[techtalk] WEB TOOL - Asana.com For Project Management

Thu May 14 08:45:01 PDT 2026

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WEB TOOL - Asana.com For Project Management

Intermediate

[A flowchart on graph paper outlines project management roles, showing connections between project team, sponsors, senior and middle management, and a list of relationships. A pen and ruler are placed on the diagram.]

Do you ever want to collaborate on projects with colleagues and need a way to keep track of who’s working on what... and the progress each person is making?

Group efforts can involve whole teams of people, both inside your organization and outside.

Even if you have a defined goal and know who is responsible for each part, it can turn into a mess of back-and-forth email communications, not knowing the progress other members are making.

Then there is project management software. It can be expensive, have steep learning curves and people have different preferences in the tools they use.

So how do you manage these tasks?

We discovered a web-based option that we’ll call a “lite” project management (PM) tool that includes the must-have options — and has a free level for up to 2 team members so that you can stay organized and get your work done at no additional cost.

[Asana logo featuring three coral pink dots forming a triangle on the left, with the word "asana" in lowercase, rounded, dark purple letters on the right.]
Asana

www.Asana.com<http://www.asana.com/> is a web-based tool that gives you one place to create projects with tasks, assign work to team members, and share ideas and updates.

While it may not be filled with some of the bells and whistles that other PM tools offer, it has all the functionality you need to stay connected to your team and is simple and easy to use.

Asana's tag line is "teamwork without email" -- so that you don't have to rely on reading, writing, or sorting messages related to each group task.

Interestingly enough, Asana was founded by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and ex-engineer Justin Rosenstein, both of whom worked on improving the productivity of employees at Facebook.

The creators of this tool like to refer to it as more of a "teamwork communications manager," rather than a traditional project management software.

All communication in Asana is actionable and tied to the work that needs to be done.

In one place, you'll see:

·    Project lists
·    Tasks within each individual project
·    These can be broken down into subsections
·    Who is responsible for each task
·    The due date of a task and if it has been done
·    Notes and comments from team members
·    Links to corresponding documents (in GoogleDocs or Dropbox)

[Screenshot of a project management board titled "Launch Pipeline" showing tasks, due dates, and assignees on the left, and a task detail view with comments and attachments on the right.]

Asana Lets You:

·    Assign team members to be part of a project or just be designated to “follow” it (and receive periodic updates).
·    Create templates for recurring projects to save time in the future.
·    Archive completed projects so that you can save the history if needed.
·    Work on-the-go from anywhere … because it is web-based.
·    Connect via iPhone and Android smart phones with an app.
·    Receive email updates to give you a heads-up when task due dates are approaching or a team member has completed a phase of the project.
·    Invite guests and give them special permissions to be assigned tasks or just view projects.

Sometimes with free tools, you “get what you pay for.” But even though we consider Asana to be a lite-weight tool, it is robust enough for project planning and working together as a team.

If you want the free version, be sure to select Personal on their pricing page, not the Premium versions.

To stay productive, you can even use Asana by yourself to get a handle on your own projects and to-do list items. Take a look at www.Asana.com<http://www.asana.com/>.

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Communications: Talking

"Help me understand"

We all have situations where we become tense, right? It could be at a staff meeting, a community outing or a home conversation. When communications becomes tense, most people defend, correct, or shut down.

There is a simple phrase that turns the situation around. It lowers defenses because it signals curiosity… not judgment.

It tells the other person, “You matter enough for me to listen.”

It is...

“Help me understand.”

When you say these words, you shift the conversation from positions to perspective. People become more open, more thoughtful, and often more willing to collaborate.

It also buys you time… a brief pause to think instead of react.

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Cheers,
Darci Hanning, MLIS (she/her/hers)
Public Library Consultant / CE Coordinator
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State Library of Oregon | Library Support and Development Services
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