According to the Anatomy of Work, using and switching between multiple apps can lead to negative consequences such as missed deadlines, wasted time on duplicate work, loss of focus, and inefficiencies. That’s where the integrations with Asana come in.
Have you ever considered how seamlessly integrating Asana and Dropbox could improve your file management workflow?
Having the best of both worlds is possible thanks to the integration of Asana and Dropbox. In addition to giving you a handy way to backup and access your files, Dropbox, when integrated with Asana, has the following strong features:
Directly Attach Files to Tasks
Ditch the hassle of navigating between applications! You can attach files to tasks directly from Asana without leaving it thanks to the Dropbox integration. With just one click, you can browse and select the file you want to attach from your Dropbox library.
Here are two examples of how image files and PDFs uploaded from Dropbox are displayed:
Automatic Updates
Maintain flawless file synchronization! Updates to files made in Dropbox are automatically reflected in the task for that task in Asana. Dropbox and Asana remain in perfect sync, eliminating the need for manual link updates or version control hassles.
However, there’s still more! Let’s explore some additional Asana-Dropbox features that increase productivity:
Set Up Rules
Use automation to take charge of your workflow! You can simplify file management with Asana’s rules.
Make a rule, for instance, that activates whenever a task is marked as finished, a certain custom field is selected, and attachments are added. All attachments may be automatically uploaded by the rule to a specified Dropbox folder. To let team members know that the task has been updated, you can even add a comment.
Make use of Dropbox Folder Automation
to advance file organization! You can automate folders in Dropbox to make your workflow even more efficient.
Let’s say a team member creates smoothie pictures for the Instagram channel. Asana rules can add these images to the designated Dropbox folder, at which point a Dropbox automation can take over and move the files to predetermined subfolders based on keywords like “Smoothie.”
With the help of this automation, you can quickly group and arrange designs according to predetermined criteria, which will ensure effective file organization and save you a lot of time.
Now, let’s dive into an example workflow in detail:
Set up rules in Asana:
Within a project locate the “Customize” menu on the top right and click “Add rule”
Set up your preferred rule triggers and as an action select the Dropbox integration (in case you have not connected it before you will be asked to do so now.)
Now, you will be prompted to enter the URL of the folder where the files should be uploaded.
You can add another rule action if you wish. In my case I added this:
Test the rule to ensure that everything is running smoothly.
5.1. Files in the Asana
5.2. Task is marked complete and the rule is running
5.3. The files have been successfully upload to Dropbox
Set up automations in Dropbox:
Locate the “Create” button, click on the arrow and select “Automated folder”
From there you have various automation options. I have selected “Choose a category to sort files by”
Create your automation. In my case, I have selected the folder to which all designs from a specific Asana project are uploaded. I then defined that all files containing the keyword “smoothie” should be moved to a different folder.
After testing the flow you can see that Dropbox has automatically moved my files based on the conditions I set up.
And here’s a short video showcasing the workflow in action:
Voila! It’s that easy to create a seamless file management workflow that reduces time spent on file management, improves organization, and fosters collaboration by harnessing the power of Asana’s rules and Dropbox’s folder automation.
Discover the effectiveness of a connected workflow, where collaboration is encouraged and file management is made simple. Say goodbye to time-consuming organization tasks and manual file transfers!
Happy file syncing and happy organizing!
