Otherside Studio is a content team producing creative work for multiple clients at once. More clients should mean more growth, but every new project added another layer of setup and coordination.
The problem: creative work buried in Asana subtasks
The team already used Asana, but it had grown without a system. Each project was built differently, and over time the cracks started to show:
- Work was buried in subtasks. Important deliverables sat several levels deep, so nobody could see what was actually in progress.
- Assets went missing. Files, briefs and references were scattered, and the team spent time hunting for them.
- Approvals stalled production. Work sat waiting for sign-off because nobody was clearly told it was their turn to review.
- Every new client project took about four hours to set up, rebuilding the same structure from scratch.
For a creative team, this is a familiar trap: the tool is there, but without structure it becomes one more place things get lost.
The problem wasn’t Asana. It was that every project was built from a blank page.
How we restructured their Asana workflow
We didn’t move the team to a new tool. We rebuilt how they use Asana around three pieces.
One portfolio hub for every client project
We set up a single Asana portfolio as the team’s home base. Every active client project lives there, so leads can see status, owners and progress across all clients at a glance, without opening each project one by one.
Repeatable Asana project templates
We designed project templates that match how the team actually produces content: the stages, the tasks, and where briefs and assets live. Starting a new client project now means picking the template and filling in the details, not building a structure from memory.
This is where most of the time savings came from. A setup that took four hours now takes about 30 minutes, and every project looks the same, so anyone on the team knows where to find things.
Approvals that route themselves
We built an approval workflow so that when a piece of work is ready for review, it goes to the right person automatically. No more pinging people in chat or waiting for someone to notice. Reviewers know exactly what’s waiting for them, and production keeps moving.
From half a day to half an hour
New client project setup went from four hours to 30 minutes, a cut of almost 90%. Beyond the time saved:
- The team can see every client project in one place
- Assets and briefs live in a consistent spot in every project
- Approvals no longer sit in limbo and hold up production
And because setup is quick and consistent, taking on a new client no longer means losing half a day to admin.
Lessons for creative teams using Asana
- Templates beat good intentions.If every project is built from scratch, every project will be built differently. A template gives you consistency for free.
- Keep the hierarchy shallow.If deliverables live three subtasks deep, nobody will see them. Put important work where people actually look.
- Make approvals someone’s clear next step.Work stalls when nobody knows it’s their turn. Automate the handoff.
- Use portfolios to see across clients.Managers shouldn’t need to open ten projects to know what’s on track.