Running a business or organization entails scrutiny, attention to detail, and proper management. With tight competition and economic challenges, businesses have to work harder to ensure business processes and project management go smoothly.
Even with these challenges, companies are lucky because technological advancements bring innovations that help with project management. Workflow automation software applications are now here that help with repetitive tasks and team tasks.
Among these workflow automation tools is Asana, the project management software that helps businesses keep track of their tasks and deliverables within a time frame.
From the word ‘workflow’, this software is about how a team plans, organizes, and executes steps that lead to a specific goal. A workflow tool helps guide a team in finishing one step and moving on to the next until all the steps have been completed.
Enhanced team collaboration Remote work is now a popular trend, which allows companies to hire skilled talents from around the world. With a workflow management system, teams can collaborate and communicate more clearly.
It lets them communicate in real time and offers access to data and information necessary for clearer business processes. If a team member has any questions or clarifications, the workflow management solution can provide the answer.
Better compliance Compliance is an essential part of every business process. But this is harder for organizations that do things manually. Using good workflow management software shouldn’t be a problem, as it can optimize processes, increase accountability, and reduce errors.
Increased transparency With workflow management software, the team can see the workflow process, including the people involved and the completed tasks. It can increase accountability since team members can bump up those who have pending work.
Lower costs Automated workflows are the result of using smart workflow management software. It leads to increased efficiency and lower costs because you don’t waste time. Tasks are tracked, including the time spent on each task.
Reduced errors One of the workflow management features is task management, which allows teams to skip manual processes. They can avoid redundant tasks and repetitive processes that lead to reduced human errors.
What is Workflow Software Asana? One of the best workflow management software is Asana . It can help organizations plan, organize, collaborate, and execute tasks to meet deadlines and avoid chaos. It offers a single platform and workflow tool that teams can use for project management and simplifying complex workflows.
According to IDC , Asana helps increase employee satisfaction by 72%, speeds up execution by 42%, raises on-time project completion by 34%, and decreases time spent on admin tasks by 38%.
Overview of Asana’s Features as a Workflow Management Tool Do you want to know how Asana can customize workflows and manage projects?
Check out these key features.
Project management Asana gives you a space where you can see a series of projects. These are the primary units of the organization, which you can color-code, filter, and assign to people according to priority.
Tasks Asana lets you create to-do lists and individual tasks, which you can fill with information and instructions for the person you assign them to.
You can create subtasks or smaller tasks that offer steps to get the work done.
Calendar Know which tasks are due and their due dates. You can switch between calendar and task views, so it’s easier to see the tasks and due dates.
Reporting tools Team managers will love this workflow management software because it has reporting tools that make tracking team tasks and due dates a breeze. You can send reminders and milestones to ensure your team meets its goals and motivate them to work hard.
Group people into one team with Asana and use the overview tab for tracking projects. There is also a message tab where you can engage in group communication and send messages to your teammates.
This workflow software can add teammates who can be on standby when an issue arises.
App integration One of the best features of this management software is easy app integration. Asana makes workflow automation and workflow processes easier by integrating with other apps such as Power BI, Outlook, Teams, Slack, and Gmail.
Attachments Skip opening your email in another tab by making attachments straight from your computer, Dropbox, or Google Drive.
Pros and Cons of Using Asana as Workflow Management Software As a workflow management tool, Asana shares the same benefits for businesses. Among these include:
User-friendly interface Asana’s interface is familiar and user-friendly if you’re familiar with Kanban boards. It is easy to group tasks and projects and see what you have done and are pending. You can move the tasks around the board through its drag-and-drop interface.
Better time management With a good workflow system, teams can better manage their time and avoid charging clients unnecessarily. By looking at the kanban board, you can spot what you need to accomplish based on priorities and urgency.
Increased accountability Each task is assigned to a person, so every team member can visualize tasks and take responsibility for their assignments. It’s easy to see who didn’t do his job with a single look at the software platform.
Now, let us look at the cons of using Asana.
High learning curve Learning how to use this project management tool can take a bit of time and attention. It is true especially if you have not used any workflow management solution before. You might need time to get used to the features and maximize them.
Cost Nothing good comes cheap, so expect Asana to charge for its features. It has a free version, but some features may not be available. This free version is suitable for teams that are new to project management.
Pricing plans are discussed later on in this article.
Limited customer support One of the essential features of workflow management software is customer support. Unfortunately, some Asana users report the tool’s limited support when they need it.
Limited integrations Yes, Asana has integrations, but it’s not as many as those from other popular workflow management software. This can be an issue if your team already uses an application, which does not integrate with Asana.
Asana Pricing Plans for Workflow Management Let’s look at the pricing plans of Asana as a workflow management software .
Free Version Premium Business Among the inclusions in the free version include unlimited tasks, unlimited messages, unlimited projects, unlimited activity log, unlimited file storage, board view projects, list view projects, due dates, assignee, project brief, project overview, collaboration with up to 15 members, and more.
The Premium plan offers various features, such as a timeline, workflow builder, custom fields, advanced search, task templates, start dates and times, task templates, admin console, forms, unlimited guests, reporting on unlimited projects, unlimited dashboards, and more.
For the Business plan, enjoy portfolios, workload, goals, custom rules builder, approvals, forms branching, proofing, lock custom fields, and more.
Asana Vs. Other Workflow Management Tools Asana can create custom workflows, provide workflow templates, streamline processes, and create custom dashboards. But how does it fare with other software solutions?
