Today, the use of agile methodology is on the rise. Did you know that 70 percent of companies implementing agile practices were able to better manage their changing priorities? Yes, you read it right!
Besides that, you can also expect an increase in team productivity, better process discipline, and improvement in the quality of outcomes. When it comes to agile project management, Asana is the top tool that most companies leverage. According to recent research, 58% of teams use agile tools and practices in their work. The online project management tool empowers teams to effectively and efficiently plan, organise, and manage different agile projects.
Are you ready to get started with agile project management using Asana? In this blog, you will explore the top 10 ways to use the tool like a pro. Let’s dive in!
Top Reasons to Use Asana for Agile Project Management
Still, wondering why to leverage Asan for managing agile projects? Read on to explore the key reasons!
- Simplify Project Processes: The tool can provide you with Kanban boards and enable you to visualize the project, from start to finish. It can enable you to get a view of the entire workflow in one place. From sprint planning to launch dates, keeping a tab on everything becomes simple and easy.
- Easy Task Management: In agile project management, the delegation and organization of tasks can break or make a project. Asana can enable you to break down complex projects into simple and easily manageable tasks. It allows you to assign each task to the right team member along with relevant descriptions and due dates. As a result, it empowers organizations to efficiently manage tasks and complete them on time.
- Track Iterations and Launches: Leverage Asana to effectively track and ship launches of different sizes. With the tool, you can conveniently map out launches, share updates with your team members, and launch the projects on time. Also, providing feedback on mock-ups is pretty simple with Asana.
- Custom Workflows: When it comes to agile project management, you would want to invest in a tool that is flexible. Also, it must readily adapt to the requirements of your team. The customizable workflows of Asana can make this possible. Moreover, the tool allows you to automate routine tasks, thereby enabling team members to save time and effort.
- Effective Communication and Collaboration: Asana allows you to ask questions, make announcements, and post comments with ease. It can integrate well with different communication tools and enhance collaboration among your team members. As a result, you can be rest assured that everyone in the team is on the same page.
- User-Friendly Interface: Asana comes with a simple and intuitive interface. It provides a detailed view of individual tasks and enables you to add all relevant information. The tool helps get rid of potential confusion and increases the overall productivity of team members.
Prominent Ways to Use Asana
Wondering how to use Asana for agile project management? Delve into the most prominent ways!
#1 Leverage Project Templates
In this fast-paced era, every organization looks for ways to save time and remain competitive in the market. That is where the existing and customizable project templates of Asana prove to be beneficial. The tool can provide you with a wide range of templates and enable you to save a great deal of time and effort.
So, you do not have to worry about creating a new template for your agile projects. The best part is that the templates can be tailored to meet the unique needs of your specific team like sales, marketing, and operations. As a result, delivering projects within the set deadlines and ensuring optimal outcomes becomes easy.
#2 Assign a Task to Multiple Projects
At times, you may be working on several projects with overlaps or mutual dependencies. Asana can enable you to add individual tasks to more than one project.
For instance, if the progress of two different projects relies on one task, you can easily connect the task to both projects. It allows team members of both projects to get an overview of required tasks and ensure smooth workflow.
#3 Plan and Organize Project
Project planning plays a pivotal role in determining the success rates. To make things easier for your team, you can leverage the tool and display tasks in a list or board layout. While the list layout resembles a to-do list, the board layout helps teams to see all the tasks in one place and facilitates the moving of tasks between columns.
The tool also enables you to make use of Gantt charts for better visibility and understanding of your team members. You can add milestones and tasks to the chart and encourage transparency.
#4 Define Subtasks
It is often easy to lose an overview of several tasks. That is why subdividing individual tasks is an ideal option. Asana allows users to create subtasks and provide more clarity on all the listed tasks.
The tool also makes it possible to assign each of the subtasks to a responsible team member with appropriate skill sets and experience. This way, your team members will have an idea of which tasks they need to work on and what are the exact requirements. It eliminates the chances of confusion among the team members and provides a better overview of the tasks.
#5 Leverage the Tagging Feature
Do you still send emails to your team members to update them about a necessary change in a project? If yes, it is time to upgrade. When you use Asana for agile project management, you do not have to rely on emails. Instead, you can make the most of the tagging feature available on the app and save a lot of time.
Asana allows you to tag your team members on individual tasks or projects. The tool helps generate notifications and link them to the work in Asana. The feature eliminates the need for sending additional messages or emails along with details of the actions required and ensures a seamless communication process.
#6 Create Sections in Tasks
Asana offers you the chance to divide individual tasks or an agile project into sections. This function lets you arrange different tasks according to the deadlines as well as topics. You can select the sections as per your requirements and customize them to meet each project.
For instance, the tool can provide you with the ability to create sections for departments like marketing, HR, and accounting. In these sections, you can conveniently store all the tasks that are to be performed by each department.
#7 Update Project Status
Consistent and clear communication is the key to the success of the agile projects. Luckily, Asana offers a status updating tool and allows you to keep track of the progress of the project on a regular basis. The best part is that any member of the team can set the status of the project to “off track”, “on track”, or “at risk”.
Once the status is set, all the team members will be notified about the same. It takes just a few seconds for the project status to be updated. With a single click, your clients and team can obtain a brief on the project.
#8 Color Code Everything
Want to visually organize your agile project using Asana? An easy way to do so is through color coding. With a wide range of options, this tool lets you set unique colors for custom fields, specific projects, and progress tracking. This feature can make it easy for you to scan the deadlines of the projects and ensure better organization.
Are you wondering how to use color coding? Consider creating themes for different projects. Also, you can use color coding as a means to signal critical projects and direct more focus on different tasks.
#9 Integrate with Other Tools
Undoubtedly, Asana isn’t the only tool that you will be using. For streamlining operations, integrating Asana with other tools is an excellent idea. This tool can integrate well with Google Drive, Slack, Gmail, MS Teams, Zoom, and more.
All these integrations can enable you to connect your workflows and simplify processes. In case an app that is critical to the work cannot integrate with Asana, you can use the API of this tool to develop custom solutions.
#10 Make Use of Advanced Search
The advanced search option of Asana lets you easily and quickly create reports and gain an overview of the tasks completed or those that are yet to be done. The tool lets you leverage various filter criteria for the reports.
For instance, you can get an overview of the tasks that are due in a particular week or tasks to be completed by an employee on the same day. The feature allows you to get an idea of the current responsibilities and workloads of your employees at all times.
Conclusion
Asana indeed proves to be a valuable tool for effective agile project management. It simplifies workflows and increases the chances of success while enabling teams to save a great deal of time.
By now, you must have an idea of the ways to use Asana for agile project management. From integrating Asana with different tools to using templates and creating subtasks, there are plenty of ways. Partner with professional experts and boost the success of your agile project.
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