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How to Create and Add Custom Fields in Asana Project Management Tool

Asana is a popular project management software that helps teams organize, track, and manage work across projects. One of Asana’s most useful features for customizing projects is custom fields. Custom fields allow you to track additional information that is specific to your team’s needs.

In this article, I’ll explain what custom fields are, why they are useful, and provide a step-by-step guide on how to create and add custom fields in Asana based on my 10 years of experience using Asana as a project manager.

What are Custom Fields in Asana?

Custom fields enable you to capture metadata—additional information—about a task in Asana. For example, you can create a Dropdown custom field called “Priority” that allows you to select a priority level (High, Medium, Low) for each task.

Some examples of custom fields you can create include:

  • Text fields for capturing notes or links
  • Number fields for tracking numeric values like budgets
  • Dropdown fields for multiple choice options like priority or status
  • Date fields for due dates
  • Person fields for assigning tasks

Benefits of Using Custom Fields

Here are some of the key benefits of using custom fields in Asana:

Track additional details: Capture important task metadata that Asana doesn’t track by default like budgets, priorities, statuses, etc.

Standardize work: Use the same custom fields across multiple projects to ensure consistency in how your team captures information.

Simplify reporting: Quickly create reports filtered by custom fields to see what needs attention. For example, view all high priority unfinished tasks.

Surface key details: Add custom fields to Asana’s List, Board, Calendar, and Timeline views to surface important details at a glance.

Automate workflows: Trigger rules based on custom field values to automatically assign tasks, change statuses, and more.

How to Create a Custom Field in Asana

Follow these simple steps to create a custom field in Asana:

  1. Navigate to the Custom Fields tab in Asana
  2. Click “+ Add New Field”
  3. Select the field type: Text, Number, Dropdown, Date, Person
  4. Give your field a name
  5. (Optional) Write a description
  6. Choose projects to add the field to
  7. Click “Create Field”

And that’s it! Your custom field is now available to use in the selected projects.

Tips for Adding Custom Fields

Here are some tips to help you effectively create and manage custom fields:

  • Add to your organization’s field library – This allows the field to be reused across all projects
  • Lock down custom fields – Prevent editing by other users to maintain consistency
  • Use consistent naming conventions – Like “Priority” instead of “Task Priority”; helps reporting
  • Limit number of fields – Too many fields can be overwhelming; only create what you need

Example: Adding a Priority Custom Field

Let’s walk through an example of adding a useful Priority custom field.

  1. Go to the Custom Fields tab
  2. Click “+ Add New Field”
  3. Select “Dropdown” field type
  4. Name it “Priority”
  5. In the dropdown options, enter High, Medium, and Low
  6. Add to organization’s field library
  7. Select projects to add it to
  8. Click “Create Field”

Now your team can easily indicate priority when adding and managing tasks within those projects!

Best Practices for Using Custom Fields Effectively

Follow these best practices when working with custom fields for maximum benefit:

Use selectively: Only create the custom fields you need; too many fields can be distracting and overwhelming.

Standardize across projects: Use consistent naming conventions and options across multiple projects. This helps with reporting and training.

Add meaningful descriptions: Well-written descriptions help team members understand when and how to use the custom field.

Train your team: Explain the purpose of custom fields and how team members should use them for maximum benefit.

Review frequently: Evaluate if you are using custom fields consistently and appropriately. Remove unused fields.

Automate workflows: Set up rules to automatically update task status, assignees, dates, and more based on custom field values.

Key Takeaways

Here are the key takeaways about creating and adding custom fields in Asana:

  • Custom fields enable you to capture additional task metadata like priorities and statuses
  • They help you standardize, report on, surface, and automate work
  • It only takes a few clicks to create a custom field in Asana
  • Follow best practices like training, standardization, automation, and frequent reviews to maximize value

I hope this comprehensive guide gives you the knowledge and confidence to start taking advantage of custom fields in Asana to better manage your projects! Let me know if you have any other questions.

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