Software Name

Asana

Specifications

Compatible Operating Systems

The browser-based application works within all major available web browsers on all major operating systems including iOS and Android on mobile devices. A separate mobile app is also available exclusively for the iPhone.

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Price

Asana is free. Charges start at thirty-one users per project. Premium workspace plans cost between $100-$800/month.

Website

www.asana.com

Description

What does the software do?

Asana is web-based project management software that organizes projects into workspaces, projects, and tasks.

This three-layered approach to project organization and workflow allows for multiple tasks and subtasks to be assigned to different users and collaborators. Progress on projects and individual tasks can be tracked via RSS feeds. Notes, comments, and attachments can be added to each task. Users can message each other about changes made to tasks.

Why would it benefit a technical communication professional or academic?

Larger technical documents can be listed as workspaces or projects. If a technical report is presented as a workspace, the primary sections of the report--introduction, summary, conclusion, recommendation, and attachments--can be created as projects in the workspace. When working on multiple projects for a specific client, the client can be listed as a workspace while each of the different jobs can be listed as a project. For example, if a designer is reworking a website for a company, different projects can be created for the content, the CSS, the SEO keywords, usability evaluation,  and accessibility. This allows for supporting graphics, drafts, images, or tables to be attached to different portions of the document. Each project, i.e. portion of the web site redesign, can be broken down into tasks or even subtasks--revising the CSS, making sure the CSS is in accord with W3C standards, etc.--with tasks assigned to different team members. This makes it possible to easily track the status for both the whole document or project as well as the different components.

This toolset is useful when working as an individual with multiple projects as well as when working collaboratively as a team at one site or as a team that is distributed in multiple locations. Asana integrates two tools that help contextualize the work and track developments. The first element is the description box right under the task label or title. This is a good place to put relevant links, information, questions,or concerns about the task as it immediately sits or rests. This information can be updated regularly, but changes to this information are not tracked. The second tool is the comments section. This does provide a history and tracks any ongoing discussion or questions that different users have about the specific task or attached documents. If users are following a specific project or task via RSS, they receive immediate updates related to the questions asked about the task

In addition to tracking and managing projects as well as improving time management, the software can also be used for relationship management on either the personal or the professional level. For example, the platform lends itself well to work such as tracking meetings with colleagues, staying on top of committee meetings, and coordinating presentations at conferences. The comments and notes sections support this role by enabling note-taking and documenting what was covered at a meeting, identifying who is supposed is responsible the next round of editing a draft, or when a follow-up phone call or online chat will occur.

What personal examples show the tool's benefits?

Over the past three months, we have used Asana on our Apple mobile devices, laptops, and desktops for grant applications, assembling a tenure binder, co-authoring articles, and coordinating on-campus technology trainings and presentations. It helps to save time, money, and attention while organizing diverse work into a system that is easy to navigate. We have each used Asana with our own writing projects and to manage different aspects of our writing projects, such as tracking research of sources, contacts at different publishing houses or professional journals, the status of specific drafts, integrating notes or concepts we just thought of or realized.

Elayne has used Asana to coordinate meetings with different faculty to help with their instructional design, improve their work with Moodle, and track progress with her program’s development. Greg has used Asana to track professional development activities: CFP due dates, conference dates, draft due dates, categories for tenure review materials, and scheduling revisions of the CV.

On a personal level, Asana is great for tracking finances, bills, and medical appointments. This has improved time management by including both personal and work related events in the same master calendar or software. Enabling an holistic view of time spent and time available makes it easier to assess whether or not meeting on certain days/times are possible as well as just how much open or free time is left in a specific day, week, or month.

Pros

• Free
• Easy to learn--basic workflow can be grasped in 20-30 minutes while learning all the additional features can take days or weeks. Not all the features are necessary or useful for everyone, but there are multiple options.
• Collaboration is easy to manage and free for up to 30 collaborators.
• Good privacy control: you can share entire workspaces or limit sharing to a specific project.
• Integrates with Google accounts.
• Customer service is responsive.
• Asana is rarely down.
• File attachment is allowed.
• Some good instructional and introductory support videos.

Cons

• Task prioritization is still a bit clunky.
• Inability to duplicate workspaces: this can result in unnecessary and extra typing if there are multiple versions of a project or article.
• Training content does not yet have videos that directly address academics’ needs and uses.
• Integration with calendars is limited: currently, setting specific times, say 9-10 am, can be listed in a task title, but times cannot be assigned to tasks. This lack of time assignment means that when Asana integrates with your calendar, the task appears for the whole day and not the specific time.
• Does not have an Android app.

Author Info

Name: Dr. Gregory Zobel
Institution: Western Oregon University
Email: zobelg@wou.edu

Name: Elayne Kuletz
Institution: Western Oregon University
Email: kuletze@wou.edu