Commons
Documentation

Rollups

Rollups let you compile updates into beautiful presentations for stakeholder reviews, team meetings, or progress reports.

What is a Rollup?

A rollup is a curated collection of updates that you can:

  • Present - Show progress to stakeholders
  • Export - Download as PDF or PowerPoint
  • Share - Send a snapshot of team activity
  • Archive - Create a record of a time period

Think of it as "Spotify Wrapped" for your team's work.

Creating a Rollup

From the Rollups Page

  1. Navigate to your organization
  2. Click "Rollups" in the navigation
  3. Click "Create Rollup"
  4. Give it a title (e.g., "Q4 2024 Design Review")
  5. Add a description (optional)

Select Content

By Updates

Manually select individual updates to include.

By Teams

Include all updates from specific teams within a date range.

By Projects

Pull all updates from selected projects.

By Date Range

Get all updates within a time period (last week, month, quarter).

Tip: Combine filters to create focused rollups like "Design team's project updates from October".

Rollup Options

Celebrate Completed Projects

Shows a special celebration slide for projects that were completed during the period.

Show Timeline

Includes a visual timeline of all projects and their progress.

Include Project States

Displays current status of projects (In Progress, On Hold, Completed, etc.).

Viewing a Rollup

Rollups are displayed in a presentation format:

  • Cover Slide - Title, description, date range
  • Team Overview - Teams included with member counts
  • Project Slides - One slide per project with recent updates
  • Update Feed - Individual update cards with images
  • Timeline (if enabled) - Visual project timeline
  • Celebration (if enabled) - Completed projects showcase

Navigate using arrow keys or on-screen controls.

Exporting Rollups

PowerPoint (.pptx)

  1. Open your rollup
  2. Click "Export"
  3. Select "PowerPoint"
  4. Download the file

Best for:

  • Editing before presenting
  • Adding custom branding
  • Team meetings

PDF

  1. Open your rollup
  2. Click "Export"
  3. Select "PDF"
  4. Download the file

Best for:

  • Sending via email
  • Archiving
  • Stakeholder reviews

Rollup Snapshots

When you publish a rollup, Commons creates a snapshot of:

  • All included updates (text, images, videos)
  • Project states and metadata
  • Team and contributor information
  • Timestamps and activity

This means your rollup shows the state of work at that moment in time, even if projects or updates are later deleted or modified.

Use Cases

Weekly Team Reviews

Create a rollup every Friday with the week's updates. Great for async teams to stay aligned.

Monthly Stakeholder Updates

Compile the month's design work into a polished presentation for leadership.

Quarterly Business Reviews

Show progress across all teams and projects for the quarter.

Project Retrospectives

When a project completes, create a rollup of its entire journey.

Onboarding

Create a "Greatest Hits" rollup for new team members to see what the team has accomplished.

Best Practices

Title Clearly

Use descriptive titles with dates: "Design Team - October 2024" or "Homepage Redesign Progress - Q3"

Add Context

Use the description field to explain what's included and why it matters.

Curate Thoughtfully

Not every update needs to be in every rollup. Select what tells the story best.

Export Early

Generate the PowerPoint a day before your meeting to review and make any edits.

Keep as Record

Published rollups serve as historical record. Create them regularly to document progress.

Share Widely

Send rollup links to stakeholders who want to stay informed but don't use Commons daily.

Editing Rollups

Draft Mode

Rollups start as drafts. You can:

  • Add/remove updates
  • Change settings
  • Preview the presentation
  • Save and come back later

Publishing

Once you publish:

  • A snapshot is created
  • The rollup becomes read-only (content-wise)
  • You can still change title/description
  • You can unpublish to make changes

Deleting

You can delete rollups you created. This doesn't delete the actual updates, just the compilation.

Permissions

  • Create Rollups: Members and above
  • View Rollups: Anyone with access to the included content
  • Edit/Delete: Rollup creator, org owners, and admins

Tips for Great Rollups

  1. Include Visuals: Updates with images make more engaging presentations
  2. Mix Content Types: Combine project updates, polls, and regular posts
  3. Tell a Story: Order updates to show progression and narrative
  4. Use Celebrations: Highlight wins to boost team morale
  5. Export and Customize: The PowerPoint export is just a starting point

Next Steps