Asana Reviews

“organized teamwork with fun touches”

Pros

Coming from someone who usually relies on sticky notes everywhere, this has been a huge upgrade. Paper notes cannot remind you about tasks, alert you when a deadline is missed or let you comment to coworkers to check if they've finished their part. This tool handles all of that. I can organize my work in as much detail as I want probably more than I even need. The layout is very clear and everything is labeled in a way that makes sense. Since our whole team uses it I can also see what everyone else is working on. That helps me know when it's a good time to interrupt, when to ask for help or when I can jump in and assist on something. The deadlines are useful and very easy to understand. Miss a task and it turns red which makes it hard to ignore. Complete one and, funnily enough, a unicorn appears to celebrate. I really enjoy that little bit of humor from the developers. It's a nice reminder that work tools don't have to feel robotic all the time. Assigning tasks is also very efficient. If something needs to be done by someone else, I can assign it directly to them and they get notified right away. That saves me from having to track people down in the office just to ask them to handle something. Overall it's a very efficient system and I'm extremely happy with it.

Cons

My only real complaint is that there's no built-in live messaging for real time conversations. If I need to talk with a coworker about a project, I have to leave a comment and tag them which feels very much like Facebook. If there were a chat feature, I would probably replace Slack immediately. Another issue is that the My Tasks section can be a little tricky to categorize. There are a lot of settings involved so you have to be very specific when creating tasks especially with assigning a date and a person even if that person is yourself. If you quickly enter a task and forget to assign one of those details, it can end up buried somewhere in your growing list and become hard to find. It's definitely possible to lose track of a task if you're not careful.

“powerful project organization”

Pros

From everyday task lists to long-term projects, Asana keeps everything organized for me. It also offers a wide range of capabilities so there's a lot you can do with it.

Cons

I genuinely enjoy just about everything about this software though it definitely comes with a learning curve and can take new users a little longer to get used to than some other tools.

“helpful daily organization”

Pros

Keeping track of what I need is simple with this organizational tool. I store the resources I use every day in my account which makes them quick to access and convenient to use.

Cons

It's tough to point to any real downside since I only use it in a very basic way. The teams feature doesn't seem very simple to me but that's likely because I haven't really explored it yet.

“fun boosts for productive days”

Pros

One thing I really appreciate about this software is how it celebrates the little wins when tasks get completed. Every few tasks something playful pops across the screen which feels like a fun way to congratulate users for working through their to-do lists. People on my team mention all the time how much they enjoy spotting the little unicorn especially since it feels like a sign that they've had a productive day.

Cons

At the same time there's definitely a bit of workplace psychology built into the software and that can sometimes feel overwhelming or even a little guilt-inducing when you don't finish everything you planned for the day. It would be more helpful if deadline changes felt less loaded, maybe by offering suggested new due dates closer to the end of the workday.

“team tracking done right”

Pros

The tool has been really useful for keeping track of time especially when it's connected with tools like Zistemo and it does an amazing job of helping the whole team stay aligned on projects and tasks.

Cons

At times the interface feels a little frustrating to navigate and I still haven't used the automation feature enough to confidently count it as a benefit yet.

“helpful lists for 1:1s”

Pros

Being able to create lists and quickly see what needs to be done has been really helpful especially when I am getting ready for my one on ones with my manager.

Cons

There are occasional glitches here and there but overall the platform works well. It feels like something that can be fixed and it's still simple to keep using in the meantime.

“Affordable product”

Pros

Compared with Microsoft Project, this software costs far less to implement. The interface is also much more user friendly than MS Project so it's simple to jump right in, start building projects and teams and get everyone involved quickly.

Cons

The only downside is that it's web-based so you need an internet connection to make updates or keep working. If the internet goes down, everything comes to a halt until the connection is restored.

“better team visibility”

Pros

Being able to assign and share tasks with several team members at once helps us review everything twice or even three times so fewer details get missed.

Cons

It sends out far too many email notifications by default and you have to dig into the settings to make it less irritating.

“user friendly organization tools”

Pros

This product is simple and user friendly. The variety of view options makes it really helpful for staying organized and keeping everything on track.

Cons

Even though it works very well Overall its capabilities are still somewhat limited and there are plenty of other tools available that offer more features.

“friendly layout and helpful templates”

Pros

It is fairly easy to use even for beginners and non-technical users. The layout seems user friendly and the ready-made project templates, along with Agile-based options, make it practical to set up and manage work quickly.

Cons

One downside is the free plan only supports up to 15 users. After that the next tier costs US$10.99 per user when billed annually which feels quite expensive.

“flexible task tracking for busy teams”

Pros

Tasks and lists can be filtered down and made very detailed which makes it a really useful option for scheduling work and managing time. It's also helpful being able to update jobs as they progress, with plenty of task management features to add or edit information along the way.

Cons

The email notifications are the biggest frustration. I haven't seen a proper way to reduce them apart from choosing to stop following a task and that's not really a good solution. A daily or weekly digest would be far better than having the whole team emailed every single time something gets added or updated.

“practical planning for recurring events”

Pros

All those seminars about time management and communication finally feel useful with this software because it puts those ideas into practice. We run many of the same events every year so being able to set tasks and reminders right after one event ends helps us start preparing for the next one without missing a beat.

Cons

The one thing that would really improve it is having to use separate accounts for different organizations. Since I juggle a full-time job, serve on a school board and run a side business, having one login that could manage three separate teams while keeping each team's work hidden from the others would be a huge upgrade.

“handy alerts and task tracking”

Pros

Getting notifications on my phone as soon as work orders come in is really helpful. I can attach pictures, look up older requests whenever I need to and keep a record of past issues. It also lets me assign tasks to myself which helps me stay on top of things and not forget anything.

Cons

I can't think of a single downside to this software from my personal experience.

“workflow planning done right”

Pros

Asana is a really helpful platform for keeping the workday organized. Assigning new tasks is quick and the way it lets me map out my workflow makes planning much more manageable.

Cons

Like most software it takes a little time to get familiar with where the tools and options are but it's nothing that really causes a problem.

“powerful views and automations”

Pros

One thing that really stands out is how packed it is with features and the best part is that they actually perform reliably. The different project views are especially useful for seeing work from different angles and the automation options add a lot of value too. The task commenting feature is also really amazing and makes communication clear and effective.

Cons

Trying to use the search function is still a frustrating experience and honestly it feels like a total mess when I need to track something down. I keep going back to it only because digging through dozens of overcrowded tasks manually is even worse. On top of that the interface throws so much information and visual stimulation at once that using it for too long becomes pretty draining.

“pleasant project tracking and visuals”

Pros

Right away this platform felt simple to navigate for organizing projects, managing due dates and keeping files visible in one place. The interface is also visually appealing and those small whimsical touches made it more enjoyable to use.

Cons

The downside is that my current organization doesn't use it and the design style probably won't appeal to everyone.

“real time team collaboration”

Pros

Being able to share lists with other people and see updates happen in real time is incredibly convenient. It has been a big help for several departments and makes collaboration much more efficient.

Cons

The repeat setup can be a bit confusing At times but once you understand how it works, it stops being an issue.

“simple project tracking win”

Pros

I find it very user friendly. In short it's a very simple, basic project management tool that's easy to use.

Cons

One frustrating part is that the Mac app is handled by another company so it seems a bit confusing and doesn't integrate very well with other apps like Slack.

“task tracking that clicks”

Pros

Keeping up with tasks in Asana has been fantastic. It makes it really simple to stay organized, rearrange work when priorities change and pass tasks along to someone else without confusion.

Cons

Compared with Trello, I think collaboration is handled better there. Sharing tasks and projects in it isn't easy although it's still workable overall.

“Simple task setup”

Pros

Getting the project and task management set up was pretty easy. I could create my own lists and assign items to other people in my department without much trouble. The newer features they've added over the past couple of years have been really impressive too.

Cons

I've been at two companies that used it and while people were always impressed by the features, they didn't consistently follow through on adding new tasks into the system. It ends up feeling a little too time-consuming or inconvenient for everyone to fully use it the way it's meant to be used. Maybe more integrations would help. I'm not sure whether it integrates with Gmail yet but that would definitely make it easier to keep tasks front and center.