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December 20, 2011

Asana – Helping Teams Stay in Sync

Asana is a task management tool that groups of coworkers and teammates can use to stay on top of the latest developments within the projects they’re working on. At the heart of the application is a shared task list where group members can plan and discuss the various aspects of their projects in a single space while still staying organized and in sync at all times.

Up to 30 members can work together in an Asana workspace without paying a dime, so there is no reason not to sign up and give the web-app a try. Once you click the verification link, you’re ready to start putting together your first list. Create a project, then start adding individual tasks that need to be complete. You can give certain tasks priority over others and assign those tasks to specific members of your team. Update tasks and send notifications to others through email, or sign on to the Asana site to see what’s going on in your customized activity feed at any time. Individual tasks can be tagged, and those tags can be used to browse tasks across multiple projects. This allows you to see all tasks with the “marketing” tag, for example, across the spectrum of projects that your company is working on. Asana automatically updates in real time without requiring you to click “Refresh,” which means you can leave the application open in your browser and check back in periodically to see what’s going on.

Unlike other project management applications, Asana isn’t something that you can only use when you’re in the office. Friends, families, and teams can get just as much use out of the application as businesses, and a single user can access all the projects that he’s apart of from a single dashboard screen. Asana improves communication, collaboration, and efficiency for groups of all sizes.

Practical Uses:

  • Track the progress your employees are making on developing a new campaign
  • Let an colleague know when you’re assigning him one of your tasks
  • Manage multiple projects from a single page
  • Organize a book group and discuss any questions you have about the reading selections online

Insider Tips:

  • Users can attach files to certain tasks
  • Multiple keyboard shortcuts improve efficiency when using the app
  • Tags can be searched globally
  • Individual projects can be made public or private

What we liked:

  • Daily emails remind users which tasks are due that day
  • Global search helps people find content across all the projects they’re working on
  • Users can sign up to get emailed whenever changes are made to projects they’re a part of
  • Lists can quickly be re-ordered by dragging and dropping tasks into place

What we didn’t like:

  • Asana is similar to some competing task management apps that businesses are already using

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: February 2011
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California
  • Founded by: Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein
  • Web site: http://asana.com

Costs:

  • Free for up to 30 people

Rating:

  • 5 out of 5 (wow)

Comments

  1. Dan

    For implementing GTD you can use this this application:

    http://www.Gtdagenda.com

    You can use it to manage your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, and a calendar.
    Syncs with Evernote and Google Calendar, and also comes with mobile version, and Android and iPhone apps.

  2. Klare

    i use Asana there is an app MyAsana for Android (http://www.myasana.org/) which is very practical

    • I thought I would paste this quote as a reply to a more auinehttc view of yoga .Swami Satyananda Saraswati, founder of Bihar School of Yoga, Bihar, India,describes the modern situation of Yoga quite well in the Introduction of the HathaYoga Pradipika commentary by Swami Muktibodhananda Saraswati, where hewrites: In ancient times hatha Yoga was practiced for many years as apreparation for higher states of consciousness. Now however, the realpurpose of this great science is being altogether forgotten. The hatha Yogapractices which were designed by the rishis and sages of old, for theevolution of mankind, are now being understood and utilized in a verylimited sense. Often we hear people say, Oh, I don’t practice meditation, Ionly practice physical Yoga, hatha Yoga.’ Now the time has come tocorrect this view point. Hatha Yoga is a very important science for mantoday . The main objective of hatha Yoga is to create an absolute balance of theinteracting activities and processes of the physical body, mind and energy.When this balance is created, the impulses generated give a call of awakening to the central force (sushumna nadi) which is responsible forthe evolution of human consciousness. If hatha Yoga is not used for thispurpose, its true objective is lost.

  3. oray nuvvu chusi matladara pichi pichi valhesu veyaku evadura aa performance chesevadu aena .. ok okatithelusa manam velledharilo kukkalu moruguthu untaiavanni pattinchukunte destrination ki velladam kastam kadha !

  4. Thanky Thanky for all this good information!

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