Imagine managing hundreds of projects across 30 teams, each with its own unique needs and workflows. Now, add the stress of migrating these projects to a new system, and top it off with the pressure of a tight deadline. This was the scenario for our recent client, the marketing team of a leading professional sports organization, who needed to move their operations from Wrike to Asana only four weeks before the start of the season.

The pressure was on.

Challenges:

Disjointed Data and Projects: The need to migrate data and projects from Wrike to Asana.
Tight Timelines: The project had to be completed before the start of the sports season, imposing strict deadlines.
Scope Ambiguity: Initial lack of clarity on project requirements and detailed scope.
Budget Constraints: The project had to be delivered within a limited budget.
Integration Complexity: Need to integrate multiple tools and automate workflows seamlessly.

Objectives:

Integration: Seamlessly integrate Asana with existing tools like Logiforms, Jira, and Slack.
Automation: Automate workflows to reduce manual tasks and improve efficiency.
Customization: Create tailored project templates and custom fields for each team.
Collaboration: Improve collaboration across teams while maintaining data privacy.

The stakes were high. Keeping operations smooth and supporting the league's marketing efforts was much needed to maintain the league's reputation, competitive edge, and leadership in sports marketing.

To tackle these challenges and meet our objectives, we followed a structured approach to ensure a successful transition and implementation. Our solution involved careful planning and execution, focusing on data migration, setting up custom projects and portfolios, integrating essential tools, automating workflows, and providing comprehensive training and support.

Implementation

Initial Setup:

Workflow Recreation: We carefully rebuilt all the workflows from Wrike in Asana, starting from scratch. We made sure every active project, task, and important piece of information was accurately recreated to keep things running smoothly. Our main goal was to ensure that the marketing team experienced no disruptions and had easy access to everything in Asana.

Project and Portfolio Setup: We set up over 200 custom projects and organized them into specific portfolios for each team. Each portfolio was tailored to handle the unique workflows and data requirements of the 30 clubs. By doing this, we ensured that all necessary data was captured and organized in a way that made it easy for teams to manage their workflows efficiently. We connected their existing third-party intake form tool, which they already liked and used, to intake projects in Asana. This directed all requests to a central "all clubs" board for higher-level visibility, while each club managed their specific requests within their own portfolio.

Custom Dashboards and Reporting: We set up custom dashboards and reporting tools in Asana for the project management team. These dashboards provided visibility into all intake requests and projects, allowing them to view everything in one place and manage the workflow efficiently. The dashboard helped the PM team gain a clear overview of all activities and could make informed decisions quicker.

“Fantastic and plentiful work! These (custom project templates and automation workflows) were right on the nose!”
— Vice President, Marketing Operations

Automation and Rules:

Task Automation: To streamline processes, we created rules for automatic task creation, assignment, and notifications. This meant that whenever a form was submitted via Logiforms, Asana would automatically create a task, assign it to the appropriate team project, and notify the appropriate team members. This automation eliminated the need for manual intervention which reduced errors and saved time. For example, if a marketing campaign request was submitted, the system would automatically create tasks, assign them to the campaign manager, and notify all collaborators.

Tool Integrations: We took it a step further and developed integrations with Slack and Jira to improve communication and task tracking through channels they already rely on. Integrating Slack allowed for real-time notifications and updates so that team members were always informed about task statuses. The Jira integration, on the other hand, facilitated better tracking and management of development tasks, linking them seamlessly with marketing activities in Asana. That way, all team members had real-time access to the information they needed.

Testing and Iteration:

Thorough Testing: We conducted thorough testing to ensure that all workflows and integrations functioned correctly. This included user acceptance testing (UAT), where the marketing team tested the system to ensure it met their needs. We simulated various scenarios and workflows to identify and fix any issues before the final rollout.

Iterative Improvements: Based on feedback from the marketing team, we iterated on the system to fine-tune it and address any issues that arose. This involved making adjustments to custom fields, automation rules, and integrations based on user experiences and suggestions.

Efficient Updates: We used Asana’s Bundles feature to streamline the management of multiple projects. The feature allowed us to group project attributes together, so any changes to rules or automations could be applied across all related projects simultaneously. This significantly reduced the time and effort required to update each project individually.

Training and Support:

Comprehensive Training: We provided thorough training to ensure that the marketing team could effectively use Asana. This included live demos, hands-on training sessions, and detailed documentation. Our training sessions covered everything from basic navigation to advanced automation features to ensure the team could fully leverage the new system.

Ongoing Support: To ensure a smooth transition, we offered ongoing support for any questions or issues that came up. This included regular check-ins, troubleshooting assistance, and additional training as needed. Our support team was always available to help the marketing team get the most out of Asana.

Results

The implementation of Asana for the marketing team brought about significant improvements in their efficiency and collaboration. Here are the key results:

Improved Efficiency: Automating routine tasks like task creation, assignment, and notifications drastically cut down manual work. This freed up valuable time for strategic activities and reduced the risk of human error.
Better Collaboration: Integrating Asana with Slack and Jira improved communication and task tracking. Real-time notifications in Slack kept everyone informed, while the Jira integration allowed for better coordination between marketing and development teams.
Custom Solutions: We created over 200 custom project templates with specific fields and rules tailored to each team's needs. Should the team need to change or apply edits later on to any of the custom fields or automations we put in place, they can easily apply all of them using the Bundles we've created.
Better Visibility: The custom dashboards and reporting tools provided the project management team with a comprehensive view of all intake requests and projects. This improved visibility allowed for quicker decision-making and easier spotting of bottlenecks.
Successful Deployment: Despite a tight four-week deadline, the project was completed on time, preparing the organization for the new season with a robust project management system.

Conclusion

Despite the time crunch and limited budget, we ensured a smooth transition from Wrike to Asana, turning what is usually a stressful endeavour into a seamless experience. Not only did we migrate all workflows accurately, but we also left the processes better than we found them by implementing automations and integrations that centralized the work and reduced manual tasks.

How We Migrated 200 Projects from Wrike to Asana in Just 4 Weeks