Asana, one of the best project management tool in the market

What is Asana

Let’s dive a little bit further into this program. It’s relatively new and has only around 30,000 people currently using it. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t know what they’re doing. In fact, they seem to know quite a bit about what they’re doing and they’re definitely offering a lot of features. In fact, Asana was created by some of the big-wigs that used to be part of a couple other big technology companies, Facebook and Google. So, if you weren’t sure you wanted to trust this relatively new software, that should give you more confidence.
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It offers planning, sharing and organization for your to-do list and lets your entire team be a part of the process. What’s even better is that this system is simple to use, which means that just about anyone can use it without a problem. You’ll be able to teach even your most technologically-averse team members how to use this software. That’s going to make it invaluable to teams that feature members from all different generations, and different comfort levels with technology.

Just How Does it Work?

In general, you’re going to create your account and start assigning people to it. You get to create different teams within your account so that different people will be in the right places. So, if you have a team working on Project A they’re going to be in a different team than those on Project B. Not only that but within the teams you can great different projects and within those projects you can create sections and tasks. All of these things are going to make it a whole lot easier for you to keep track of the things that your team needs to get done.
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Now, each of the specific tasks that you create gets a name, a due date and team members assigned to it. You can set up tags, subtasks and other text that will help you to delineate what’s going on within that task. Plus, you can set the status of a task. That means you can set it as under review, in feedback or whatever type of status you want. You get to decide on the way those statuses are going to be set up as well. There’s even an inbox that allows your entire team to communicate with one another easily.
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For those who want to get started, it works with teams of any size. The difference is going to be the price. The free version of Asana gives you access to searches, archives, basic to-do lists and general tasks as well as a total of 15 team members. If you’re not 100% sure about how it’s all going to work or if it’s going to work for you or if you have a small team this might be enough for you. You may be able to make the free version work, at least for a little while.
On the other hand, if you have a larger team or you require the more advanced features you’re going to want the paid version of the service. This runs $7.50 per user each month that you want to use the service. That means you’re going to have a decent amount of cost involved. So, you better be pretty sure that this is the service that you want and the one that’s going to work for you if you decide you’re going to pay for it. You don’t want to spend that kind of money on something that doesn’t work.

Overall Features

Now, let’s take a quick look at some of the most important features that are going to go along with your Asana system. Of course you’re going to have a to-do list, which lets you create your tasks and decide just what is important to you for the day (or longer). In fact, your to-do list can contain just about anything that you want and it could pertain only to you or it could pertain to an entire team that you create. That’s going to be one way that you can create a customized experience, including adding tasks and assigning deadlines and more to each one.
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With the premium version you’re going to have features like reporting, which lets you see how your team is doing when it comes to your results and tasks. It also allows you to set the start dates for projects rather than just the end dates, which is going to help you keep people on track with the things that need to be done more urgently and the things that could wait a little bit longer before you jump in on them. It’s going to keep the whole team doing the things they’re supposed to do, when they’re supposed to do it.
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Other features include an inbox with notifications. This is provided for all of the people on your team and it lets you send them notifications when you assign new tasks or when you send them a message. That’s going to make sure they don’t miss anything and neither do you. If someone has a question you’re going to see it quickly and you’re going to be able to take care of it right away. All you need to do is keep an eye on your notifications and Asana is going to make sure that you can do that quickly and easily. So you’ll be ready to go in no time.
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Plus, you’re going to have features like priority support, data security and archiving of your tasks and checklists. You’ll be able to utilize all of these features however you like and you can essentially customize the system to make sure that you’re going to have a system that you can use. You want something that’s going to be easy, after all, and with this system, whether you have the paid or the free version, you’re going to have exactly that. All you need to do is make sure that you’re evaluating which version of the system you need.

Where it Wins

Okay, let’s dive into just what the best features of Asana are. After all, it’s got some great services and features and that’s why it’s continuing to do quite well overall. So, we want to take a closer look at where it’s thriving and just how it’s going to continue to provide you with the services and features that you’ve been looking for. Once you know that you’re going to be better prepared to make a decision (though we would recommend also looking at the fails in the section below).
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The interface is one of the top reasons that Asana does so well and that’s because it has a great looking and very simple to user interface. It’s really easy for anyone to figure out how the system works and how to access the different parts that you might need. There’s not a whole lot of a learning curve involved, which makes it great for just about any user that you might have.
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Next, if you’re looking for a way to create a good to-do list you’re definitely in the right place. That’s exactly what this system is all about. It’s going to help you create a to-do list in a really easy way. All you have to do is create your task and then you can drag-and-drop it wherever you want. So you’re going to have no problem adding new tasks, moving them around and whatever else you might need to do.
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If you only have a few people working on your team or in your business you’re going to have a great time with this software, it’s going to give you and them a great place to interact and a great way to see what everyone is working on. If you have fewer than 5 people working on your team you’re going to have a great time here.
For those who need to set things to certain priority level you can do that with Asana. While it’s easiest to set just one item as your highest priority and then set the rest of the items at a lower level, you can adjust levels a little differently. This is going to help you set up what needs to be done and just who needs to make sure that it gets done.
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The calendar aspect is one of the best things about this system. It allows you to see your calendar all at once and lets everyone on the team see what needs to be done or what tasks are being worked on. It’s even going to show you a timeline and let you see how different tasks are dependent upon one another. All of this is going to make sure that you can get your tasks completed on time and budget, a whole lot faster and easier.

Where it Fails

Okay, so we don’t like to talk about anything failing, but this is something that we need to take a closer look at. You want to make sure that you’re getting a system that’s going to work for you and your entire team and that means making sure that you know what the not so great aspects of Asana are. That way, you’re going to know how to counter them or what you might want to be looking elsewhere for. After all, you’re going to want something that you can use to take care of all of the important tasks in your business, right?
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Communication across different teams isn’t a simple process. Instead, you’re really relegated to only communicating in your one specific team and to only others within that team. This can make it a bit difficult to utilize the software to its fullest potential. After all, there are always going to be times where you have to communicate with someone who isn’t on the same team because something you’re doing overlaps or because you need their assistance. If you have to take that communication out of your task management system it’s not going to be a help to you.
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Next, if you have a large team you’re going to need to pay for the enterprise system. That can be expensive, especially since you have to pay for each member who will need to use the system and you pay every month. So, if you’re going to have a lot of people using it you need to upgrade and you have to weigh out the pros and cons of the cost that you’re putting into the process. Still, you are going to have ways to balance out the cost because you can carry it over into the costs for your clients.
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Unfortunately, some of the software that Asana is starting to introduce and the different ways that they are starting to talk about improvements are a little outdated. Many other companies already offer some of these features, but Asana is just stepping into the arena. This can be a bit of a drawback, though if you look more closely you may see that some of these special features aren’t as necessary as you might think. That’s why Asana didn’t spend quite as much time on them in the beginning, instead choosing to focus on other, more important areas.
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There’s no real good study of what’s going to happen next with the system. No one knows what products they’re going to be rolling out or which features and services. No one even knows when bug fixes will be rolled out, which can be a little bit unnerving for some and annoying for others. It’s something you’ll want to take a close look at and you may find it a nuisance. Luckily, there are a lot of great rollouts happening and they initiate relatively quickly, so you don’t have to worry about waiting around for too much, even if you don’t know when it’s coming.
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Sometimes Asana seems just a little bit too playful as well. Some of the features and the background aspects of the system very much seem amateurish and they seem like they’re more inclined to playtime than to a serious system that you need for business. But maybe that’s what you need, something a little more playful and fun to break up the monotony of your workday, right? Well, if that’s the case then you’re in the right place when it comes to working with Asana. It has a little bit of everything that you might need.

Top New Features

So, just what has come to Asana lately? With everything we’ve said you might think that this system isn’t doing much or that it’s tending to fall behind entirely. Well, there are some good areas of Asana and some important aspects that you’ll want to take a look at. They’re bringing about some newer software that you’re not necessarily going to find in other places, like new automation and even new reporting methods. So, if you’re interested in these features, take a look at what’s available here.
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First, automation. If you have set tasks that need to be repeated multiple times or across each of your different projects you can set them up to be automatically taken care of. You’ll be able to customize some of these features and make sure that everything that needs to be done is done. Not only that but you’re going to have no problem reducing some of the errors you might get otherwise. Plus, it helps to cut down some of the time that you have to spend to get things done. All of that is going to end up as a win-win for you.
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When it comes to reporting, Asana is collaborating with something called Forrester Wave reports. You’ll be able to get information about different collaborations and find out about different types of work management. You’re going to have a whole lot of information here and you’re going to be able to utilize it for your purposes. In the end, you’re going to be much better prepared for just what needs to be done in your Asana system. Keep in mind that you’re going to be getting this updated report with your service, so you can start applying the information right away.

Is it For You?

So, is Asana going to be the software for you? Well, that’s going to be a relatively personal choice. You’re the one who has to decide whether you like this system or you don’t. You have to take a closer look at each of the benefits and features that it does offer and compare them to the features that you’re not going to get. You might be able to get some different features by going with a different system. You might be able to get the most important ones with this or another system. Remember, you may have to make some sacrifices.
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When it comes to getting the best system for your business the most important thing you can do is balance out your top needs and the sacrifices that you’re willing to make to get those things. If you’re willing to give up a little bit of money to get the other features that you can access through Asana then this is great for you. Other features and shortcomings might balance out different ways for you too. And keep in mind that this is all about what’s going to work for you, not someone else.
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Now, if you have a small business you’re going to see the benefits when it comes to Asana. You’re going to be able to work with your team more easily and to balance out the different tasks that need to be done. You’re going to have a free system that gives you a whole lot of features and combines great with your Gantt Chart Software (Instagantt). It’s all going to make for a cohesive system that you can use for any area of business. Your entire office is going to be more than happy to be able to collaborate this way.
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If you have a large business you’re going to see even more benefits from this system because you’re going to have an array of different benefits with the paid version. You’ll be getting all of the same benefits that come with the standard, but you’re also going to be upgrading those features and getting a whole lot more. What could be better than that? If you’re going to pay for the service you want to make sure that you’re getting something that’s going to be worth the investment, right?

So, are you going to get good features out of Asana? In short, absolutely. And when you combine Asana with Instagantt you’re going to be even better off. You’ll be able to utilize all of the top features that we already mentioned when it comes to Asana and you’ll also be able to make sure that you’re shoring up the areas where Asana may not be doing as well as you had hoped. Instagantt can take care of it too.
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But in all fairness, we’ve explained what Asana can do for you, and some of its unique features. However, we haven’t really gotten into what Instagantt has to offer, and all the benefits your team will be introduced to by using it. So let’s dive a little bit into this software.


What is Instagantt?

Instagantt is a web app developed for as a Gantt chart maker that help you visually plan project schedules with your team.
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It's honestly the perfect Gantt chart ally you were hoping for. This tool makes project planning easy, as it allows you to create a Gantt chart, schedule tasks, and set start and due dates.
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What’s even better is that this system is simple to use. It's so intuitive, that you and your team will be able to start using it right away.  
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Gantt Chart Software for Asana
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By creating an Instagantt account linked to Asana, you'll be able to manage and create Gantt Charts for your Asana Projects. So, how do you start using Instagantt for Asana? During your first Instagantt session, you will be prompted to browse your Asana projects and connect those that you'd like to visualize in Gantt format, given that you may only want to connect one or a few of your projects, versus your entire list of projects.
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Two-way Communication Between Asana and Instagantt
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And once you choose which projects to connect, just like that, your tasks (and all your information related to your tasks) will be transformed into Gantt chart mode. This means that descriptions, the names of your tasks and subtasks, assignees, and start and due dates you had previously assigned to your projects in Asana, will be immediately synchronized to Instagantt. Why does this happen? Because there is two-way communication between Asana and Instagantt, meaning that changes made in Asana reflect in Instagantt straight away, and vice versa.
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Your Favorite Asana Features Sync to Instagantt
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We’ve mentioned your top Asana features also work in Instagantt. But it’s more than that. We’re talking full-on synchronization between the way you manage your projects. What does this mean? It means that features such as Milestones, which are incredibly useful and make for check-points that mark a critical decision factor within your project, also sync from Asana to Instagantt.
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As you probably know by now, making communication between teams a simple process is one of our main goals. So it makes sense that we would make a point to deliver a great tool that allows for comments to quickly synchronize between the two systems. This way, when you add comments to tasks, they will also automatically show up on your Gantt chart. Also, when you create new comments on Instagantt, the information will sync to your project in Asana.
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The same goes for great features such as dependencies and tags. We’ve made the best and most useful project management features available and fully connected between the two software so that any progress you make in one, automatically reflects on the other one. When we say your team won’t miss anything anymore, we really mean it. Asana and Instagantt can make your team reach a new level in no time.

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