What is Project Management, and How Does it Apply to The Point?
The Project Management Institute defines Project management (PM for short) as “the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver something of value to people.” PM’s primary function is to make planning processes efficient, smooth, and clear. Each member of a project must take initiative to play their part in creating a polished finished product. In the context of The Point, a project typically constitutes an event or product being distributed to the church body.
The way to create a great end result is by having initial clear systems where collaboration, scheduling, and organizing can take place. The Project Management Institute continues to say t“Before an outcome is achieved, each aspect of a project must go through phases of initiation, planning, and execution. This process is known as the project management lifecycle and is the lifeblood of successful projects.”
In order to deliver something of value (as mentioned above) to attendees at The Point, we must be intentional with the resources and gifts the Lord has given to us. As 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” Intentionality in planning will happen on Project Management software such as Asana. Last-minute planning for events often induces stress. There are certainly last-minute details like set-up, but the finer details should be completed well ahead of time.
Asana is a valuable project management platform that will streamline event planning and collaboration among staff. With Asana, everything is in one place.
One key target for the comms team (Jesse and Grace) is to develop systems and templates on Asana that can be used for planning events in the future. What we are developing now will make the process easier. One aspect to take note of is the planning process for major events at both campuses should begin at least two or three months in advance. The comms team is frequently checking The Communications Calendar to ensure that we begin the process far in advance and will schedule Discovery meetings with you when necessary.
We are thankful for your patience as we continue to develop these systems
Welcome to the World of Asana!
We put together this package of training videos to get you acquainted with the software. Some staff members have already been introduced to the platform, but we want you to have this resource that you can refer to anytime. As always, if you have any questions, the comms team is always happy to help! Feel free to Slack us anytime or come by one of our offices.
Project Management Common Language
This article provides a foundational understanding of key project management terms.
Intro to Asana
This video introduces you to the basics of Asana, such as the layout and adding and scheduling tasks (for you and others).
Asana Overview
This video provides a demo of Asana, a popular project management software solution. We explore how you might use Asana and look at some of its most popular features.
Creating a Project
This video dives deeper into the info mentioned in the video above. It shows you how to create a Project in Asana. Remember that in the context of The Point, a is typically an event that will be taking place, such as the Toy Drive or Lead Well. The video goes on to show how to add tasks under projects and assign them to others.
Tasks and Inbox
This video breaks down how you can use the “Tasks” and “Inbox” features. The “Tasks” button is probably the most helpful feature of the two as it shows what you have coming up in the next few days or weeks. You can think of it as your “To-Do List.” You can even assign yourself tasks so you stay on track. The “Inbox” feature seems overwhelming, but it can be useful to track the items that others change or add on Asana. Another helpful tip mentioned at the end of the video turn off email notifications from Asana as they can overwhelm your inbox.
Maximizing Communication
As mentioned above, we want Asana to be a valuable tool for you. One of the major reasons it’s being implemented at The Point is for collaboration among staff members.
Managing Tasks in Multiple Projects
Sometimes, your tasks will overflow into multiple projects, but there is no need to create the same task more than once. This video shows how to add them to different projects you are working on.
Slack Integration
Asana is great in that it allows you to integrate the other platforms we use at The Point. This video shows you how to add Slack to your Asana platform if that would be helpful for you.
Goals
With Goals in Asana, your team has a single source of truth for your shared objectives that are connected to the work to achieve them. Setting and tracking goals with Asana can boost your team's performance while ensuring your organization is focused on the right priorities to drive the results you want.
Workflow 1
You can build a workflow for almost any part of your work that involves a series of steps you follow in a repeatable and systematic way. Learn how in this three-part series.
Workflow 2
Learn best practices for creating the foundation of your workflows in Asana. Get best practices on key workflow setup decisions like when to use a project vs. a task, how to use sections, which custom fields to add, and when to use subtasks.
Workflow 3
Once the foundation of your workflow is in place, how do you add the handoffs and automation that bring it to life? How do you get your workflow to...well...flow? The Workflow Builder helps you visualize how Asana's features come together to create a seamless flow of work.
Workload
Prevent burnout and understand team bandwidth with Workload. Set your team's capacity and assign hours, points, or difficulty to tasks across your projects to have a clear picture of bandwidth. No more guessing, complicated spreadsheets, or waiting until your team is overworked. Follow along with our tutorial to see how to use Workload in a few steps.
New in 2023
New features added to Asana in 2023