Step-by-Step Guide: Building an Asana Clone with Adalo

Building a project management app like Asana from scratch typically requires a development team, significant budget, and months of coding—resources most small teams and entrepreneurs simply don't have. Yet off-the-shelf solutions rarely accommodate unique workflows, leaving you stuck between expensive custom development and tools that don't quite fit.

That's where Adalo comes in. Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms. AI-assisted building and streamlined publishing enable launch to the Apple App Store and Google Play in days rather than months.

Why Adalo Works for Building a Project Management App

Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This makes it the perfect foundation for creating an Asana-style project management tool that your team can access anywhere—whether they're at their desk or checking tasks on the go.

App store distribution is especially valuable for PM apps because teams need instant access to updates and deadlines. With Adalo's native push notifications, you can alert team members about new assignments, approaching due dates, and comment replies—keeping everyone engaged and accountable without constant email checks. Now let's explore what it takes to build your own Asana clone.

This comprehensive tutorial walks you through building a fully functional project management app using Adalo’s no-code platform. Adalo also lets you build one app for web, iOS, and Android — including PWA and app store publishing—from a single AI-assisted platform. You’ll create an application with task boards, team collaboration, project tracking, and status management—all without code. By the end, you’ll have a working app with list and board views, comments, attachments, and role-based permissions.

Why Build a Project Management App Without Code

Project management software helps teams organize, prioritize, and track tasks across a project’s lifecycle. By streamlining execution and improving visibility, it addresses common issues like missed deadlines, scattered workflows, and unclear accountability.

Traditional custom development can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars and take months. With no-code app builders, you can deliver a functional prototype in weeks—without hiring developers or learning to code.

Who Benefits from Building Custom PM Apps

• Small teams with unique workflows that off-the-shelf tools don’t fit
• Entrepreneurs validating ideas before funding custom development
• Departments needing specialized tracking without heavy IT support
• Consultants/agencies creating white-label client solutions
• Non-technical founders with deep domain expertise

Understanding Asana’s Core Features for Replication

Before building, identify the essentials that make PM apps effective (tasks, ownership, due dates, collaboration, and multiple views).

Essential PM Features to Include

Task Management

• Create/edit tasks with descriptions
• Due dates and priorities
• Assign to team members
• Subtasks
• Attachments
• Status (To Do, In Progress, Done)

Project Organization

• Multiple projects
• Tags and custom fields
• Project templates
• Search and filter

Collaboration

• Comments and @mentions
• Activity feeds
• Notifications
• Team directory

Visualization

• List view
• Kanban board view
• Calendar view
• Basic dashboard metrics

Prerequisites & Initial Setup

Step 1: Create Your Adalo Account and Project

1. Visit Adalo.com and sign up for a free account.
2. Click Create New App.
3. Choose Mobile App, Web App, or Responsive App.
4. Name your app (e.g., TaskFlow, ProjectHub).
5. Select Start from Scratch.

The pricing page lists current plan features and record limits—verify live details before publishing.

Step 2: Configure Your App Theme

1. Pick a primary and secondary color.
2. Choose a clean font (see Adalo’s plans/features for available fonts).
3. Set default button styles and corner radius.
4. Click Continue to enter the builder.

Step 3: Plan Your Information Architecture

Map user journeys:

Team Members – Sign up → View assigned tasks → Update status → Comment → Log out
Project Managers – Create project → Add tasks → Assign team → Monitor progress
Admins – Manage members → Set permissions → Review analytics → Configure settings

Designing Your Database Schema

Adalo’s built-in relational database supports complex PM relationships.

Step 4: Enhance the Users Collection

Add properties:

• Full Name (Text)
• Profile Image (Image)
• Job Title (Text)
• Department (Text)
• Phone Number (Text)
• User Role (Text: Member, Manager, Admin)
• Status (Text: Active, Away, Offline)
• Timezone (Text)
• Date Joined (Date & Time – Automatic)

Step 5: Create the Projects Collection

Add properties:

• Project Name (Text, required)
• Description (Text – Multiline)
• Project Key (Text)
• Start Date / Target End Date / Actual End Date (Date)
• Status (Text: Planning, Active, On Hold, Completed, Archived)
• Priority (Text: Low, Medium, High, Critical)
• Project Color (Text – Hex)
• Created Date (Date & Time – Automatic)
• Budget (Number, optional)

Step 6: Create the Tasks Collection

Add properties:

• Task Name (Text, required)
• Description (Text – Multiline)
• Task ID (Text – Auto-generated)
• Status (Text: To Do, In Progress, In Review, Completed, Blocked)
• Priority (Text: Low, Medium, High, Urgent)
• Due Date (Date)
• Estimated Hours / Actual Hours (Number)
• Progress (Number 0–100)
• Tags (Text – comma-separated)
• Created Date (Date & Time – Automatic)
• Completed Date (Date & Time)
• Is Recurring (True/False)
• Recurrence Pattern (Text)

Step 7: Create the Comments Collection

Add properties:

• Comment Text (Text – Multiline – required)
• Created Date (Date & Time – Automatic)
• Edited (True/False)
• Last Edited (Date & Time)

Step 8: Create the Attachments Collection

Add properties:

• File (File)
• File Name (Text)
• File Type (Text)
• File Size (Number)
• Uploaded Date (Date & Time – Automatic)

Step 9: Define Relationships

• Projects ↔ Users

• Project Owner: Many Projects → One User
• Team Members: Many-to-Many (Users ↔ Projects)

• Tasks

• Project: Many Tasks → One Project
• Assigned To: Many Tasks → One User
• Created By: Many Tasks → One User
• Parent Task: Many → One (for subtasks)

• Comments

• Task: Many Comments → One Task
• Author: Many Comments → One User

• Attachments

• Task: Many Attachments → One Task
• Uploaded By: Many Attachments → One User

Building User Authentication

Step 10: Welcome Screen

• Logo image
• Heading: “Manage Projects Without the Chaos”
• Subheading: “Collaborate with your team, track progress, and deliver on time”
• Buttons: Get Started → Sign Up, Already have an account? Log in → Login

Step 11: Sign Up Screen

• Form (Users) – Sign Up
• Fields: Email, Password, Full Name, Job Title
• On submit: Create & log in user → Link to Dashboard
• Footer link to Login

Step 12: Login Screen

• Form – Login (Email, Password)
• On submit: Log in → Link to Dashboard
• “Forgot Password?” flow
• Footer link to Sign Up

Creating the Dashboard & Navigation

Step 13: Main Dashboard

• Top Bar: logo (left), profile image (right)
• Navigation (icons + labels): Dashboard, My Tasks, Projects, Team, Settings
• Greeting: “Welcome back, [Full Name]” and today’s date
• Metrics (counts): Active Projects, My Open Tasks, Due Today, Overdue
• Recent Activity: list of recently modified tasks → Task Detail

Step 14: Side Navigation

• Custom list styled as left sidebar
• Items: Dashboard, My Tasks, Projects, Team Directory, Calendar, Settings
• Highlight current screen; make it reusable across screens

Building the Projects Interface

Step 15: Projects List

• Top Bar: “Projects” + + New Project
• Filters: Status; Sort: Name/Created/Due; Search by name
• Project list cards: Name, Status badge, Owner, Due Date, Progress bar, Team size
• Tap → Project Detail

Step 16: Create Project

• Form (Projects): required name, description, key, dates, status, priority, color
• Team selection (multi-select Users); set Logged-in User as Owner
• Create Project → Add members → Go to Project Detail

Step 17: Project Detail

• Header: Name, Status, Priority, Progress, Due date countdown, Owner & Team avatars
• Tabs: Tasks (default), Timeline, Team, Files
• Tasks tab: + Add Task, list (Project = Current), sort & filter

Creating the Task Board

Step 18: List View

• Filters: Status, Assigned To (All/Me/User), Priority, Due Date range
• List items: Complete checkbox, Priority icon, Task Name, Project (if cross-project), Assignee, Due Date (overdue highlighting), Status badge, comment/attachment counts
• Bulk actions: update status, change assignee, set due date

Step 19: Kanban Board View

Adalo doesn’t include native drag-and-drop Kanban by default, but you can build a functional board:

1. Screen: Board View
2. Horizontal List for status columns (To Do, In Progress, In Review, Completed)
3. Each column: Vertical List of Tasks filtered by status & project
4. Card actions: Move to next status, Edit, Delete; tap → Task Detail
5. Column footer: + Add Task (pre-sets column status)

Tip: Check the Marketplace for Kanban components with drag-and-drop.

Step 20: Task Detail

• Header: Task Name, Task ID, Project
• Inline edits: Status, Priority
• Assignment & timing: Assignee, Due Date, Estimated/Actual Hours, Progress slider
• Description & Tags
• Subtasks (list where Parent Task = Current) + + Add Subtask
• Comments (list by Created Date desc) + composer with @mentions
• Attachments (file list) + + Upload File

Step 21: Task Forms (Create/Edit)

• Form (Tasks): name, description, project, status (default To Do), priority (default Medium), assignee, due date, estimated hours, tags
• Optional Parent Task (inherit Project)
• Buttons: Create Task / Save, Cancel

Implementing Collaboration

Step 22: Comments System

• Text area + Comment
• On submit: create Comment (Task = Current, Author = Logged-in) and notify assignee/watchers
• @mentions: dropdown of team members; highlight in UI
• Allow edit/delete own comments (time-bounded if desired); optional emoji reactions

Step 23: Notifications

• Request push permission on first login; store status on User
• Triggers: assignment, due soon, @mention, status change, completion
• In-app center: Notifications collection (text, type, related task, read, created date); bell icon with unread badge

Thoughtful notifications can improve engagement; impact varies by audience and implementation.

Step 24: Team Directory

• Searchable list of Users (project-scoped or global)
• Show: avatar, name, title, department, status
• Sort by name/department/status → User Profile

Step 25: User Profile

• Header: large avatar, name, title, department, contacts, status
• Stats: Projects count, Active/Completed tasks, on-time rate
• Lists: Member’s projects, active tasks, recent activity

Advanced Features

Step 26: Calendar View

• Calendar component (or Marketplace option)
• Events: tasks by Due Date (color by priority/project)
• Views: Month/Week/Day/Agenda
• Filters: My tasks, team tasks, by project/user

Step 27: Global Search

• Search input
• Sections: Projects, Tasks, People
• Search fields: names/descriptions/tags/job titles
• Filters: Type, Date range, Status, Priority

Step 28: File Attachments

• Upload File → create Attachment (Task = Current, Uploaded By = Logged-in)
• Display: type icon, name (download/view), size, uploaded by/date, delete (authorized)
• Preview: images inline/lightbox; PDFs via viewer/webview; others as downloads

Step 29: Recurring Tasks

• Fields: Is Recurring, Recurrence Pattern, End Date
• When completing a recurring task: duplicate, set next due date, reset status
• UI: “Make this a recurring task” checkbox → pattern & end date options

Step 30: Task Templates

• Task Templates collection: template name, default fields, checklist items
• “Save as Template” on Task Detail; “Use Template” on task create
• Pre-fill form, allow edits, then create

Workflow Automation

Step 31: Status Change Actions

• To In Progress: set start date, notify owner, prioritize
• To In Review: notify reviewer, stop time tracking
• To Completed: set completion date, compare est vs actual, update project %
• To Blocked: flag urgent, prompt blocker notes, notify owner

Implement via conditional actions on status updates.

Step 32: External Integrations

Use Zapier or Make to connect:

• Slack (task created/completed)
• Google Calendar (due dates)
• Gmail (create tasks from emails)
• Google Sheets (reporting)
• Time trackers (log hours)

Step 33: Automated Reminders

• Overdue: daily summary to assignees/owners
• Due soon: morning reminders (24h window)
• Inactive: no updates in 7 days → nudge assignee

(Use external schedulers like Zapier if needed.)

Roles & Permissions

Step 34: Role-Based Access

• Admin: all access, team management, delete projects, app settings
• Manager: create/manage owned projects, assign tasks, see team tasks, reports
• Member: view assigned projects, create/edit own tasks, limited reporting

Step 35: Permission Checks

• Delete buttons: only Admin or creator
• Edit Project: owner or Admin
• Assign Task: only to project team members
• Settings: Admin only
• Reporting: scope by role (member/manager/admin)

Publishing Your PM App

Step 36: Pre-Launch Checklist

• Test all flows: auth, projects, tasks, comments, attachments, notifications, profiles
• Legal pages: Privacy, Terms, Data Protection, Contact
• App settings: name/description, icons, splash, status bar, orientation
• Analytics: enable and track signups, task creation, completion rate

Step 37: Publish as Web App

1. Click Publish → Web App.
2. App available at yourappname.adalo.com.
3. For a custom domain (see pricing): add domain, update DNS, allow propagation, enable SSL.

Learn more: Publishing web apps.

Step 38: Publish to App Stores (iOS & Android)

iOS (Apple App Store)

• Join the Apple Developer Program (annual fee).
• In Adalo: Publish → iOS → upload assets (icon, screenshots), metadata, privacy URL.
• Generate IPA and submit via App Store Connect.
• Review times vary; many submissions complete within a few days.

Android (Google Play Store)

• Create a Google Play Developer account (one-time fee).
• In Adalo: Publish → Android.
• Generate an AAB (Android App Bundle) for submission.
• Upload to Google Play Console; review times vary.

Learn more: Publishing to native app stores.

Step 39: Launch as a Progressive Web App (PWA)

PWAs can be installed from the browser and work across devices. Push notifications are supported on most modern platforms (including iOS 16.4+ with Web Push), subject to implementation and browser support.
Optimize for: responsiveness, offline UX (where possible), “Add to Home Screen,” and fast loading.

Benefits of No-Code for PM Apps

• Rapid prototyping: ship an MVP and iterate — Adalo Preview & Publish
• Cost efficiency: less custom plumbing and faster changes — No-code overview
• Lower technical barriers: model your data visually — Relational data explained

Why Adalo Works Well for Project Management

• Built-in relational DB: Users ↔ Projects ↔ Tasks ↔ Comments/Attachments — Database basics
• Cross-platform publishing: iOS, Android, and web — Publishing
• Marketplace components: calendars, charts, inputs — Marketplace

Cost & Resources

• Adalo: check current plans/limits — https://www.adalo.com/pricing
• Apple Developer Program: $99/year — https://developer.apple.com/programs/
• Google Play Developer: $25 one-time — https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6112435
• Zapier / Make: automation platforms — https://www.adalo.com/integrations/zapier · https://www.make.com/

Additional Resources

• Adalo Help Center — https://help.adalo.com/
• Adalo Marketplace — https://www.adalo.com/marketplace
• External Collections — https://help.adalo.com/integrations/external-collections-with-apis
• Custom Actions — https://help.adalo.com/integrations/custom-actions
• Optimize Performance — https://help.adalo.com/performance/optimize-app-performance
• Xano Integration — https://www.adalo.com/integrations/xano
• Airtable Integration — https://www.adalo.com/integrations/airtable
• Publishing Guides — https://www.adalo.com/features/publishing
• Kanban Basics — https://businessmap.io/kanban-resources/kanban-tutorial/beginners

Note: This Asana-style build is a prototype using Adalo’s UI and database. For real-time collaboration, advanced reporting, granular enterprise permissions, and large-scale data or automation, integrate external services (e.g., Xano, Airtable, custom APIs) via External Collections / Custom Actions and handle heavy processing server-side. Always performance-test on real devices and validate your data privacy posture (e.g., GDPR/CCPA) before publishing.

FAQ