How to Create Epics in Asana (Step-by-Step Guide)
Asana does not have a native "Epic" issue type like Jira, but you can model epics using Asana's task hierarchy: a parent task (the epic) with subtasks (stories) beneath it, or a dedicated section in your project that groups related work. For teams running multi-project portfolios, Asana Portfolios provide an epic-equivalent view across projects.
This guide covers three approaches to creating epics in Asana — parent tasks, project sections, and portfolios — so you can pick the model that fits your team's workflow.
Step-by-step guide
Decide your epic model
Asana supports three epic patterns: (1) Parent Task with subtasks — best for teams using a single project per squad. (2) Project Sections grouping tasks — best for feature-based project organization. (3) Portfolio of Projects — best for program-level tracking across multiple teams. Choose one model and stick to it; mixing models creates confusion.
Create a parent task as an epic
In your Asana project, create a new task named after the epic (e.g., "Checkout Redesign Epic"). Open the task, set a due date and assignee, and add a description linking to the PRD. Use the "Add Subtask" button to create individual stories beneath the epic. The parent task progress indicator updates as subtasks complete.
Use Sections to group epic work
If your project has multiple epics running in parallel, create a Section for each epic using the "Add Section" button in the project list view. Name sections after epics. Group all related tasks under the section. This gives a board-style view where each column represents one epic.
Set up a Portfolio for program-level epics
Navigate to Portfolios in the left sidebar and create a new Portfolio. Add the relevant projects to the portfolio. Each project functions as a large epic at the program level. The Portfolio view shows status, owner, and progress bars across all projects, giving leadership a roadmap equivalent.
Add custom fields for epic tracking
At the project level, add custom fields for Priority, Epic Status (Not Started, In Progress, Complete), and Effort Estimate. These fields appear in timeline and list views and allow filtering by epic status across the project.
Track progress with Timeline view
Switch to Timeline view in your Asana project. Parent tasks (epics) appear as bars spanning their start and due dates. Subtasks appear beneath the parent. Drag the parent task bar to adjust the epic timeline. Dependencies between epics show as arrows on the timeline.
Report on epic completion
Use Asana Dashboards (in the project header) to create a chart showing tasks completed versus total tasks grouped by Section (epic). Set this as the default project dashboard so the team sees epic progress at a glance without opening individual tasks.
Common mistakes
Mixing epic models across the team
Using parent tasks in one squad and sections in another creates confusion when work spans teams. Agree on one model per organization and document it in your Asana setup guide.
Not assigning due dates to parent tasks
Without due dates on the parent task, epics do not appear on the Timeline view. Always set start and due dates on every epic-level task.
Adding too many subtasks without milestones
Epics with 30+ subtasks become unwieldy. Add Milestone tasks at key completion points within the epic so the team knows when meaningful progress has been made without counting every checkbox.
Tips
Pin the Timeline view as the default for project managers and the List view for engineers
Use Asana task templates for recurring epic types like "Feature Launch" or "Bug Batch"
Link the PRD Google Doc in the parent task description — engineers should not search for it
Set up Asana Rules to auto-assign the PM when a task is moved into an in-progress section
How Vantage helps
Vantage generates structured tickets from your PRD that map naturally to Asana tasks and subtasks. The dependency graph Vantage produces shows which tickets must complete before others can start, giving you an Asana-ready epic structure without manual decomposition.