# Asana guide

Last updated: 2024-04-17
URL for this page: https://hackmd.io/@investinopen/asana
URL for this site: https://hackmd.io/@investinopen/how-we-work

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We use Asana productivity software for coordinating tasks, projects, and strategic priorities within project teams and across the organization. As of 2023-05, IOI pays for the ["Business" annual subscription plan](https://asana.com/pricing).

## Getting started

See Asana's instructional guides for:
* [Getting started](https://asana.com/guide/help)
* General intro [videos](https://academy.asana.com/page/video-tutorials)
* [Keyboard shortcuts](https://asana.com/guide/help/faq/shortcuts)

## Goals

See Asana's instructional guide for:
* [Goals](https://asana.com/features/goals-reporting/goals)

## Integrations
See Asana's instructional guides for:
* [List of apps](https://asana.com/apps)
* [Slack](https://asana.com/guide/help/api/slack)
* [Zoom](https://asana.com/apps/zoom)

## Meetings

See Asana's instructional guides for:
* [Agendas](https://asana.com/guide/examples/meetings/meeting-agendas)
* Add a task to a recurring meeting agenda: see instructions for [adding a task to a project](https://asana.com/guide/help/tasks/actions)

## Portfolios
We align each of our individual and group projects with a broader, mission-aligned thematic focus (called "[portfolios](https://asana.com/guide/help/premium/portfolios)" within the Asana environment).

As of 2023-05, IOI's internal portfolios include (*access for staff + affiliates only*):
* [2024 Fund](https://app.asana.com/0/portfolio/1204593047655812/list)
* [Data Room/Toolbox](https://app.asana.com/0/portfolio/1204593047655828/list)
* [Engagement & Partnerships](https://app.asana.com/0/portfolio/1204593047655836/list)
* [Funding](https://app.asana.com/0/portfolio/1204593047655816/list)
* [Governance & Operations](https://app.asana.com/0/portfolio/1204593047655832/list)
* [Research](https://app.asana.com/0/portfolio/1204593047655824/list)
* [Strategic Support](https://app.asana.com/0/portfolio/1204593047655820/list)

See also Asana's instructional guides for:
* [Portfolio basics](https://asana.com/guide/help/premium/portfolios)
* [Export a portfolio to Google Sheets](https://asana.com/guide/help/premium/portfolios#gl-google-sheets)
* [Nested portfolios](https://asana.com/guide/help/premium/portfolios#gl-add)

## Projects
[more detail forthcoming]

See Asana's instructional guide for:
* [Project basics](https://asana.com/guide/help/projects/basics)

## Reports
[more detail forthcoming]

See Asana's instructional guide for:
* [Reporting](https://asana.com/guide/help/premium/reporting)

## Rules
[more detail forthcoming]

See Asana's instructional guide for:
* [Rules basics](https://asana.com/guide/help/premium/rules)

## Tasks
See Asana's instructional guides for:
* [Task basics](https://asana.com/guide/help/tasks/understanding-tasks)
* [Add a task to a project](https://asana.com/guide/help/tasks/actions)
* [Collaborators](https://asana.com/guide/help/tasks/understanding-tasks#gl-collaborators)
* [Custom fields](https://asana.com/guide/help/premium/custom-fields)
* [Email tasks to Asana](https://asana.com/guide/help/email/email-to-asana)
* [Recurring tasks](https://asana.com/guide/help/tasks/fields#gl-recurring-tasks)
* Subtasks
* [Convert subtask to task](https://forum.asana.com/t/convert-subtask-to-task/44007)
* [Tags](https://asana.com/guide/help/tasks/fields#gl-tags)

## Teams

IOI has two groupings of work by [teams](https://asana.com/guide/help/organizations/team-basics) in Asana:
* Leadership (point person: [Executive Director](https://hackmd.io/@investinopen/job-descriptions#Executive-Director))
* Staff (point person: [Executive Director](https://hackmd.io/@investinopen/job-descriptions#Executive-Director))

# IOI Asana Guide

### Overview
According to Asana’s official site, "Asana is the work management platform that helps teams orchestrate their work, from the everyday to the strategic." This includes but is not limited to, project management, team collaboration, and goal setting and tracking. This is mainly accomplished through creating portfolios, projects, and tasks in the application.

### How staff uses IOI’s Asana instance

#### General
IOI uses Asana as a tool to delegate tasks between team members to maintain organizational goals and complete work on time. This includes project management for specific ongoing projects as well as team goals, such as Engagement and Research, and organizational needs, such as daily operations and administration.

#### Meetings
Organizational meetings, such as weekly Business & Operations, are kept in an Asana project reflecting the meetings agenda. It is not used to take notes during meetings. Staff members are expected to assign themselves action items that come up during meetings.

#### Members and Guests
Staff are members in Asana and some contractors are added as guests. Guests do not have full visibility of the team in Asana and are only present in specific projects that relate to their work with IOI.

#### Goals, Projects, and Tasks
Goals are made at an organizational level to reflect high-level, long-term goals of IOI. Projects are created on an as-needed basis for recurring meetings, specific initiatives, or grouped by function, such as operations, administration, and knowledge management. Tasks are always assigned a team member, a date, and can include a description with links to relevant documents. Staff members can also use Asana to assign themselves personal tasks as a reminder or helpful overview.

#### Reporting
Staff members are required to submit PTO and event participation requests through Asana.

### Best Practices
* **Clear task descriptions:** Include all relevant information in task descriptions, such as deadlines, dependencies, and expected outcomes.
* **Assigning tasks:** Clearly assign tasks to individuals, set due dates, and a project.
* **Using tags and custom fields:** Organize tasks efficiently using tags and custom fields to categorize information.
* **Communication and updates:** Utilize comments as needed outside of regular daily communication.
* **Meetings and action items:** Create projects dedicated to meetings and track action items within them.
* **Integrations:** Relevant information can be included as an attachment or link only if the integration or link is through an application used team-wide at IOI.

### What IOI’s Asana instance is not used for:
* Storage or organization of documents and files.
* Basic or daily communication between team members or messaging.
* Meeting notes or note taking of any kind.

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See also:
* Asana's instructional guide for [Team basics](https://asana.com/guide/help/organizations/team-basics)
* [IOI organizational chart](https://hackmd.io/@investinopen/job-descriptions#Organizational-chart)

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## See also
* IOI's [Code of Conduct](https://investinopen.org/code-of-conduct/)
* IOI's [Privacy Policy](https://investinopen.org/ioi-privacy-policy/)
* IOI's [values](https://hackmd.io/@investinopen/values)
* Wikipedia's [Taylorism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylorism) article

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This page first published: 2023-05-16

###### tags: `tools` `process`

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