GitHub Projects is GitHub’s built-in project management tool that turns issues and pull requests into a planning surface directly within the platform where developers already work. The current version, Projects V2, provides table, board, and roadmap views with custom fields, automated workflows, and cross-repository planning. For teams that live in GitHub, Projects eliminates the context switching between a separate project management tool and the codebase.

GitHub Projects Review: Built-In Project Management for Developers

What GitHub Projects Does Well

Zero Context Switching

The primary advantage of GitHub Projects is proximity to the code. Issues are already GitHub’s native work items, linked to pull requests, branches, and commits. A developer can view their project board, pick an issue, create a branch, write code, open a PR, and close the issue — all without leaving GitHub. No Jira-to-GitHub integration to configure and maintain.

Flexible Views

Projects V2 provides three views:

Table view. A spreadsheet-like layout with sortable, filterable columns. Custom fields (text, number, date, single select, iteration) extend the default issue fields.

Board view. A Kanban board with columns based on any single-select field, typically status. Cards show key information and can be dragged between columns.

Roadmap view. A timeline view showing issues plotted by date fields. Useful for visualizing release timelines and milestone progress.

Iterations (Sprints)

GitHub Projects supports iteration fields that map to sprints. Teams can define iteration lengths, assign issues to iterations, and filter views by the current iteration. While less feature-rich than Jira’s sprint implementation, it covers the basics for teams practicing Scrum.

Automation

Built-in automations handle common workflows: when an issue is added to the project, set its status to “Todo.” When a PR linked to an issue is merged, set status to “Done.” Custom automations can be built using GitHub Actions for more complex workflows.

Cross-Repository Planning

A single GitHub Project can include issues from multiple repositories. This is valuable for teams that maintain several repos (frontend, backend, infrastructure) and need a unified view of work across the codebase.

Where GitHub Projects Falls Short

Limited Metrics and Reporting

GitHub Projects provides no built-in velocity tracking, burndown charts, cumulative flow diagrams, or cycle time reporting. Teams that need agile metrics must build dashboards externally using GitHub’s API or third-party tools like ZenHub, which adds GitHub-native agile charts.

No WIP Limits

The board view does not support WIP limits, a fundamental Kanban practice. Teams must rely on discipline rather than tool enforcement to manage work in progress.

Basic Backlog Management

There is no dedicated backlog view with drag-and-drop prioritization. Backlog management requires filtering the table view and manually ordering issues. Product Owners accustomed to Jira’s backlog panel will find GitHub Projects limiting.

Not for Non-Technical Teams

GitHub Projects is designed for developers. Non-technical stakeholders who need project visibility will find the GitHub interface intimidating. Organizations that need cross-departmental project management should use a tool like Asana or Monday.com.

Resource Management

There is no workload view, capacity planning, or resource allocation. Project managers cannot see whether a developer is overloaded or available for additional work.

GitHub Projects Pricing

GitHub Projects is included with every GitHub plan:

Plan	Price	Projects Included
Free	$0	Unlimited public projects, limited private
Team	$4/user/month	Unlimited projects
Enterprise	$21/user/month	Advanced security, compliance features

Since most development teams already have GitHub accounts, Projects adds project management functionality at no additional cost. This makes it the most cost-effective option for teams that do not need features beyond what GitHub provides.

Who Should Use GitHub Projects

Best for: Small to medium development teams (3-20 people) that want project management without leaving GitHub. Open-source projects that need public-facing project boards. Teams with simple workflows that do not need advanced agile metrics. Budget-conscious teams that want to avoid paying for a separate PM tool.

Not ideal for: Teams that need sophisticated agile workflows. Organizations where non-technical stakeholders need project visibility. Teams with complex reporting requirements. Large-scale agile implementations.

GitHub Projects vs. Alternatives

For teams that want GitHub-native project management with more features, ZenHub ($8.33/user/month) adds epics, burndown charts, velocity tracking, and sprint planning directly within GitHub.

For teams that need more than GitHub can provide, Linear offers the best GitHub integration of any standalone tool, with automatic issue-branch linking and PR-status sync. Jira also integrates with GitHub but requires more configuration.

Getting Started

Create a project from the Projects tab on your GitHub profile or organization. Add issues from one or more repositories. Create custom fields for priority, effort, and sprint iteration. Set up a board view for daily work management and a table view for backlog management. Configure the built-in automations to reduce manual status updates. Start simple and add complexity as the team identifies gaps.