I need advice on setting up projects for my small business

[jla1234]

Hi!

I am new to Asana and have been reading tons of use cases and watching tons of videos but am a little confused and need some advice on how to best set up projects for my small business.

Currently, it is just my partner and I running our small business, and it is just me using Asana. I have structured our business the following way:

3 main departments (Admin, Operations, Sales & Marketing) are divided into sub-departments (Admin= Communications, Finance, Management, Purchasing. Operations= Manufacturing, Services, R&D. Sales & Marketing= Branding, Content, PR, Marketing, and Sales.)

I have set up projects for each of the sub-departments (Communications, Finance, etc). Some of those sub-departments have additional projects (The Management project also has a Business Planning project for example). My question is, am I overcomplicating things? Would it be better to just have 3 projects for the 3 main departments and then use custom fields to differentiate the sub-departments?

I feel as though I am thinking too much on this and need some advice to simplify my process. Any advice or comments are much appreciated!

Thank you

[Jason_Woods]

Hi @jla1234

In short my view is yes you are overcomplicating it. I would start small and build up as you get used to Asana and how you and your partner work and collaborate together.

The more projects and teams you have the more rework you may have to do when you adjust to how you work together.

Here are some good post to give you more clarity.

Architectural Balance in Asana (Ebook Free Chapter)

“Should I make this a Project or a Team?” This question, and others like it, comes up often when starting something new in Asana, for both novices and experts alike. And it’s really just the tip of the iceberg. How can you envision the structural, big-picture view of what you want to accomplish and translate that into an architectural framework in Asana that will enable your workflows, processes and information repository needs durably and flexibly, now and as they scale? Asana often provide…

A framework to evaluate Asana systems

Hi, :question:I often have the opportunity to evaluate my client’s Asana “systems” and share my insights: do I believe their system is good? Can it scale? Are they gonna hit roadblocks soon? Can I suggest better? For years, I based my judgment on my personal experience and my gut feeling. I never had the intention of formalizing that approach. But after all, that makes sense. If I could turn that gut feeling into a real framework to evaluate someone’s system, then I would be able to give actio…

Hope this helps and enjoy your journey.

Jason.

[dave_cronk]

Hello jla1234,
I too am affiliated with a small company (7 people) and have various questions related to setting up the asana software. Our company is a Service industry in Recreational Vehicle marketplace. We repair upgrade and build custom Motorhomes and Emergency Response vehicles, Tour buses and other types of vehicles.
I am the Production Manager and want to add this product to manage the flow of communication and data within the company. I would be interested in how things worked out for your company using Asana. I realize it’s been a long while since your posting, but would be greatly valued by your response.
Regards,
Dave

[LillyBates]

Instead of having separate projects for each sub-department, you could simplify things by sticking to your three main departments. Then, use custom fields to categorize tasks by sub-department. This way, you keep everything organized without having too many projects to manage.I did something similar when I started using project management software. I over complicated my setup and ended up spending more time organizing than actually working. Once I streamlined my projects, it made a huge difference!I also found some helpful tips on germany.houseofcompanies.io that helped me grow my business efficiently. They have useful resources for managing operations and expanding into new markets.