Even with technological advances and changes to workplace culture, businesses still love to utilize project management software. Now, most businesses will choose a software program and stick with it to the end. However, how do you choose to begin with? In the article we look at two of the most popular project management tools; Asana vs Monday. Keep reading to learn more about each of them, and which is best for your business needs.
Both Asana and Monday offer the same core features, however, they present them in slightly different ways. Below we look at the three primary core features; task management, workflow management, and portfolio management.
Within Asana, users can create tasks, assign them to team members, set the deadline, and add it to specific projects. Users can also make certain tasks, dependent on other tasks, or set them as reoccurring tasks. Clicking on a task allows users to view more details, comments, and any attached documents. Each task has its own comments section where users can tag other team members, discuss the task or add files. Each user can clearly see any tasks assigned to them in the ‘My Tasks’ section, and sort this by the due date, or project.
Within Monday, tasks are called pulses. Users can create a pulse, set a deadline, set a status, and assign them to other team members. Pulses can be set to reoccur or be dependent on other pulses. The user dashboard will show all pulses that you contribute to or manage, along with its priority level and progress. This enables users to quickly see if other team members are stuck or if things are behind schedule.
In Asana, users can view workflows as a list, Kanban board, Gantt chart or calendar. Each project workflow has its own section and users can drag and drop segments throughout the workflow. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember how the project is progressing as the workflow is on a separate page from the task list.
Within the Monday platform, all workflows are visible within one webpage. This can make life easier for users managing or contributing to various projects at once. Monday shows a visual progress bar for each project and pulse, or users can choose to view the progress as a Kanban board, Gantt chart, or pie chart.
Many project management tools do not include portfolio management features, however, both Monday and Asana do.
The Asana portfolio feature works like a regular project management tool but for projects rather than specific tasks. This allows users to see a wider overview of their day-to-day workspace and the bigger picture. In the portfolio space, projects will show a status, which is based on what tasks are outstanding, completed, or in progress. Users can also set a priority status for each project, and see the due dates at a glance.
Within Monday, the portfolio feature is called Groups. Each pulse can be assigned to a group, regardless of which project it is part of it. Many users opt to create a group with a pulse to represent each project. While this doesn’t offer as much insight into each project, it gives a clear indication of what is in progress and relieves tunnel vision.
Asana offers an extensive list of over 100 integrations with its project management software. This includes almost every app you could think of from Dropbox to MailChimp to Adobe Creative Cloud to Canva to Velocity to Zapier. Asana also comes with its very own API to streamline operations.
Monday offers over 40 integrations with some of the most popular apps and tools businesses use. Like Asana, Monday also has its own API.
Both Asana and Monday offer two-factor authentication for all accounts ensuring maximum security for your business. Monday also offers SSO with popular apps like Okta and One Login, whereas Asana only offers SSO through Google.
Both Asana and Monday offer a free plan, and tiered pricing based on users as below
The free version of Asana allows you to collaborate with 15 other people. Users can track tasks and view them as a list or Kanban board layout. However, advanced features like portfolios and reporting are unavailable. Paid plans start at $10.99 per user per month and allow you to have unlimited users, and access to advanced features. The Business and Enterprise tiers offer premium support, advanced security, and first access to new tools.
The free version of Monday allows you to collaborate with two other people, however, you only have access to pulses and projects, boards, or calendar views. Paid plans start at $6 per user per month for one board, $12 per user per month for 5 boards, or $25 per user per month for 10 boards. The Enterprise plan offers premium support, tailored onboarding, specialized support, advanced analytics, and 50 boards.
When it comes to Asana vs Monday both tools are similar in function and usability. The biggest differences between these two project management tools is in the access to advanced reporting, and portfolio management on the paid plans. Simply review the details, do your research, try the free versions then select the best tool for your business needs. Choose the tool that allows your employees to collaborate effectively while staying on task.