PRINCE2® is one of the most widely used project methodologies. Its structured approach is recognized worldwide as a leading alternative to the approach used by PMI. The methodology itself is one side of the coin - the way it is implemented - the other. The key to its effective use in practice is the selection of the right tool supporting the entire process. In this article, we will look at how PRINCE2 project management in Asana can be implemented. We encourage you to read, the article should take no more than 10 minutes.
Why Combine PRINCE2 and Asana?
PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a structured, process-based approach that assumes organization and control at all stages of the project lifecycle. It is a solid framework that provides order and predictability. However, having a methodology is just the beginning. Implementing a project management tool is in fact a company transformation project that often means rebuilding processes and changing the way employees think and act. Irregularities left at the implementation stage can generate problems throughout the system's life.
This is where Asana comes in. Asana, thanks to its simplicity and at the same time comprehensive package of functions, enables smooth introduction of the PRINCE2 methodology to project management. It makes even the most difficult projects and portfolios understandable and transparent. Everyone will find their way in this tool - from an intern to a board representative. Cooperation with an implementation partner experienced in both project management methodologies and industry knowledge additionally minimizes the risk of errors and ensures implementation efficiency.
Want to learn how PRINCE2 works? Take advantage of the PRINCE2® Foundation or PRINCE2® Practitioner training for more advanced project managers and get certified!
PRINCE2 Project Management in Asana
The PRINCE2 methodology is based on seven key project management principles. Asana provides functionalities that directly support the application of these principles in everyday work:
1. Business Justification
PRINCE2 requires a clearly defined goal, customer, measurable benefits, and cost assessment for each project. In Asana, you can store project documentation, goals, and KPIs in one place. Custom fields can be used to track cost and benefit data, making it easy to continuously verify the business case for the project. Additionally, built-in reporting automatically allows you to analyze the project's measurable benefits without unnecessary waiting, through built-in dynamic charts or the ability to create charts using AI.
2.Learning from Experience
This principle emphasizes the importance of learning from each stage and project for future use. Asana allows you to easily document meeting notes and status updates. Once the project is complete, you can prepare a closing report and, importantly, save the project as a template for reuse, transferring the lessons learned to new endeavors.
3. Defined Roles and Responsibilities
PRINCE2 emphasizes clear definition of who is responsible for what. Asana allows you to assign tasks to specific people in the team and set deadlines. This ensures that everyone is aware of their responsibilities, which significantly improves communication and increases the effectiveness of processes.
4. Manage by Stages
The PRINCE2 methodology assumes dividing the project into stages, with a summary and drawing conclusions after each of them. In Asana, projects can be easily divided into sections corresponding to stages. Their viewing is extremely convenient thanks to the various available views (timeline, Gantt chart, calendar, list, board). Status updates and the ability to store conclusions support management at the boundary of stages.
5. Manage by Exception
Clearly defining key metrics like deadlines, costs, risks, and scope at the beginning of a project allows for quick response to deviations. Asana lets you track completed and uncompleted tasks, identify obstacles, and take corrective action. Custom fields are useful for monitoring estimated time, costs, or risk levels for individual tasks or milestones.
6. Focus on Products
PRINCE2 focuses on the quality of the final product, requiring the establishment of a quality control process. In Asana, you can create tasks and subtasks dedicated to quality control activities and assign them to responsible people, thus monitoring whether the project meets requirements.
7. Tailor to Suit the Project Environment
The PRINCE2 methodology is flexible and should be tailored to the individual requirements of the project, its scope, team size and conditions. Asana is a highly configurable tool that allows you to adjust workflows, views (e.g. lists, boards) and custom fields to the specifics of a given project and the way the team works. Additionally, it allows each user to choose the most suitable way of working by using the “My Tasks” section.
Try Asana in your company completely free and we'll help you set up your working environment in PRINCE2.
PRINCE2 Project Lifecycle in Asana
Asana supports managers and teams at every stage of the PRINCE2 process:
Starting up a Project
You can create a task to request approval for a project. Then, the plan can be transformed into actionable tasks, and everything can be stored in one place.
Controlling a Stage
Asana lets you keep track of your most important tasks. You can instantly see completed and unfinished tasks, identify obstacles, and take corrective action. Custom fields can also be helpful for tracking details like estimated time or feedback.
Managing a Stage Boundary
Breaking your project into stages (sections in Asana) and easily sharing status updates helps you manage transitions between stages, document lessons learned, and determine next steps.
Managing Product Delivery
Asana enables detailed planning and tracking of deliverable creation tasks, assigning responsibility, and monitoring progress to ensure that delivered products meet quality requirements.
Closing a Project
Once work on products is complete, Asana supports handover of further activities and, crucial to the principle of continuous learning, saving the project as a template.
The entire PRINCE2 project lifecycle becomes transparent and easy to manage in Asana. By keeping everything in one place and communicating seamlessly, teams can focus on results.
AI in PRINCE2
In addition to everything mentioned above, we should also mention a tool that connects all the other functions together, allowing you to take project management to a level never before achieved. We are of course talking about AI, which is present in Asana at almost every step, allowing you to:
- Conversation with AI chat that has knowledge about our projects, tasks and comments and is able to detect any blockages, risks or regularities
- Task automation using Studio AI – which gives us almost unlimited possibilities of connecting the Artificial Intelligence assistant to our tasks (e.g. to automatically allocate resources based on their availability or to review completed tasks and detect irregularities)
- Automatic generation of reports summarizing projects or project portfolios within a minute, capturing the most important information from them
- Auto-complete and suggest values in custom fields
Learn more about AI in Asana in our article.
Choosing an Asana PRINCE2 Implementation Partner
Implementing a project management system is a project that requires competence. Although Asana is intuitive, the support of an experienced implementation partner can significantly speed up the process and ensure optimal adaptation of the tool to the specific needs of the organization. Asana has a network of dedicated partners with Asana Partner certification, offering various types of support: technical (Service Partner), license sales (Reseller Partner) and comprehensive implementations (Solution Partner).
As a Solution Partner, we offer comprehensive Asana services, including tool configuration, team training, process analysis and optimization, post-implementation support, data migration, and environment testing. Based on nearly 20 years of experience in implementing projects for companies from almost every industry and having accreditations based on international project management standards such as PRINCE2, PMI®, and AgilePM®, we are able to carry out an effective Asana implementation, tailored to your individual needs and work methods. Our goal is not only to implement the tool, but also to support you in going through the first pilot projects to ensure full understanding of the process and the possibility of independent development of the Asana environment in the future.
Summary
Combining the structured PRINCE2 methodology with the flexible and powerful tool Asana is a recipe for effective project management. Asana supports each of the seven PRINCE2 principles and makes it easier to manage at every stage of the project lifecycle. With Asana, you can more easily define roles and responsibilities, focus your team on quality, and customize your approach to the project.
Choosing Asana as a PRINCE2 support tool is a step towards greater efficiency and transparency. Working with an experienced implementation partner ensures that the tool is optimally configured and fully utilized by the team.
Regardless of your specific project approach, we can help you successfully implement Asana, strengthening your team's effectiveness and increasing the chances of projects being completed on schedule.
Please contact us to learn more about how Asana can support your PRINCE2 projects.
