It’s the perfect time to plan for a successful 2016. Setting new, exciting goals is energizing, but most teams forget to create a plan for tackling them. This year, we can help you make a game plan, so you’re not rolling the dice on your team’s success. But first, we have to ask…
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What is your team trying to achieve in 2016?
Select your goal or scroll down to read them all.
The ambitious goal
This year, you’re excited to take on a big initiative, and you want to ensure it’s a success.
The challenge: Too many blockers along the way
When you’re working towards an ambitious goal, you may hit walls when trying to make progress on approvals, gather feedback, or get buy-in from other teams. The lack of clarity on next steps slows you down, and that once-amazing goal starts to feel more like a maze.
Your Asana game plan
Lay out key deliverables as tasks in a project so you can anticipate obstacles in advance.
To get quick feedback on next steps, make subtasks for key stakeholders to review.
Confirm decisions in a task comment and pin it to the top of the task, so everyone can see it.
We’ve been able to execute on our most ambitious projects by tracking our work in Asana. In 2015, we introduced a new product line and launched our wall decals. The launch was a huge success and Asana allowed us to flawlessly launch everything at once.”
Increased focus
This year, you’re going to set clear goals and help your team keep its eyes on the prize.
The challenge: Distractions lead you off course
You start out heading for the “X” with the best of intentions, but things get in the way and progress slips. As other priorities pop up, your goal starts to feel like a meandering treasure hunt.
Your Asana game plan
Keep goals in sight by creating a goal-tracking project that lists all of your major objectives.
Use Dashboards to keep an eye on how close your team is to the mark.
Review your My Tasks list with your goal in mind. Move unrelated or non-urgent work to Upcoming or Later sections.
Working on new projects a year in advance can be confusing! What day is it? When is that due? Who’s is responsible for that task? Asana helps keep us on track as we move through each day simultaneously managing 10+ programs with over 80 tasks across 6 departments. ”
Faster turnarounds
This year, you want to hit tight deadlines and minimize setbacks.
The challenge: Surprise setbacks
If you try to move too quickly towards a deadline without a plan, you’ll hit snags that could have been prevented. Getting things done feels like a game of Chutes and Ladders; two steps forward, one step back.
Your Asana game plan
Plan with more than one perspective. Invite teammates to add tasks to your project so nothing gets missed.
Once you’ve honed in on a process that works and regularly repeats, save time by turning it into a project template.
If you do hit a snag, try a 5-whys reflection. Setbacks happen, and it’s important to understand why.
We’re able to keep track of each piece of work in one place. With Asana, we execute on requests with greater speed and efficiency without anything falling through the cracks.”
More effective communication
This year, you want to streamline communication and make your team work more like a team.
The challenge: Talking in circles
Your team is trying to communicate better, but you end up talking past each other. You’re not sure where things stand, spend more time talking than doing, and have trouble connecting the dots.
Your Asana game plan
Skip the “who and when?” discussion by adding an assignee and due date to each task.
Have conversations on tasks so everyone is working from the same context.
Add or remove followers on tasks or projects, according to who needs to stay looped in.
Asana has been the most convenient tool for communication and has enabled us to cut down on internal emails. I no longer need to worry about keeping someone in the loop by generating yet another email, I can quickly add them as a follower to an Asana task. ”
How are you using Asana to change the game this year?
