How to Set Up Update Dropdown Options Across All Boards From A Master List

What This Does

When dropdown options change (new status, new category), every board using that dropdown needs manual updating.

Zorpa cross-board sync propagates dropdown value changes from a master board to all connected boards in real-time.

Complexity: intermediate | Feature: Cross Board Sync

Prerequisites

• A Monday.com account (any plan)
• At least one board with dropdown columns
• Zorpa installed from the Monday Marketplace

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Designate a master board for each dropdown type

Navigate to the Monday.com Marketplace, search for "Zorpa", and click Install. Add it to the board where you want dropdown automation.

Step 2: Install Zorpa on master and all connected boards

Once installed, open your board and switch to the Zorpa Board View. You'll see the Rules tab where all your automations are configured.

Step 3: Set up sync rules: Master → Board 1, Board 2, etc.

Click "Add Rule" and select the dropdown column that should trigger the automation.

Step 4: Test by changing a value on master

Follow the on-screen prompts to complete this configuration step.

Step 5: Verify propagation

Follow the on-screen prompts to complete this configuration step.

Real-World Examples

Marketing Agencies

Dropdown: Client Status (Active, On Hold, Churned, Prospect) Trigger: When value changes to "Any change on master" Action: Sync to all 15 client project boards Impact: Inconsistent client status = wrong resource allocation

An agency with 15 active clients has a Client Status dropdown on each project board. When a client goes On Hold, it needs to reflect everywhere — not just the master board.

Saas Companies

Dropdown: Feature Status (Planned, In Development, Beta, GA) Trigger: When value changes to "Any change on product roadmap" Action: Sync to sprint boards, CS boards, docs board Impact: Outdated feature status = wrong customer promises

When a feature moves from Beta to GA, three teams need to know: engineering (close tickets), CS (update customers), docs (publish guides). Manual sync means someone always has outdated info.

Construction

Dropdown: Project Phase (Pre-Construction, Foundation, Framing, MEP) Trigger: When value changes to "Phase change on master project board" Action: Sync to subcontractor boards, client portal, accounting Impact: Out-of-sync phases = billing and scheduling errors

A GC managing 8 projects, each with a main board, sub boards, and a client-facing board. Phase changes need to propagate everywhere to keep billing and scheduling accurate.

Troubleshooting

• Rule not firing? Check that the dropdown column is correctly selected and the trigger value matches exactly (case-sensitive).
• Form submissions not triggering? Ensure you're using Zorpa's form-safe trigger mode, not a standard column change trigger.
• Actions not executing? Verify that the target person/column exists and that Zorpa has the necessary board permissions.

Next Steps

Once your first rule is working, consider adding:

• Cascading dropdowns to validate data entry
• Cross-board sync to keep multiple boards aligned
• Additional trigger rules for other dropdown columns

Install Zorpa to get started.