If you use Gmail, stop using Asana’s “email-to-task” and start using this Gmail add-on

   |    |  
 Filed under:   Asana news, Reviews

Note: If you buy something linked to in one of our posts, we may get a small share of the sale.

Asana has always had a straightforward way to forward emails into Asana using a special [email protected] address. But that system has always left a few things to be desired…no way to add due dates, assign projects easily, or link back to Gmail.

Asana has partnered with Google to release Asana for Gmail, which is available in the G Suite Marketplace. It helps you turn emails into tasks without leaving your Gmail inbox. This is a native part of Gmail regardless of what browser you use; it’s not a Chrome extension.

asana-for-gmail-plugin
Asana for Gmail appears on the right side of Gmail when an email thread is open.

You can create tasks directly from your inbox, or associate an existing task with an email thread so it always pops up when you’re reading an email.

There are cases where the Asana for Gmail add-on could be helpful, like quickly pulling information from Asana when communicating with clients.

Not quite ready for prime time ?

Unfortunately, the add-on leaves a lot to be desired out of the gate. Here’s a list of issues:

  • Can’t set custom due date. I’m not sure if this is a bug as there is an option for “Set date manually,” but there is no way to add a specific due date. What?! How bizarre. The only options are a few set choices like “Today, Tomorrow, Next Week, or In Two Weeks.
  • Can’t change due date, assignee, or description after creating task. So if a client says, “Let’s change the date to Next Friday,” or an email makes you want to reassign to Howard instead of Rick, there’s no way to edit these fields within Gmail. That seems like the main use for having an email thread associated with a task. Basically after creating a task, the only option is to add more comments.
  • If you delete the task you created in Asana, you only see errors in Gmail with no apparent way to associate a different task. Again, tasks are deleted all the time and this feels half-baked.
  • Lots of bugs reported. A number of reviews on the G Suite Marketplace have mentioned the add-on not appearing, conflicting with other plug-ins like Rapportive (a contact add-on), not uninstalling correctly, or just acting buggy. It currently has a rating of 3½ stars.
  • G Suite admins can’t install the add-on currently. This is Google shortcoming that is supposed to be patched soon.

Asana has made a concerted effort in their product development and marketing to partner with Google, so I expect Asana to work out some of the kinks and improve this add-on over time. And if you’re an Outlook for Windows user, don’t forget to check out Sendana. We’re giving away a FREE Sendana license with each PLUS or LIFETIME purchase of the Asana Training Masterclass.

What do you think of the new Asana for Gmail add-on?

G Suite Marketplace | Asana for Gmail

Start typing and press Enter to search