Trello and Asana: Task and Project Management Software & Tools

Trello and Asana dominate the market for project management tools. They offer extensive functionality, flexibility in working with a team, access to integrations and much more. These applications necessarily require the attention of each leader.

It is noteworthy that both services are aimed at a wide target audience, as they are very easy to use and configure. They are equally good for both large and small projects. They also satisfy almost the same needs. But is it possible to say that one of these services is definitely the best?

Workflow Basis

Trello is an incredibly simple tool. You can start working with it immediately after registration. Creating projects and tasks in it are implemented on an intuitive level, because in most cases the documentation of the service will not even be needed.

Foundation of Trello is Kanban boards. The workflow aims to drag and drop tasks between columns to show at what stage each of them is. The leader can set up columns and task cards and attach performers to them. Users can put tags of a certain color for each card to make navigation easier.

Asana provides two ways of organizing work: compiling task lists or kanban boards. As a rule, they use the first method for large projects, since it provides more opportunities for tracking tasks. However, when working with this service, the manager, first of all, is based on the needs of his subordinates.

Important! You cannot rebuild a project from lists to kanban and vice versa, therefore you need to approach the choice correctly.

Work on a project in Asana consists of sections, tasks and subtasks. As a rule, part of the team is responsible for the section (for example, the front-end section of the site). Tasks and subtasks are assigned to specific employees.

Both platforms allow you to organize tasks and group them in accordance with a specific direction or status of implementation. However, Asana allows you to group entire sections, which makes it easier to track work on large projects. With Trello, if you need to create many columns on the board, task filtering and control becomes more difficult.

Another advantage in working with Asana is the ability to view the progress of a project through a calendar or timeline. This functionality provides more precise control of deadlines.

Thus, Trello is a kind of analogue of a board for pins, where each task is recorded on a note. Small marks appear around it, which indicate the status of the execution or, of the performers, etc. Asana is more often perceived as an organized list of tasks within the project that the team is working on.

For whom it is created

When comparing Trello and Asana, it’s important to understand that these tools have slightly different target audiences. The general direction is project management, respectively, the services are aimed at managers, their subordinates and remote employees.

However, Trello often use teams with equal authority. In addition, the service is more suitable only for small projects. Because most users are start-ups or small development teams within a large team.

Asana is an excellent tool for the full organization of the entire project. For example, it could be the creation of a company brand. This includes tagline, colors, history, and more. Different aspects must work on each aspect. Moreover, in this case there are many dependencies. But the most important thing is that you need a leader who knows the company perfectly and will be able to coordinate actions in all aspects.

Work sequence

Most projects are an indispensable element. This means that one task cannot be completed until work on the previous one is completed. In this vein, Asana is a favorite as it allows you to customize these dependencies.

The leader can indicate which tasks need to be completed before others begin. In Trello, as a rule, this comes from the context of the task or the manager is forced to personally notify the team about specific dependencies.

The presence of a timeline in Asana extends the functionality of dependencies. So, the head can not only establish dependencies, but also instantly understand which of the subordinates is inactive.

Team size and file sharing

Today, almost every subordinate can perform several tasks at once. However, in large projects it is still necessary to share powers. Everyone must do their job. In such cases, the question arises of how large the team should be and how much the leader can afford?

With Trello, you can recruit an infinite number of artists on one board. At the same time, there is no additional charge, regardless of the size of the team. At the same time, practice shows that Trello rarely gathers teams of over 20 people. Why? It is inconvenient to manage such a number of subordinates due to the limited functionality of the service.

The free version of Asana allows you to recruit 15 people for a project, including a manager. And this is enough for small projects. But a minimal marketing campaign already requires the use of more human resources, so often you need to expand the staff.

An important feature of any project management tool is the ability to make investments, since most tasks are performed remotely. Trello provides a stock of up to 250 MB, while Asana has a limit of 100 MB per file uploaded from a computer. However, the service allows you to make investments through Dropbox or Google Drive. There are no restrictions in this case.

User experience

One of the main indicators of any product of our time is the user experience. If there are many questions to it, then the service will be unsuccessful. Moreover, UX requirements have also grown significantly. It is noteworthy that both Asana and Trello have a very strict and sleek UX design. It rarely happens that the user feels stuck.

Asana is more sophisticated in terms of usability. Options and menus appear only depending on the context of the task and only if they are relevant in a particular case. Despite the extensive functionality, the developers were able to ensure that the user did not have 100 buttons in front of his eyes.

The company surprised with symbolic celebrations. So, in the settings you can set that when the task is completed, a creature will appear on the screen congratulating you on the end of the work. In addition, users can “Like” under tasks or specific solutions to further inspire artists.

Trello is incredibly simple from the start. The interface is so clear that even the first time there is no need to look for tips or even turn to the help. If you need to quickly organize a team, then in Trello you can do it in 10 minutes.

But the problem with the service is that as the project develops and the team grows, you will have to create more columns and tasks, more often do scrolling. At what point is it confusing and slows down. Therefore, when the project grows, managers very often transfer their team to other services.

Both services have good documentation. In case of misunderstanding, you can quickly find the answer to any question. In addition, Trello and Asana have a large community. Thus, there is always the opportunity to learn about additional functionality or non-standard approaches to the organization of work on a project.

Advantages and disadvantages

It's time to move on to a more detailed comparison. Although Trello and Asana can be integrated with each other and used in the same company, many executives recommend focusing on one tool. Why? Having multiple services can create more conflicts and complicate synchronization between teams.

Nevertheless, if we exclude the fact that Asana and Trello have a slightly different direction, which tool will be better?

Strengths of Trello

High flexibility. Trello is a completely open system. This makes it subject to any configuration. That is, if desired, the user can develop his own methodology and tune this service for it. Importantly, Trello is not limited to just project management. It can be used for anything (for example, planning your own tasks to develop some skill).

Think in what office it would be possible to use a board with stickers for the organization of work? Yes, almost in any. Because Trello is an incredibly flexible tool.

Visual progression. Since Trello is based on kanban boards, the leader, like the whole team, can directly monitor the progress of the project as soon as he enters the board. This creates a feeling of pleasure, since dragging a card into the next column instantly signals progress.

Unlimited. You can invite any number of people to the board, regardless of their status in the project. Also, there are no restrictions on the number of columns or cards. It is important that almost all the necessary functionality is available in the free version.

Weaknesses

Doesn't always work for you. The strength of the service is its weakness. Trello is flexible, but at the same time it entrusts the manager to create a process that will work for the company.

This implies proper column setup, labeling, deadlines, and so on. If the manager chooses the wrong tactics, Trello can even complicate the work.

Small coverage. The more tasks, the bulkier the board becomes. Accordingly, working with it is no longer such a pleasure. To understand clearly, evaluate the Trello resource board. In this case, this is not a project, but simply the information collected. But now imagine that so many columns and cards have accumulated during operation.

Because Trello is absolutely not suitable for large projects with hundreds of tasks. It becomes uncomfortable, it confuses too much both the leader and the performers. Moreover, when moving cards, you can make a mistake and then complete chaos will begin in the work.

Paid Export. In any project, there is a need to upload files to other services or directly to the site. On the free plan, you need to download them to a computer, and then send them to a file hosting service, or, for example, send them by mail. For direct export you will need a paid plan.

Strengths of Asana

Excellent UX. The service interface is thought out to the smallest detail. It allows you to optimally use the available space so that everything is done in a couple of clicks. Different colors for tasks, depending on importance, role distribution, timing control and much more can be done in seconds.

Flexibility. Asana is no less flexible service than Trello. First of all, it provides two ways of organizing work. Secondly, it allows you to customize each project in its own way, and not be limited to one template. The only thing missing is the ability to redo one project from lists to kanban boards or vice versa.

Weaknesses

A lot of mail. Asana is designed in such a way that the team does not need email at all to discuss the project. All edits and ideas can be indicated directly in the comments. However, the service sends too many emails about almost every action taken. The problem is that these messages cannot be disabled.

One performer per task. Many managers complain that it is impossible to attach several employees to a task at once. This has to be solved by creating identical tasks or subtasks, which makes the project more cumbersome.

Lack of hotkeys. There are always a lot of clicks in a project. Adobe product users will tell you how easy it is to create a video or logo with hot keys. However, in Asana there are no such combinations, so you have to do everything manually.

Integrations

The power of any cloud product is determined by how it integrates with other services. Why? Because when working on any project, each person will use at least five different tools and programs. If you combine them, the process can be organized in one space.

Trello and Asana provide amazing opportunities in this regard. Both platforms have over a hundred integrations, including Evernote, Slack, Adobe CC, Dropbox and many others. You can also add any custom fields, from deadlines and payments, to the number of required tests.

Which service to choose

The key difference between Trello and Asana is that Asana offers more functionality at a basic level, while Trello is a simple tool that even a teenager can work with.

Trello is a simple paradigm of notes on the wall that every office worker knows. Therefore, it is easy to deal with any team, and you can also quickly set up remote collaboration. It is an adaptable tool that can be customized to solve a wide range of problems.

Asana is a more focused tool. However, it provides new levels of interaction that go beyond both personal and business communication. Due to its capabilities, corporations such as Spotify or Sky News trust it.

For a couple of months’ project, we recommend Trello. For a large and long-term project, it is better to choose Asana, since this service will prove to be much more effective at a distance.