Native priority field vs custom priority fields

[Bobby_McGivney]

I used Asana’s native suggested “Priority” fields way back on because I think at the time custom fields weren’t available on the plan I was on.

Now that I’m committed to a higher plan with custom fields included, I’m wondering if there is any benefit to using this baked-in Priority field? There are definitely limitations to it. For example I can’t add/edit the options (Priority only has High, Medium, and Low (And I’d love to prefix these with emojis [image]) and I can’t toggle the notification settings.

I can’t think of any other benefits, but wanted to check-in incase I’m missing something, perhaps with AI integration or other areas unconsidered.

PS I can understand the benefits of other fields like estimated time/percent allocation, because those integrate with other features - but am I losing any power if I create a manual single select field for a custom priority?

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[lpb]

I encourage my clients to avoid the native Priority field for the same reasons you mention (and to avoid those other native fields that can be replaced by your own versions). You will only stand to gain; nothing to lose except the time for the one-time effort to convert.

Unrelated to the native vs. custom aspect, but regarding the nature of the Priority field itself, you may want to consider my suggestions here for another alternative in certain circumstances:

Don't use a "Priority" custom field (usually); use a simpler approach, or a "Critical" instead

I’m not a fan of the Priority custom field! Nine out of ten times I see it used by clients, I feel they’re wasting time and recommend they remove or replace it. A Priority field is shown in many Asana demo videos and is included by default in many Asana-provided project templates. I feel most of these are not optimal. Simpler Approaches In cases where a task has a Due date set, a Priority custom field often is redundant; the Due date effectively conveys the priority, so a custom field is not …

Thanks,

Larry

[Virginia_Mowery]

I created a custom priority field, since the native field didn’t have what we needed.

I really wish there were a way to remove the native fields from our field library. It creates confusion for people (other than myself and my boss, who know to look beyond them). That would be a fabulous upgrade.

[Stephen_Li]

This is not a solution for everyone, but if you are on an enterprise plan and feel comfortable playing with the API, you can set up a service account and delete those fields.

[lpb]

@Virginia_Mowery,

Another approach to get at the same underlying need–knowing which custom fields to use–could be:

Document Your Organization's Global Available Custom Fields [Best Practice]

You’ll benefit from agreeing upon and documenting (in Asana, of course) your organization’s preferred custom fields for org-wide usage. These should include commonly-used fields, but there’s utility in enumerating all (even more seldom-used) available custom fields you’ve vetted that may come in handy. Perusing this list when you create new workflows and projects may help to remind users of missing or helpful fields they hadn’t consider and will certainly increase consistency. An efficient way…

Thanks,

Larry

[Richard_Sather]

Hi @Bobby_McGivney, @Virginia_Mowery ,

If you are stuck with those non-editable Priority fields and looking to ‘unlock’ them, or consolidate, merge or remove similar fields in their library, I have a custom solution for you!

What this custom app does:

Scans through your field library to find the fields you want to consolidate
Maps all values to either an existing field in your library or a new field that you define
Consolidates all options for single-select or multi-select fields
Supports all field types
Optionally deletes deprecated fields from the library, even Asana-created ones

Find out more on my website:

Richard Sather | Custom Apps | Consolidate similar fields in your library

Richard Sather
Asana Expert, Consultant and Trainer