Asana for Project Managers

Project Managers Workflow with Asana

Here's how Project Managers can integrate Asana into their daily workflow:

1. Step 1: Create a project using Timeline view, map out phases with start and end dates, then draw dependency arrows between tasks so the critical path is visible and any schedule slip automatically highlights downstream impact.
2. Step 2: Set up Portfolios to group all your active projects by department, quarter, or strategic initiative, then configure status update cadences so each project owner provides weekly health reports that roll up into your portfolio dashboard.
3. Step 3: Use Workload view to visualize team capacity by week, identify who is over-allocated, and rebalance assignments by dragging tasks between team members — ensuring even distribution without switching to a separate resource management tool.
4. Step 4: Build automation Rules to handle recurring PM overhead: auto-assign tasks when they move to specific sections, post to Slack when milestones are completed, mark projects at risk when overdue task count exceeds your threshold, and generate follow-up tasks for meeting action items.

Key Features for Project Managers

• Timeline view with dependencies provides Gantt-like project planning where dragging one task automatically shifts its dependents, giving PMs immediate visual feedback on how schedule changes cascade through the plan.
• Portfolios aggregate project status, progress percentage, and owner information into a single dashboard — eliminating the need to compile executive status decks manually and keeping leadership informed in real time.
• Workload management displays each team member's assigned effort by week, color-coded by capacity, so PMs can proactively redistribute work before someone becomes a bottleneck.
• Goals connect company-level objectives to project milestones and individual tasks, creating an auditable chain of alignment that answers "why are we doing this?" for every piece of work in the backlog.