Email Marketing Calendar Workback Automations

English Forum Tips and Tricks
1

Hi Asana community,

I’m looking to create an automated email workback calendar that schedules tasks based on the final publishing date (email send date). Each task needs to be due a specific number of days before the email send date, and I want Asana to automatically assign due dates when the final publishing date is set.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

  • I already have my sections laid out in Asana, which are:
    • Wireframe Development
    • Copywriting
    • Copy Feedback & Edits
    • Design Construction
    • Internal Review
    • Client Feedback & Revisions
    • Klaviyo Testing
    • Email Scheduling

What I Need:

  1. Due dates to be auto-calculated based on the final email send date (publishing date) and the following timeframes for each task:
  • Wireframe Development: Due 35 days before the email send date.
  • Copywriting: Due 30 days before the email send date (3 days for this task).
  • Copy Feedback & Edits: Due 27 days before the email send date (allow 3 days for this task).
  • Design Construction: Due 15 days before the email send date.
  • Internal Review: Due 10 days before the email send date (allow 3 days for this task).
  • Client Feedback & Revisions: Due 7 days before the email send date (allow 5 days for this task).
  • Klaviyo Testing: Due 4 days before the email send date (allow 3-4 days for this task).
  • Email Scheduling: Due 5 days before the email send date.
  1. Automation / Rules:
  • How can I set up Asana rules so that when the final email send date is determined, the due dates for all preceding tasks are automatically populated based on the number of days before the publishing date?
  • Should I use subtasks, or is there a way to automate this without subtasks?
  • Are there specific dependency rules or a better way to structure this?

The goal is to ensure that each task is clearly assigned and has enough time to be completed, with Asana automatically scheduling each task relative to the email send date. Any guidance on the best way to achieve this would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

2

When using a project template, you can set the due dates for tasks on the project be dependent on the Project end date/due date. So when you create the project from the template, you’ll set the Project Due Date as the Email Send date and then the other items will auto populate based on that established date.

Additionally, if you create a final task/milestone of “Email Sent” with the send date, then you could utilized dependencies and their settings so that all dates can adjust if you need to adjust the final send date for whatever reason. See this tip on dependency types and this one from Asansa on auto date shifting using dependencies.