How do you currently manage your workflow and projects? Is your current setup working for you, or would you like to step up your game?
My #1 recommended tool for any size team is a fantastic web-based project management tool called Asana. In late 2017, PC Magazine named Asana one of the best collaboration and productivity apps for teams.
There are five core reasons why I love Asana and think you will too.
Why I love Asana:
1. Asana is easy to use.
You can get setup and started in Asana in about five minutes. In an hour or so, you can have a working tool managing your work. (I know! I can’t wait for you to finish reading this and get started also!)
Asana is structures work into Teams, Projects and Tasks and provides multiple options for viewing the same core information like list view, a kanban board view and a calendar view. You have the ability to add tags, @mentions people, projects or tasks and do some cool search-based reporting.
The core functionality is pretty straightforward and can be quickly learned by anyone who can use a web browser.
2. Asana is flexible.
If I had to rank order my absolute favorite reason to love Asana it’s the flexibility and versatility that it provides.
Asana comes out of the box as a fairly blank slate that can be customized to meet just about any team’s needs. And trust me, I’ve tried to break it working with some complex teams.
There are a handful of core ways to enter, sort and categorize information, but the possible combinations within that are endless.
Asana is a tool can work with you at whatever state you’re in. If you already have a dialed workflow and process, you can easily configure Asana to execute your existing process the best way possible.
If you kind of know what you’re doing, but are still figuring out what works best, Asana can help you figure it out. Put what you do know into Asana, and adjust as you go – it’s that flexible!
One of the more common reasons people don’t set up technology and tools to support their systems is that they don’t want to put a lot of effort into something that will be wasted when the process or the work changes. With Asana, that won’t happen. Decide that it makes more sense to work a slightly different way? Asana’s flexibility and bulk editing options work with you, not against you.
3. Asana is continually improving.
I first used Asana for a side project in early 2013, and it was very barebones. In fact, the only reason we chose to use Asana over a more robust tool was because it was free and we had zero budget for tools. In the last five years, the Asana team has continually rolled out new and improved features, along with a robust API that connects Asana with other applications for added features.
Two notable project management features not currently natively in Asana are a Gantt chart view and time tracking. Integration with Instagantt covers off on a Gantt chart view, and Asana has their own version currently in beta. If needed, you can implement time tracking and resource management with add-ons like Harvest and Float.
Based on everything I’ve seen, I’m confident the Asana team is in it for the long-haul and I’m on board.
4. Asana is FREE (or cheap).
Asana comes in two versions: Free and premium. Premium starts at $6.25 per month, per user, although there is currently a minimum of five users.
The free version is pretty impressive and can meet the needs of many users. The premium version will blow your mind. If Asana offered a premium version for fewer than 5 users, I would recommend that everyone go for the premium version. They don’t currently, so if you have fewer than 5 people in your organization, the per-user cost is higher and you’ll need to decide if it’s worth it.
5. Asana is fun!
There are unicorns! And narwals! In my experience, even the most tool-averse, skeptical teams want to use Asana, in part because it takes some of the seriousness out of managing projects and is fun to use.
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Combine fun, flexibility, ease of use and robust features, and what more could you want or need? Well, in talking to people who have used or attempted to use Asana, my beloved flexibility can actually be the hardest part.
There can be some trial and error involved in figuring out how to make Asana work best for YOU and your work. If that’s you, I’d like to help. Email me and let me know what questions you have, and how I can help you get set up for success in Asana.