Project Management Tool

Asana

Overview

Asana is a project management tool with intuitive UI and rich features. It integrates task management, project tracking, and team collaboration, supporting various view formats (list, board, timeline, calendar). Popular among mid-sized teams and creative teams, it features user-friendly interface and balanced functionality.

Details

Asana is designed to make project management simple yet powerful, accommodating a wide range of users from technical to non-technical teams. Flexible display options and rich collaboration features help improve team productivity.

Key Features

• Multiple View Formats: List, board (Kanban), timeline (Gantt chart), and calendar views
• Custom Fields: Add unique fields tailored to project needs
• Automation Rules: Automate repetitive tasks and optimize workflows
• Goals Feature: Goal setting and progress visualization
• Proofing: Review and feedback for design and creative assets
• Portfolios: Integrated management of multiple projects
• Time Tracking: Built-in time tracking functionality
• Rich Integrations: Slack, Gmail, Adobe Creative Suite, Salesforce, and more

Target Teams

• Mid-sized development teams (10-100 people)
• Marketing and creative teams
• Product management teams
• Consulting and service businesses
• Non-profit organizations and educational institutions

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Intuitive and beautiful user interface
• Easy for non-technical users to get started
• Rich display options flexibly adapt to team needs
• Powerful automation features streamline workflows
• Free plan includes comprehensive basic features
• Excellent mobile app and offline sync

Cons

• Limited advanced project management features (dependencies, etc.)
• Lacks features for large enterprise environments
• Limited customization compared to enterprise tools
• Basic reporting functionality
• Paid plans can be expensive for small businesses
• Not suitable for complex workflows

Reference Pages

• Asana Official Website
• Asana Guide
• Asana API Documentation
• Asana Academy
• Asana Community
• Asana Pricing Plans

Code Examples

Basic Setup

# Install Asana CLI (unofficial)
npm install -g asana-cli

# Configure API key
export ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN="your_personal_access_token"

# Check workspaces
asana workspaces

# Get project list
asana projects --workspace="workspace_gid"

Project Creation

# Asana Python SDK example
import asana

# Initialize client
client = asana.Client.access_token('your_personal_access_token')

# Create new project
project_data = {
    'name': 'Website Redesign',
    'notes': 'Q2 website redesign project',
    'team': 'team_gid',
    'layout': 'board',  # list, board, timeline, calendar
    'privacy_setting': 'team_visible',
    'default_view': 'board',
    'color': 'blue',
    'start_on': '2024-01-01',
    'due_on': '2024-03-31'
}

project = client.projects.create_project(project_data)
print(f"Project created: {project['name']} (ID: {project['gid']})")

# Create project sections
sections = [
    {'name': 'Backlog'},
    {'name': 'In Progress'},
    {'name': 'Review'},
    {'name': 'Complete'}
]

for section_data in sections:
    section_data['project'] = project['gid']
    section = client.sections.create_section(section_data)
    print(f"Section created: {section['name']}")

Issue Management

# Task creation
task_data = {
    'name': 'Login Page Design',
    'notes': '''
    ## Requirements
    - Responsive design support
    - Brand guideline compliance
    - Accessibility considerations
    
    ## Deliverables
    - [ ] Wireframe
    - [ ] Design mockup
    - [ ] Prototype
    ''',
    'projects': [project['gid']],
    'assignee': 'user_gid',
    'due_on': '2024-01-15',
    'tags': ['design', 'frontend', 'priority:high'],
    'custom_fields': {
        'story_points': '5',
        'priority': 'High',
        'status': 'Not Started'
    }
}

task = client.tasks.create_task(task_data)

# Create subtasks
subtasks = [
    'User research analysis',
    'Create wireframe',
    'Create UI design',
    'Create prototype',
    'Design review'
]

for subtask_name in subtasks:
    subtask_data = {
        'name': subtask_name,
        'parent': task['gid'],
        'assignee': 'user_gid'
    }
    subtask = client.tasks.create_subtask(task['gid'], subtask_data)

# Update task
update_data = {
    'completed': False,
    'assignee': 'new_assignee_gid',
    'due_on': '2024-01-20'
}
updated_task = client.tasks.update_task(task['gid'], update_data)

# Add comment to task
comment_data = {
    'text': 'Initial design is complete. Please review.',
    'is_pinned': False
}
client.stories.create_story_for_task(task['gid'], comment_data)

Workflow Configuration

# Create custom field
custom_field_data = {
    'name': 'Priority',
    'description': 'Task priority level',
    'type': 'enum',
    'enum_options': [
        {'name': 'Low', 'color': 'green'},
        {'name': 'Medium', 'color': 'yellow'},
        {'name': 'High', 'color': 'orange'},
        {'name': 'Critical', 'color': 'red'}
    ],
    'workspace': 'workspace_gid'
}
custom_field = client.custom_fields.create_custom_field(custom_field_data)

# Add custom field to project
client.projects.add_custom_field_setting_for_project(
    project['gid'], 
    {'custom_field': custom_field['gid'], 'is_important': True}
)

# Automation rule setup (limited via API, UI recommended)
automation_rule = {
    'name': 'Auto-assign high priority tasks',
    'trigger': {
        'type': 'task_added_to_project',
        'project': project['gid']
    },
    'condition': {
        'type': 'custom_field_changed',
        'custom_field': custom_field['gid'],
        'value': 'Critical'
    },
    'action': {
        'type': 'assign_task',
        'assignee': 'project_manager_gid'
    }
}

# Goal setup
goal_data = {
    'name': 'Q1 Website Completion',
    'notes': 'Complete Q1 website redesign',
    'team': 'team_gid',
    'time_period': {
        'start_on': '2024-01-01',
        'end_on': '2024-03-31'
    },
    'metric': {
        'unit': 'percent',
        'target_value': 100,
        'initial_value': 0
    }
}
goal = client.goals.create_goal(goal_data)

Reporting Features

# Project progress report
def generate_project_report(project_gid):
    # Project basic information
    project = client.projects.get_project(project_gid)
    
    # Task list within project
    tasks = list(client.tasks.get_tasks_for_project(
        project_gid, 
        opt_fields=['name', 'completed', 'assignee', 'due_on', 'custom_fields']
    ))
    
    # Calculate statistics
    total_tasks = len(tasks)
    completed_tasks = len([t for t in tasks if t.get('completed')])
    completion_rate = (completed_tasks / total_tasks * 100) if total_tasks > 0 else 0
    
    # Overdue tasks
    from datetime import datetime
    overdue_tasks = [
        t for t in tasks 
        if t.get('due_on') and 
        datetime.fromisoformat(t['due_on']) < datetime.now() and 
        not t.get('completed')
    ]
    
    # Statistics by assignee
    assignee_stats = {}
    for task in tasks:
        if task.get('assignee'):
            assignee_gid = task['assignee']['gid']
            if assignee_gid not in assignee_stats:
                assignee_stats[assignee_gid] = {'total': 0, 'completed': 0}
            assignee_stats[assignee_gid]['total'] += 1
            if task.get('completed'):
                assignee_stats[assignee_gid]['completed'] += 1
    
    return {
        'project_name': project['name'],
        'total_tasks': total_tasks,
        'completed_tasks': completed_tasks,
        'completion_rate': round(completion_rate, 2),
        'overdue_count': len(overdue_tasks),
        'assignee_stats': assignee_stats
    }

# Team workload analysis
def analyze_team_workload(team_gid):
    # Get team members
    team_members = list(client.teams.get_team_members(team_gid))
    
    workload_data = {}
    for member in team_members:
        # Active tasks for each member
        member_tasks = list(client.tasks.get_tasks({
            'assignee': member['gid'],
            'completed_since': 'now',
            'opt_fields': ['name', 'due_on', 'projects']
        }))
        
        workload_data[member['name']] = {
            'active_tasks': len(member_tasks),
            'upcoming_due': len([
                t for t in member_tasks 
                if t.get('due_on') and 
                datetime.fromisoformat(t['due_on']) <= datetime.now() + timedelta(days=7)
            ])
        }
    
    return workload_data

Team Collaboration

# Slack integration webhook setup
webhook_data = {
    'resource': 'task',
    'target': 'https://hooks.slack.com/services/YOUR/SLACK/WEBHOOK',
    'filters': [
        {'resource_type': 'task', 'action': 'added'},
        {'resource_type': 'task', 'action': 'changed'},
        {'resource_type': 'task', 'action': 'deleted'}
    ]
}

# Proofing (review) implementation
def create_review_task(asset_url, reviewers):
    review_task_data = {
        'name': f'Review: {asset_url}',
        'notes': f'Asset URL: {asset_url}\n\nReview points:\n- Brand guideline compliance\n- Usability\n- Technical implementation feasibility',
        'projects': [project['gid']],
        'tags': ['review', 'creative'],
        'custom_fields': {
            'asset_url': asset_url,
            'review_status': 'Pending'
        }
    }
    
    review_task = client.tasks.create_task(review_task_data)
    
    # Add reviewers
    for reviewer_gid in reviewers:
        client.tasks.add_followers_for_task(
            review_task['gid'], 
            {'followers': [reviewer_gid]}
        )
    
    return review_task

# Portfolio dashboard
def create_portfolio_dashboard(portfolio_gid):
    portfolio = client.portfolios.get_portfolio(portfolio_gid)
    portfolio_projects = list(client.portfolios.get_items_for_portfolio(portfolio_gid))
    
    dashboard_data = {
        'portfolio_name': portfolio['name'],
        'projects': []
    }
    
    for project in portfolio_projects:
        project_stats = generate_project_report(project['gid'])
        dashboard_data['projects'].append(project_stats)
    
    return dashboard_data