierarchies: Subtasks, assignees, dependencies, due dates, statuses, and custom fields all needed to be preserved with complete fidelity. At the structural level, ClickUp projects were organized into Spaces, which contained Folders, which in turn contained Lists, but folderless lists also existed and had to be accounted for. These various list types had to be merged and normalized to create a complete set of task containers before any task-level data could be retrieved and mapped.

  • Strict import requirements: Zoho Projects enforced structured, validated input formats to ensure consistency and data integrity.

  • Data integrity validation: The migration process required mechanisms to detect any missing or duplicated data. Ensuring end-to-end data accuracy was critical, including the ability to identify discrepancies between the source and destination platforms.

  • Tight migration window: The cut-over had to be completed over a single weekend to prevent disruption to ongoing project work.

  • API rate limits: Both ClickUp and Zoho Projects imposed rate limits on API usage, necessitating careful orchestration of calls, throttling, and error recovery during both extraction and import phases.

Evaluation of the Problem

While ClickUp’s API was well-documented, extracting deeply nested data, such as checklists, comments, attachments, and parent-child task relationships, required precise orchestration across multiple endpoints. The data model was flexible, but this flexibility introduced additional complexity when mapping to Zoho Projects.

On the other end, Zoho Projects imposed strict requirements for data structure, task formatting, and field validations that didn’t directly align with ClickUp’s formats. This created a significant challenge in translating and reshaping the data without loss or duplication.

Manual exports and spreadsheet-based mapping were quickly ruled out due to the risk of human error, lack of scalability, and the tight delivery window. A robust, automated solution was required to handle both the volume and structural complexity of the migration, while ensuring speed, accuracy, and repeatability.

Proposed Solution  

Both& designed a two-part technical solution tailored to the requirements and constraints of each platform:

1. ClickUp Data Extraction and Transformation  

  • A custom Python script was developed to connect with the ClickUp API and orchestrate data retrieval across all hierarchical levels.

  • The script extracted structured data from workspaces, spaces, folders, lists (including folderless lists), tasks, subtasks, assignees, statuses, checklists, comments, and timestamps.

  • Transformation logic was applied during extraction to align ClickUp’s flexible data model with Zoho Projects’ stricter structure.

  • Extracted data was stored locally in a normalized format that mirrored Zoho Projects’ expected import schema, supporting traceability and auditability.

2. Zoho Projects Import  

  • A custom built Zoho application was built to act as a staging and validation layer, allowing the team to review, clean, and map the incoming data before initiating import.

  • Deluge scripting and automation capabilities were used to push validated records into Zoho Projects in the correct order and hierarchy.

  • This approach enabled real-time error handling, progress tracking, ID mapping (e.g. users, projects, statuses), and built-in safeguards to avoid duplication or data loss.


3.   Validation

  • A low-code Zoho Tool was used to connect to both ClickUp and Zoho Projects.

  • Data from both platforms was ingested into a centralised workspace, where comparison queries and dashboards were built to validate the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of the migration.

  • This layer of reporting played a critical role in identifying any discrepancies, ensuring 100% confidence before go-live.


Implementation

The migration was delivered through a focused, fast-paced two-week sprint, culminating in a successful cut-over with full validation.

1. Development & Testing (2 Weeks) 

  • The custom data extractor and import tools were developed and tested in parallel to maximize velocity.

  • Sandbox environments in Zoho Projects were used to validate task hierarchies, due dates, statuses, and user assignments.

  • Internal dry runs tested volume handling, error recovery, and edge cases to ensure resilience under real conditions.


2. Weekend Cut-over

  • A dedicated migration window was scheduled over a weekend to avoid business disruption.

  • ClickUp usage was frozen on Friday evening to ensure data consistency.

  • The Python-based extraction script was executed to pull all required data.

  • The custom built Zoho application processed and imported the data into Zoho Projects in the correct order and structure.

  • System logs were reviewed, and a targeted audit of migrated records was completed before go-live.


3. Post-Migration Validation 

  • Data from both platforms was ingested into a unified workspace for side-by-side comparison.

  • Custom SQL queries and dashboards were created to verify that all tasks, assignees, statuses, and due dates matched exactly between systems.

  • This validation layer provided visual confirmation of 100% migration accuracy, allowing the Software Company to move forward with full trust in the integrity of their new project environment.

Result

The ClickUp to Zoho Projects migration was completed successfully, positioning the Software Company’s delivery teams for greater integration, visibility, and long-term scalability within the Zoho ecosystem.

  • Seamless Transition: All project data was migrated over a single weekend, allowing the Software Company to begin using Zoho Projects at the start of the following week with zero downtime or disruption.

  • Structural Accuracy: Milestones, task hierarchies, owners, deadlines, statuses, and custom fields were migrated with complete fidelity, ensuring continuity in project workflows.

  • Post-Migration Assurance: Connecting ClickUp and Zoho Projects to Zoho Tools, assisted in generating custom dashboards. Comparison queries were used to verify 100% data accuracy.

  • Improved Integration: Project data is now embedded within the broader Zoho ecosystem, integrated with CRM, Desk, Analytics, and other operational tools.

  • Prepared for Growth: This successful migration laid the foundation for the Software Company’s continued Zoho One adoption, demonstrating the effectiveness of the platform and the implementation expertise of Both&.