😱 The Asana feature I wish I’d discovered sooner: Custom Task types

[Richard_Sather]

Around this time last year, I wrote this article on how to group your tasks using a single-select field instead of using actual sections which would require a ton of rules to keep everything in sync. This year, Asana changed the game, yet again, by introducing Custom task types!

If you are fairly new to Asana or discovering ways to optimize the way you already work in Asana, make sure to check out custom task types - it will improve the way you and your team interact with Asana by simplifying your workflow structure, particularly for your ongoing processes, where tasks move through a ‘stage’, or ‘status’. And more importantly, you can get your workflow setup in minutes, with less Rules!

Benefits of using task types

• The status of a task type is more prominent than a single-select field which could get lost in columns or in the Fields table in the task details pane. If you use sections, you can just change the status of the task type instead of dragging from one section to another.
  In the List view:
  

  
  
  In the task details pane:
  
  

• Task types prevent accidental/premature completion of a task while it is halfway through a process (in a section or a single-select status field). The task type status button ‘forces’ the assignee to make a choice, prompting to move the task onto the next status/stage, or selecting how it was ‘done’ (eg. ‘Completed’ vs ‘Cancelled’ vs ‘Dropped’)

• You can create your own Approval type tasks if the legacy Approval type is not working for you. Note, task types are available on the Starter tier, where as Approval are available on Advanced tier and above, kinda making them redundant, in my opinion.

• You can replace the legacy normal task by creating your own task type for everyone to use; so it can include more than just the ‘binary’ incomplete/complete, such as add a ‘Cancelled’ status, which many users have been asking for.

• Task types work great for recurring tasks because the task type status ‘resets’ to the first active status, whereas a single-select field’s option value stays the same, as per the option value when it was completed

• You can easily change the status of a task by clicking on the icon, instead of clicking into the task details or finding the field column. This is especially useful for multi-homed tasks or when you are in your My tasks.

• Within the task details pane, you also have the ability to change the status of subtasks, instead of having to click into them to change their single-select field status, for example.

• You can have multiple task types within the same project, without the need of multiple ‘status’ fields. So, less fields = cleaner projects and less convoluted task detail panes!

Getting started with task types

Task types are ideal for any ongoing process, agile or sprints, where a task goes through ‘stages’ or ‘statuses’; sometimes those two can be different, but in most cases they are the same thing. They can also be useful in waterfall projects for the status of tasks within the phases of the project.

Create a custom task type

1. In your project, click on the Customize button in the top right, select Task types and templates
   
   
2. You will notice a list of task types added to the project, which are the ‘native’ task types; Task, Milestone, Approval. This is where you can add your own. Note that all the task types are titled in the singular, i.e. ‘Approval’, not ‘Approvals’ or ‘Approval status’.
   
   
3. Click on Add task type. This will prompt you to search for and use an existing task type which may already be available in your Asana space, helping to avoid creating duplicates in the event that you or someone else has already created a task type that works for you. If not, click on + Create new at the bottom of the list.
   
   
4. Name your task type: type the name of your task type. As per point 2 above, this should be written in the singular and describe what your task type actually is. This is different to naming your single-select field ‘Status’, for example. A clue will usually be the name of your ongoing process project. If your project is called ‘Requests’, your task type should be called ‘Request’. Here are some more examples: To-do, Lead, Client, Quote, Proposal, Contract, Invoice, Expense, Post, Campaign, Bug, Applicant, Vendor, Order, Property etc.
   
   
5. Create your statuses: you will notice that the statuses are divided into two clearly defined groups: Active and Done. The statuses in Active will keep the task incomplete, while the Done will complete the task, automatically, without any rules involved! Your statuses should reflect the stages of your process, that the task will go through. It may not necessarily go through all statuses, for example it may never go ‘On hold’. If you already have an ongoing process setup, your task type statuses should reflect your Sections or the options in the single-select field you are currently using as a status field. Refer to this post on how to migrate over to using task types.
   Here are some examples of my custom task types and their statuses:
   To-do
   
   
   
   Quote
   
   
   
   Expense
   
   
   
   
   
6. Optionally, create task templates within each task type, although this is not necessary to use task types in your project, by associating a task type to a template, it will then be available in the ‘+Add task’ button(s) in your project.
   
   
7. Set your Task type as the default task: by clicking on the Customize button and then the Project settings button or Customize > Task types and templates, then ... on the right of your task type to ‘Set as default’. You will notice that the UI will change; the Add task button will mention your task type name, instead! Note, this will also set your default task type to subtasks, too. If you would like this changed, vote here and checkout the workaround.
8. Group by task type: the cherry on the cake! Whether in the List, Board or Gantt view, click on the Group button and instead of Sections (or a single-select field), choose your task type (it’s usually at the bottom of the list). And voila; your process is ready to go! No need for any sections, or status fields or rules! Try creating a task and changing the status - you will see the task moves automatically from one group to another, or vice versa, when you manually click and drag a task from one group to another.

Tips & hacks

• You can remove the first character from the task type icon, by using this nifty hack.
• You can replace the first character (with an emoji ) by clicking on the dropdown and selecting custom character, as per below:
  
  
• If you use the Board view, make sure to click on Options in the top right area, then Layout options and switch on Color board columns to brighten up your board

Resources

• 🚦 Custom Task types: What you need to know before you go all in
• 🚀 We replaced all our Status fields with Task types (a guide on migrating your existing workflows to use task types)
• Asana Help Center

Richard Sather
Asana Solutions Partner & Forum Leader
See all of our top tips & tricks on our website.

[Skyler]

@Richard_Sather

Task types prevent accidental/premature completion of a task while it is halfway through a process (in a section or a single-select status field). The task type status button ‘forces’ the assignee to make a choice, prompting to move the task onto the next status/stage, or selecting how it was ‘done’ (eg. ‘Completed’ vs ‘Cancelled’ vs ‘Dropped’)

Task types help prevent accidental/premature completion while its going through a process. For folks like me and most of my team who primarily use keyboard shortcuts, ⌘ + ↵ Return still completes the task instead of advancing it to the next status.

[lpb]

Great post as always, @Richard_Sather, and custom task types are a great English Forum > Getting Started feature because they offer a more straightforward implementation with even greater functionality than competing Asana approaches.

However, there are some caveats that are worth considering before diving in, as I summarized in:

We replaced all our Status fields with Task types (a guide on migrating your existing workflows to use task types)

Terrific step-by-step instructions and great detail for anyone embarking on this kind of change; thanks, @Richard_Sather, for another excellent Community Tips > Forum Leader tips! You reference Custom Task types: What you need to know before you go all in in your Resources here, and I recommend that anyone considering this change read that post closely first to make sure they’re comfortable with the current state of custom task types functionality before they begin using them, either for conv…

Thanks,

Larry

[Richard_Sather]

That’s a good point, @Skyler . You may want to create a new thread in English Forum > Product Feedback for that shortcut to perform differently for task types, which would make more sense.

[Richard_Sather]

Thanks for the kinds words, @lpb!

And well noted, that’s exactly why I published the caveats/gotchas post first

[Skyler]

Done. Consider Updating Logic of "Complete Task" Shortcut for Custom Task Types