Who this is for: All users. Some group details are admin-only.
Custom groups hold people who don't fit your org chart, so you can target them on initiatives. Use them for:
- Cross-functional project teams
- Steering committees
- Change agent networks
- Vendor or partner teams
- Placeholder groups, when you don't want to add individuals
Custom groups are static. They don't update when your org chart changes, so keep their members up to date yourself.
Create a custom group
- Go to Audiences in the left menu and open the Custom groups tab.
- Click the add button to create a new custom group.
- Enter a Group name.
- Optionally set the Number of people. This overrides the count of individuals in the group, so it's useful for a placeholder group with no individuals yet.
- Optionally set a Location.
- Optionally add individuals: select people from your organisation, or upload an Excel list (the template is available here).
- Click Create.
Create several custom groups at once
- On the Custom groups tab, choose to import custom groups and download the template.
- Add one row per group. Name and Number of people are required. The number of people keeps time away from normal work accurate when a group has no individuals in it.
- To add members, list their email addresses in the individuals column, separated by commas.
- Upload the file.
Everyone you list must already exist in ChangePlan as an individual. Import new people first.
Add a custom group to an initiative
- Open the initiative and choose Audience.
- Click + Add custom groups, then search for and select the group.
- You can now assign impacts and activities to the custom group.
Edit or delete a custom group
On the Custom groups tab, open the three-dot menu on the group's row and choose Edit or Delete.
- Only admins can add or edit individuals, and set headcount, location, manager and notes.
- Users with full access can only edit the group name.
Show custom groups in reports
Go to Reports in the left menu, open a report and turn on Show custom groups in its options.
Good to know
- A person can be in several custom groups, as well as one org group.
- People must already exist in ChangePlan before you can add them to a custom group.
- Use lowercase email addresses so ChangePlan matches people correctly.
- To add or replace members in bulk, see Add or replace custom group members with an Excel file.
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Still stuck?
Email support@changeplan.co with a screenshot of what you see, and we'll help.
Last updated: 20 October 2026