Item: Asana
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

As an instructional designer, I guide a number of faculty in developing fully online courses. I use Asana to track the progress of each course development. This use includes long-term programs as well as temporary projects. Currently, there are only a few of us in the organization using Asana, but I hope to get my team on board to replace the tool we use for collaboration.

Pros and Cons

I find Asana's user interface easy to navigate and manipulate. Drag and drop options are built-in, the graphics are clean and clear, and it is easy to figure out how to accomplish tasks I hadn't previously done.
Asana is versatile, allowing various layouts (list or tiles) to accommodate the various programs and projects I need to manage.
Asana has good collaboration tools. Team members can receive real-time updates (if they choose) when tasks are completed, and messages can be sent within Asana.
Asana has great integration with Google, Microsoft, Slack, and other tools to really tie it into my organization's existing tools.

Asana uses a "freemium" model. I currently use the free instance, but there are many more useful features available for the Premium model.
I have never found My Tasks, the to-do list of Asana, to be particularly helpful. I would like to see an opportunity to prioritize those tasks on the to-do list manually.
Asana has a number of icons available for project links, but it would be nice to upload custom icons.

Return on Investment

Asana helps me stay on track. It's easy to get distracted, but a project planned in Asana brings me back down to the ground level to get things done.
Asana is great for collaboration on projects, planning projects, and completing projects.
Asana can handle a number of teams within an organization, which will eliminate irrelevant updates from other people's projects.

Alternatives Considered

Atlassian Confluence, monday.com and Jira Software

Asana has a better user experience and user interface than other project management software I have used. It is much easier to learn than the other products, and I have been able to customize its use in better ways than I have accomplished with others. Much more than a to-do list.

Support Rating

I have found most of the answers I need in Asana's knowledgebase. There were a few times I didn't like the answer, but I was still able to get an answer. I did not rate Asana's support any higher because the knowledge base is the only tool I have used. I have not experienced other types of customer support.

Key Insights

Do you think Asana delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Asana's feature set?

Yes

Did Asana live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Asana go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Asana again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Canvas, Microsoft 365 Business, Jira Software

Likelihood to Recommend

Asana is great at straight out project management. Some advanced PM tools, such as Gantt charts, require paid subscriptions, but for creating and maintaining categorized task lists and assigning tasks to specific people, Asana is a pro. I originally used Asana at my wife's multimedia production business. Now that I am working on educational projects rather than media projects, I find the principles to be so similar that I am using Asana anyway. I think it's worth it.

Asana gives me peace

Overall Satisfaction with Asana