User Work in Progress - Tasks

My organization uses the following structure for project management.
Project - Sections - Tasks (We do not use subtasks). For each stage in the task lifespan, we use a custom field for “Status”. (copy, design, review…)

One of the issues we experience is tracking “work in progress” for users (copywriters, designers, etc.).

For example, we have a task for “Copy” and it goes from “User A” to a PM, to a reviewer, and possibly back to “User A”.

While this “Task” is away from “User A”, how do you track this work as “in progress” for the copywriter.

As a project manager, I will look at “User A’s” Task List and it’s empty. However, at any given time multiple tasks could come out of “Review” and back into their Task List.

Our goal is to have an eye on “upcoming” or “in progress” work for each user, while it may not be “Assigned to” that user.

Any suggestions?

1 Like

Hi @Kyle_Rassel to start off the conversation here, have you considered Task Dependencies or Assigning Copies of Task for the PM and Reviewer etc. and keeping the main task with User A?Creating task dependencies | Product guide • Asana Product Guide
Asana tasks - understanding the basics | Product guide • Asana Product Guide

3 Likes

We have tested dependencies and setting stages using that approach. We have not tried Task Copies.

Here’s what we tried…(All are individual tasks)

Copy I - Assigned to “User A”
Review I - Assigned to “User B” (dependent on Copy I)
Copy II - Assigned to “User A” (dep. on Review I)
Review II - Assigned to User B (dep. on Copy II

In theory it seemed like the correct way to solve this problem. In practice, it seemed tedious to track/move task descriptions, conversation, and the latest files from Task to Task so often.

Have you experienced similar pain points in using this method?

1 Like

Hi Kyle,

Sounds like you have a lot of good options here. I can see how they’d feel tedious sometimes, though. I wonder if you could trim down the copy and review tasks to just Copy - person A, Copy - person B. That way all copy review could be housed in one copy review task per person, and all exchanges could happen via comment. This way, though, the team would really have to be on top of updating each other and being extra communicative.

Another thought is…subtasks :stuck_out_tongue:

Does this help?

2 Likes

I am currently trying to clean up some of our projects within different teams. I am a very visual person and have been scouring the community to visually see how others organize and came across your post.

We run into the same dilemma when assigning out our social media posts. We have opted to use subtasks, as well as comments within each subtask. It is a bit tedious but it seems to work to contain feedback/review. Once the final copy has been refined, we add into the task description; once the final design is refined, we attach a screenshot

of the path (location on our servers) and a png of the design that is to be posted and assign for final approval.