We have recently been converting tasks we have been using as task templates to Asana Task Templates. As the system admin, I have created these templates, but I also participate in the task templates.
Since implementation, I have been inundated with inbox notifications since I have been added as a collaborator. I ensured that I was removed as a collaborator on appropriate tasks in the task templates, but I still get the inbox notifications.
I opened a support case, and with their help, we discovered that any task or subtask dependencies will set you up as a collaborator. While this may make sense initially, I feel this is a huge oversight on Asana’s part.
Just because I own the parent task, doesn’t mean that I want micromanage everyone else’s work by being a collaborator. I believe the task templates should respect the template set up.
In other words, if a task owner wants to be collaborator on subtasks or dependent tasks, set up the template that way. Otherwise, Asana shouldn’t automatically add you as a collaborator.
I have searched hi and low and haven’t found a solution. If you know of one, please let me know as I have many more templates to create, but I am hesitant as I know my inbox is going to get hammered…
Any feedback is appreciated.
Hi @Ehren_Dimitry , this is unexpected behaviour.
If someone create a task from a task template that you set up then you should not be added as a collaborator as long as you are not included in the collaborators in the task template’s settings, as per below.
If indeed you are not, then what type of notifications are you getting in your Inbox? 
When I tried to recreate your issue by creating a task from a task template using a dummy account, I got a notification in my Inbox that the user created a task in the project - but that was because I did not turn off the relevant notifications - is that perhaps what you are experiencing?
If so, you will need to uncheck ‘Tasks added’ notifications in all projects you are a member of. Instead of going into each project, you can do this quicker from your My Settings > Notifications > Manage Individual Projects (the button, all the way at the bottom)
Perhaps I am not understanding the link between subtasks and dependencies that you mentioned…?
Hi @Richard_Sather ,
Thanks for the response! I am not included as a collaborator on any of the subtasks. I do own the parent tasks and become a collaborator once the template is used.
Regarding your question about the type of notifications I am getting, they all seem to be notifications when the subtasks are being marked complete.
Within the corresponding project these task templates are within, I am set to receive notifications for Status updates and messages, not when tasks are added.
From what I understood from the support team, Asana assumes if a task I am assigned is dependent on a subtask, it makes me a collaborator of that subtask.
Hi @Ehren_Dimitry , thanks for the further information.
I understood your issue and actually managed to recreate it; your ‘issue’ is that:
The user who creates a new task using a task template (via the ‘+Add new’ button):
- becomes the task creator and is added as a collaborator to that new parent task (as expected, just like when one creates any normal task or milestone)
- is added as a collaborator to any subtasks within the task template.
note this will occur irrelevant to whether the subtasks within the parent task template are set to be dependant on the parent task or not.
The above two are expected behaviours which make sense since the assignee of the parent task usually wants to be aware of the progress of their subtasks. Your case is clearly an exception!
Small note, these behaviours occur irrelevant to who is the actual ‘owner’ of the Task template (the person who initially set up the task template in Customize) because owners/creators do not apply here (in comparison to Rules for example).
So I guess my question would be why are you the one who creates the tasks using the task templates instead of the project members who could then assign you the parent task? That would perhaps solve your issue, and avoid receiving notifications as a collaborator, right?
But regarding your initial topic suggestion, I agree, and you have my vote 
Since we can specify the collaborators of tasks and subtasks within Task templates, then, yes, these could be respected. However, in order to give us that option, I suppose Asana would need to introduce Variables to collaborators in Task templates, i.e. being able to choose ‘task creator’ or the recently launched ‘project roles’ instead of specific people… but it may be a while until we see this… or not 
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