Have you ever used an online project management tool? I didn’t really even consider using one, until I realised that there must be a better way to work.
I used to manage WordPress projects pretty well via email, or so I thought. But some projects became a little too complex, requiring a lot of back-and-forth communication and involving several people. I started noticing that it was difficult to track the individual tasks in a project, and to remember what feedback was given when.
And the worst thing was that both the client and I started to miss crucial tasks, buried in the email chain. When you’re a small business owner, you never want a client to have to chase you on something that you haven’t done!
So, I started to look for a better solution.
In my freelancer network circles, discussions often crop up about various online project management tools. Everyone has their favourite, but Basecamp, Asana, and Trello were the main names popping up again and again.
I researched each of these, signed up for free accounts and started dabbling in using them. They were essentially similar products, combining a categorisable to-do list with conversation threads and document uploads.
After trying out all of them, I found Asana to be the most pleasant to use. I like the interface, and the division of teams, projects, tasks and conversations makes sense to me. Tasks can be managed in a list, or in “board” form like Trello.
It also doesn’t hurt that you get unicorn- and narwhal- themed rewards for completing tasks every now and then. 🙂
I started using it internally, to keep track of project tasks, but soon decided to test drive it on a project with a client.
Once we developed a system of how to use it most effectively, it worked great! We assigned a task to the other person when it was actionable to them, or we had written a comment that needed to be seen by them. The person who was last in the approval chain marked tasks as complete. And we used the conversation section for general chat about the project.
Asana makes it easy to add people to teams and projects, and to manage multiple teams, projects, and tasks at once. It also integrates with mobile apps to keep organised on the go.
Overall, while there are many tools that do the job, my personal preference right now is for Asana.
Have you ever used Asana? Why not create an account and try it out for your next project?
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