Asana Overdue Task Alerts

Catch missed deadlines before they impact your timeline.

Nora monitors your Asana projects and sends alerts the moment a task goes overdue. Get immediate notifications with task details and assignee so you can unblock work fast.

Every two hours, Nora queries the Asana API for incomplete tasks in monitored projects where the due date has passed. It calculates how many days overdue each task is against the current date. For any task exceeding the configured threshold, Nora compiles the task name, assigned owner, and a direct link, then sends a summary alert to the designated channel.

The project manager who previously spent time manually scanning project timelines or filtering Asana lists now reviews a single consolidated alert. They decide whether to reassign the work, adjust the deadline, or follow up with the task owner directly.

Runs every 2 hours using Asana, run by your Project Manager.

How it works

1. Querying Asana projects — Every two hours, Nora connects to the Asana API using the workspace token. It searches the selected projects for tasks with a status of incomplete and a due date earlier than the current date.
2. Evaluating overdue thresholds — Nora compares the due date of each retrieved task against the current date to determine the exact number of days overdue. It filters out tasks that have not yet crossed the configured delay threshold.
3. Handling subtasks and dependencies — If an overdue task has incomplete subtasks or blocker dependencies, Nora notes these in its evaluation. It attributes the delay to the specific assignee of the overdue parent task or blocking task.
4. Managing empty results — When the two-hour check returns zero overdue tasks crossing the threshold, Nora does nothing. It logs the successful check internally but sends no message, keeping the alert channel quiet.
5. Compiling the alert — For tasks requiring attention, Nora formats a message containing the task name, the assigned user, the days overdue, and a direct Asana URL. It groups multiple tasks by project or assignee to reduce notification volume.
6. Sending the notification — Nora delivers the compiled alert to the specified channel, such as an email inbox, a WhatsApp thread, or a dedicated web chat.

What this replaces

Project managers manually open Asana, navigate through multiple active projects, and apply filters to find incomplete tasks with past due dates. They review the assignee for each delayed item, calculate how long it has been overdue, and manually draft messages to the responsible team members to request status updates.

• Open Asana and navigate to active projects.
• Filter task lists for incomplete items with past due dates.
• Identify the assignee and days overdue for each task.
• Draft and send follow-up messages to task owners.

Rough estimate rather than a measured figure: about 30 minutes a day, assuming 5 active projects requiring two manual reviews per day at 3 minutes per project.

What it needs to run

Accounts and plans

• An active Asana account
• A destination channel for alerts like email or WhatsApp

Access it asks for

• Personal Access Token or OAuth 2.0 authorization to authenticate requests
• Read access to tasks, projects, and users to identify overdue items and assignees

What Nora reads

• Task statuses and due dates
• Task assignees and project associations
• Subtasks and task dependencies

What Nora writes

• Alert messages to the configured destination channel

When it goes wrong

• The Asana API rate limit is exceeded Asana allows 1,500 requests per minute. If Nora hits a 429 error, it pauses execution, waits for the limit to reset, and retries the query on the next scheduled two-hour interval.
• A task has a past due date but no assigned user Nora includes the task in the alert but lists the assignee as unassigned. It highlights the missing owner so the project manager knows they need to delegate the work.
• The Asana authorization token expires or is revoked Nora immediately stops attempting to query Asana. It sends a message to the primary contact channel stating that the connection failed and asks for a new token.
• The two-hour check finds zero overdue tasks Nora does nothing. It logs the successful check internally but sends no message, keeping the alert channel completely quiet until a task actually misses its deadline.

Who this is for

Worth it if

• Project managers at 10-50 person agencies handling multiple concurrent client deliverables.
• Operations leads tracking cross-functional internal projects with strict sequential dependencies.
• Teams using Asana for time-sensitive fulfillment where a single late task delays billing.

Not worth it if

• Teams managing highly fluid, priority-based backlogs where due dates are treated as suggestions rather than hard deadlines.
• Individuals using Asana strictly for personal to-do lists where automated alerts would be redundant.

A worked example

A 20-person marketing agency tracks campaign deliverables in Asana. They configure Nora to check every two hours and send an email alert only when a task is more than 24 hours overdue.

Subject: 3 Overdue Asana Tasks - Website Redesign Project

The following tasks are currently past their due date:

- "Draft Homepage Copy" (Assigned to: Sarah Jenkins) - 2 days overdue. Link: https://app.asana.com/0/123/456
- "Approve Wireframes" (Assigned to: Marcus Thorne) - 1 day overdue. Link: https://app.asana.com/0/123/457
- "Source Stock Imagery" (Unassigned) - 3 days overdue. Link: https://app.asana.com/0/123/458

Please review these items to prevent timeline delays.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change the threshold for when a task is considered overdue?

You tell Nora in your chat channel. If you want to change the delay from 24 hours to immediate, you type that request in plain language. Nora updates its internal schedule and applies the new threshold to the next two-hour check.

Will Nora alert me about overdue subtasks?

Yes, Nora reads subtasks and task dependencies through the Asana API. If a subtask has its own due date that has passed, Nora treats it as an overdue item and includes it in the alert, noting its parent task for context.

Does Nora mark the tasks as complete or change their dates?

No. This specific automation only reads task statuses, dates, and assignees. It sends alerts to your chosen channel but makes no changes to the tasks in Asana. You retain full control over updating or completing the work.

What happens if a task is overdue for several days?

Nora will include the task in every two-hour alert until the task is marked complete or the due date is moved to the future. If you want to stop repeated alerts for a specific task, you must update its status in Asana.

Connects to

• Asana — all 8 Asana automations

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