Today, as part of Asana’s comprehensive 6-step change management process, I’ll focus on strategies to engage team feedback during onboarding and effectively acknowledge achievements along the way.
Asana Onboarding - Best Practices
Implementing new systems and programs can be quite challenging initially, however over time as new team members familiarize themselves and see how it can help them become more efficient their enthusiasm will definitely grow. Just keep in mind that people have different learning speeds so some team members may adapt quickly while others need more time to adjust.
Provide Clear Guidance / Onboarding
In my opinion it, is very important to provide onboarding training and resources that cater to different learning styles, including visuals, written information and also hands-on practice to ensure that all team members can effectively grasp the new tool being used.
You can find a lot of information in text and video form + project templates in the Asana guides and here on the forum, such as
Also understanding the different personality types present in the team is vital to customise the onboarding process efficiently. That’s why I usually ask new team members to take a personality test as part of the onboarding process.
Acknowledge Achievements
Motivation and recognizing accomplishments play a key role in the onboarding process, especially since certain team members might need more assistance or recognition / greater motivational push than others.
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Task Assignments: To acknowledge the completion of training modules, successful project contributions, or other milestones achieved during the onboarding process you can also utilize rules, comments or project updates to send personalized messages of encouragement and recognition. Also include emojis and/or gifs to make everything more fun and engaging. -
Celebrate Wins: Celebrate achievements of your team. You can for example use Asana’s comment feature to congratulate team members on their accomplishments and express appreciation for their work. Do it regularly whenever you spot something special.
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Recognition / Praise Boards: Create special projects in Asana where team members can publicly acknowledge and celebrate each other’s achievements. Can be a special mention by a customer in a review to thank a certain team member or a special well-done message from a partner we collaborate with or any other special achievements.
You can discover additional tips and tricks on how to maintain motivation within your (remote) team in this post:
Engage Team Feedback
Involve team members actively in the onboarding process by soliciting their suggestions and feedback. This is very important for creating a positive onboarding experience and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
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Existing team members supporting newbies: I usually create onboarding project templates tailored to various positions, encompassing Asana information, company procedures and more. Within these templates, tasks often include links to a general welcome project. Collaboration is facilitated by the questions and ideas that former team members provided, which helps new members settle in. A few existing team members who are part of this project will also be available to provide guidance and share insights, fostering a collaborative learning environment. -
Regular Check-ins: Regularly check in with new team members to see how they are doing. Also consider hosting training or feedback sessions with new team members to provide them with the opportunity to ask questions, address any potential concerns and gather feedback on their experience so far.
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Feedback Surveys: Create feedback loops via Asana forms to gather input from new team members about their onboarding experience. Based on the feedback received you can make adjustments to the onboarding process if needed.
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Feedback Channel: Create a dedicated project in Asana where your team members can share feedback, ask questions, and participate in discussions about the onboarding process and common Asana/process questions.
Input from colleagues is priceless, so communicate regularly to understand their challenges and show them how Asana can address them.
Offer Support and Mentorship
Assign a mentor or buddy to each new team member who will offer advice and assistance during the onboarding process. Asana’s task assignments, @mentions and the messaging feature can be used to help mentors and mentees communicate and work together.
In conclusion, engaging team feedback and acknowledging achievements are essential elements of a successful team member onboarding process. Using Asana’s features and best practices allows you to create a positive, welcoming and supportive onboarding experience.
And remember: a process should never be set in stone but should be continuously updated, taking into account team feedback and evolving needs.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences on team member onboarding with Asana!
