Asana vs. Microsoft Planner

The usability of Asana is broad since it's available in a variety of platforms that are widely used nowadays. I think that it would be great for people who are constantly on the move and switching devices, since it has allowed me to work from my phone, too. I also think that Asana has proven itself to handle a large quantity of work

Microsoft Planner is a user-friendly visual tool for organizing tasks and workflows. It’s great for team collaboration, integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 tools like Teams and Outlook, and offers flexibility for projects of all sizes. Additionally, it provides mobile and web access for seamless productivity on the go. That’s a big plus right there.

Incentivized

• Easy to use by any user (good UX and no installation needed)
• Easy to create a simple project, add tasks and sub tasks.
• Different display options, according to the project/tasks type
• Works great using a web browser, you don't have to install the application

Incentivized

• I love the ability to tag and untag others as needed
• I love the ability to customize the tag labels and that there are so many options
• I love the ability to add comments and it notifies the others tagged in the task
• I love that the task description can be changed as needed without notification to others assigned to the task

Incentivized

• Some users might find the user interface a bit dull and un inspired
• We found the way to use multiple workspaces a bit confusing
• It takes quite a bit of planning to build a well organized workspace in order not to have way too many projects and tasks all over the place

Incentivized

• Does not allow you to view all tasks and sub-tasks (checklist) in a nested view.
• Comments have character limits that can make it harder for teams to communicate exactly what they want to share.
• There is no way to mention a teammate in a comment and share files and documents in the conversation (collaborative tool???).

I just can't see us getting it off of Asana any time soon, despite the many headaches it has caused us. We have too much data in there, too much time & training invested into it, too much at stake to move. If we were just starting out today, fresh, I don't know for certain that I would absolutely go the same direction, but I *think* I still would. I just haven't seen anything better yet. Maybe if Podio's support staff hadn't treated me like a worthless nuisance to them, I might feel differently, but the fact is that their task management is simply inferior to Asana's. That can't be denied, and in fact Podio said it themselves: "Tasks are a simple function. They cannot be customized. Tasks in Podio can be used for quick to-do's for you and your team members." In our operation, however, prompt task completion is a big deal; one task can't be completed until another one is done first, and closing the gaps between those tasks is critical in meeting deadlines and servicing our customers. Asana gets us there, the others don't.

It is a very useful tool that brings teams in sync with one another. The integration with other Microsoft products makes it an obvious choice because you don't have to purchase a license for a completely different tool that doesn't have cross-functional capabilities with the software you already use on a daily basis.

Incentivized

It is very user-friendly. Takes a new employee an hour to start figuring out how the system works. That's an important factor. You don't want to encounter the issue where employees need a week to understand how the system works. For example, JIRA, I tried using it for a week and I still don't understand the complicated layout. Asana has a simple interface. Once you see it, you get it type of program.

Incentivized

The tool is easy to use, but it is just as easy to set up. No specific skills are required, but its usefulness in our work is immediately apparent. Colors are very helpful in creating a clear interface and providing a very precise overview of the tasks to be performed.

Incentivized

Working with Asana on a daily basis

I haven't had to use their support so I can't rate it. The fact that I haven't needed them reflects the ease of use of the product. I would recommend that any new users schedule a complete demo of the product to ensure that they are using it to it's fullest (there's a lot of useful features).

Incentivized

Asana is a top-tier project management software that helps us organize and track projects from start to finish. It allows us to apply tasks/to-dos to multiple projects without duplication, divide complex projects into smaller tasks, and track project progress. It also helps us organize work on Kanban boards or linear lists. It stands out from the crowd in a big way compared to the competition.

Our organization chose MS Planner because it is an included tool in the MS Suite, and since we are unfortunately replacing our current and much better project management tool due to a consolidation of the tech stack. However, it doesn't appear that any of the teams using the current program intend to use MS Planner due to its poor functionality. We will likely be pivoting to Jira instead.

Incentivized

I used this tool on a daily basis at work and it runs as a solid rock

• Difficulty adding large projects with multiple and complex levels of tasks.
• The number of users is limited in the free version. The service cannot be used for groups of less than 5 people.
• The search filter is not a powerful feature, it needs some development and strength because it contains some bugs sometimes.

• Saved over $1000 each year by not having to purchase a third party tool for our content planning
• Not sure that I can provide a hard number to this, but having the oversight to see when something is coming due and making sure everything gets executed in time

Incentivized