Feature Request: Task Numbering

I would like to request a feature that will allow the user to add a custom field for tasks that will auto-populate a unique number (ID). The more we use Asana, with the volume of tasks, the more task numbering becomes a need. This is a feature that I have had in several previous platforms, which allowed us to include a job (task) ID on anything printed, emailed, etc. for easy tracking and fast historical referencing. This would be a huge benefit to users to have this feature.

30 Likes

Neat idea

1 Like

I like task numbering in Jira or Redmine. They have short task numbers which are project-wide or company-wide unique. Itā€™s much easier to remember task numbers with 1-5 digits than 15 character long task identifiers in Asana. Asana users donā€™t need task numbers, which are globally unique. Project-wide unique task numbers are enough. So task identifiers will be used in URLs, but task numbers will be used by humans to easily refer to a specific task in a conversation. Currently I add task numbers into task titles manually. But if task numbers were built into Asana it would be much better. I never move tasks between projects so thereā€™s no issue for me that task numbers will become not unique once tasks have been moved to another project. And I think many other people too. If someone will still have the need to do it, Asana could ask which task should get a new number. And for people who frequently move tasks between projects I propose to impletement option to comletely disable task numbers

10 Likes

Yeah definitely Iā€™m looking forward to having this - or similar - feature. Iā€™ve started searching for some external integrations originally, as the task numbering would be ultimately support ticket numbering in our setup. So would be way more manageable. Thanks in advance @Asana_team !!

7 Likes

I would also like to request this feature. Tools like Jira assign a 3 or 4 digit number to each card/task. When communicating with co-workers it is much easier to say ā€œIā€™m working on task 123ā€ rather than ā€œIā€™m working on task ā€

4 Likes

I canā€™t stump for this one enough. Hereā€™s a set of related requests that should make task numbering a breeze to use:

  1. In the ā€œEdit Name & Descriptionā€¦ā€ dialog of a Project, add a ā€œTagā€ field whose value will be used in two places:
  • In the label that appears after task names in project lists (so instead of trying to render ā€œUser Management Consoleā€ in a label, it would just display the projectā€™s ā€œUMCā€ tag name)
  • As the prefix of task numbers assigned in the current project
  1. I love that typing ā€œ:ā€ at the end of a task name instantly turns it into a section. Typing ā€œ:#ā€ in a task name would be autoreplaced by a combination of the projectā€™s tag name and an incrementing count of numbered tasks in the current project (e.g. ā€œ:# Set up user accessā€ becomes ā€œUMC1 Set up user accessā€)
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Has this request been picked up for development? How do I find its current status?

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Asana is not sharing any information about the roadmap or progress, so you just have to be patient :slight_smile:

Awesome, thatā€™s exactly how Iā€™d expect task referencing to work and itā€™s such an elegant solution! Asana team, I really hope youā€™re considering this

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Yes! Please add this essential task tracking feature! Every bug/task tracking tool Iā€™ve ever used has this basic yet vital 1-4 digit AutoId to reference the ticket with.

4 Likes

Yes, this would be a massive improvement!

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This feature would be so valuable! Selfishly, I really hope to see it soon.

4 Likes

I generally prefer Trello but this client is using Asana. Trello lists the task ID in the URL with the title of the task, for example ā€˜43-task-titleā€™. This is super useful for creating a unique git feature branch that is descriptive and can be directly related to the task.

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+1 for this feature, a 3-5 digit number is much easier to remember and track than natural language title

3 Likes

/friendly bump @Asana

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This would be a great feature indeed

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+1 for this. Coming from Jira, this is a must-have. For any serious project manager, the sheer volume of tasks means a ticket ID is a necessity.

4 Likes

For anyone looking for a third party solution for this, please try the following:

  1. Register for a trial of Project Processes here: Project Sync
  2. Create a new process and connect Asana with a Custom Action.
  3. Complete the Asana authorization process.
  4. Click on Get Started under Auto Numbering.
  5. Complete the wizard.

You can setup a prefix for the number, a suffix, a starting offset, etc. We can utilize custom fields or simply prepend the information to the task name which works better for searching or non-premium users. If you have any questions or issues getting going, please send me a message.

3 Likes

+1 (and my whole team of 60)

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+1 this is a requirement for our team adopting Asana. Such a shame as the functionality is exactly what weā€™re looking for. As weā€™re in a rush (and thereā€™s no roadmap shared) weā€™re going to have to adopt another tool for now but will keep an eye on this.

3 Likes