Your operating scale
10 internal staff, 20 external consultants and approximately 200 students initially. Design the access and onboarding model for growth to 500 students.
PREPARED BY
PREPARED FOR
AI & software consulting / Implementation services
Asana implementation
for Ethos Education.
9dN Labs proposes to translate Ethos’s process documents into a working student-delivery system: configured workflows, connected systems, a single operational source of truth and a team equipped to run it.
$3,000Implementation estimate
100 hours × $30/hour
100 hours × $30/hour
$2,998.80Annual Asana subscription
10 Advanced seats
10 Advanced seats
$5,998.80Base first-year budget
Before tax and optional costs
Before tax and optional costs
Our recommendation
Implement Asana Advanced.
Build around your existing process.
Ethos needs a consistent way to manage multi-year student plans, specialist contributions, approvals, evidence and reviews. We recommend Asana Advanced because these requirements map well to its projects, approval tasks and portfolios.
Our engagement covers implementation, integration and enablement. Ethos retains ownership of counselling, student strategy and admissions decisions. The platform comparison explains what the alternatives offer and why we are not recommending them for this scope.
What you provided
A 12-stage workflow and a tracker containing 42 activity steps across seven project patterns, plus nine application-readiness checks.
What we will deliver
A configured Asana environment, the agreed system integrations, consolidated operational records, templates, automations, reports, migration and administrator handover.
02
Platform decision
Our platform assessment.
We assessed each platform against Ethos’s multi-year delivery process, reporting needs and external-user model. Our recommendation is Asana Advanced. The alternatives below explain the trade-offs rather than offering four competing implementation proposals.
Student populationEligible external guests · USD before tax
DELIVERY RECOMMENDATION
Asana
Advanced
$249.90/ month equivalent
$2,998.80 / year10 paid staff · 220 eligible guests
Annual billing; no extra guest-seat fee.
CUSTOM APP ALTERNATIVE
monday.com
Work Management Pro
$190/ month equivalent
$2,280 / year10 paid staff · 220 eligible guests
Annual billing; Vibe publishing extra.
INTERACTIVE GUEST LIMIT
ClickUp
Business
$516/ month equivalent
$6,192 / year43 billed seats for guest capacity
10 staff + 220 commenting/editing guests.
BROADER BUSINESS SUITE
Bitrix24
Professional Vibe+
$399/ month, monthly billing
$4,788 / 12 months100 internal-user capacity
220 Collab guests; no extra guest-seat fee.
Billing basis: Asana, monday and ClickUp use annual commitment prices. Bitrix uses a monthly-payment budget to avoid treating a launch discount as a renewal rate. Its current annual Vibe+ offer displays about $240/month equivalent (approximately $2,880 first year; invoice and renewal confirmation required), advertised through 10 December 2026.
ClickUp calculation: Ten Business seats include 55 permission-controlled guests. Each extra paid seat adds five guest slots. Required seats = max(10, ceiling((external guests − 5) ÷ 5)). That means 43 billed seats at 200 students and 103 at 500 students. Unlimited free guests are view-only; the extra billed seats provide guest capacity, not additional employees.
Excluded: Taxes, FX, AI, app packages, middleware, storage upgrades and implementation. Prices verified 29 September 2026; local checkout and contractual eligibility take precedence. Unlimited guests does not mean unlimited storage, automation or administration.
| Platform | What it offers Ethos | What it does not solve on this plan | 9dN Labs assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asana Advanced | Student projects, dependencies, native approvals, reusable templates, adviser workload and portfolio reporting. Unlimited eligible external guests. | No native Vibe-style custom app builder. Enterprise workflow bundles are excluded, so template changes do not automatically roll out to existing projects. AI and optional portal packaging need separate budgeting. | Recommended. Closest fit to the supplied delivery process with less custom reporting infrastructure. |
| monday Pro | Flexible operational records, connected boards, formulas, visual workflows, unlimited eligible guests and optional Vibe apps. | 20 boards per dashboard and 20 board connections to one board. Hundreds of isolated student boards require consolidated reporting integration. Vibe publishing needs an additional package. | Capable alternative if custom interfaces become a primary requirement. Its lower seat price does not include the additional reporting/app work. |
| ClickUp Business | Tasks, nested hierarchy, docs, templates, dashboards, time tracking and 5,000 automation actions/month. | Unlimited free guests are view-only. Commenting/editing guests use a paid-seat capacity ratio; 10 seats include only 55 such guests. | Not recommended for this brief. The requested 220–520 interactive external users materially increase cost. |
| Bitrix24 Professional Vibe+ | Broad CRM, tasks, automation, files/chat and unlimited Collab guests. Vibe+ provides continuing API access under the current plan structure. | Collab guests are scoped collaborators, not full CRM users. Reporting and student usability need validation. Legacy Extranet users count against the user cap. More of the suite needs configuring. | Commercially viable, but in our assessment less intuitive and harder to adopt than the other options, particularly Asana. Its broader interface creates a steeper learning curve for staff, consultants and students. Not our preferred choice for ease of use. |
The licence gap is $718.80 a year.
Asana costs $718.80 more per year than monday Pro for 10 staff. We recommend paying that difference for a project-and-portfolio structure that better matches this engagement, rather than adding a custom reporting layer for hundreds of student boards.
03What Asana will provide.
Recommended solution
What Asana will provide.
What 9dN Labs will implement.
Asana provides the work-management platform. We configure it around Ethos’s process, integrate the agreed systems and establish master records, controls, reporting and handover.
Included platform capabilities
- Private student projects with explicitly shared guest access
- Tasks, dependencies, custom fields and reusable templates
- Native approval tasks and ordinary automation rules
- Portfolios for adviser and cohort oversight
- Standard integrations, API connectivity and metered AI capabilities
Advanced portfolios support up to 1,500 projects. We will validate the configured reporting and permission model against Ethos’s needs.
Management & internal operations
Adviser and cohort portfolios
Standard student identifiers, application cycle, stage, risk and review dates. Keep confidential adviser notes and administrative decisions in separate internal casework.
Controlled sharing and explicit responsibility
Student delivery
One private project per student
Approved roadmap, selected activities, milestones, evidence and reviews. Share only appropriate work with the student/guardian and assigned consultants. Templates are selected to match the individual plan.
Document links with matching access permissions
Existing document suite
Google Drive or SharePoint
Controlled folders for working drafts, submissions and approved outputs. We connect the agreed repository and communication tools into the student record, with controlled links and agreed update rules.
Integration deliverable
One operational source of truth for Ethos.
Asana will hold the agreed master student and consultant records, lifecycle status, plans, tasks, approvals, deadlines and management-reporting fields. The integration layer will connect the systems Ethos uses so these records stay current and teams do not maintain conflicting versions.
- Map every agreed integration: identify each system, data field, owner, sync direction and refresh frequency before implementation.
- Use consistent identities: stable student and consultant IDs, agreed field mappings and duplicate controls.
- Connect work and communication: route relevant forms, messages, meetings and updates into the appropriate student record, where supported by the selected systems.
- Keep records reliable: define which system owns each field, prevent sync loops, surface failures and document reconciliation and recovery.
- Make evidence accessible: link controlled files to the same student record. Document contents remain in the approved repository; specialist systems retain authoritative records where needed.
Included system integrations
Gmail, Meta, website forms, TutorX and Ethos’s email-marketing platform, plus any additional systems agreed during discovery. We will connect the approved systems to Asana to maintain one operational source of truth.
Configuring Ethos’s specialist model
Ethos describes five expert roles: University Expert, Profile Builder, Research Analyst, Editor and Counsellor. During discovery, we will map these responsibilities to task ownership, review and handoff points. These are roles assigned to people, not five additional licences per student. Ethos service reference
The supplied Grade 9 lifecycle remains the implementation brief. Broader test-preparation, visa and pre-departure services can be represented as handoffs; detailed implementation of those services requires agreed additional scope.
04
9dN Labs scope of work
What we will implement.
Our scope covers the design, configuration, integration, testing and handover of Ethos’s student-delivery system. The workstreams below define the deliverables included in the engagement.
| Workstream | Deliverable / boundary |
|---|---|
| Discovery & integration blueprint | Review the process documents and existing systems; agree the complete integration inventory, data ownership, scope and eligibility. |
| Asana architecture & master records | Student and consultant IDs, master fields, inquiry intake, private projects, internal casework, portfolios and access roles. |
| Lifecycle & checklist templates | One master lifecycle and up to seven reusable activity patterns, using Ethos-approved content. |
| Workflow automation | Up to 12 agreed rules for approvals, activity creation, reminders, review scheduling and escalation. |
| System integrations & data consolidation | Connect Gmail, Meta, website forms, TutorX and the selected email-marketing tool through approved connectors/APIs; include other discovery-approved flows, with matching and exception handling. |
| Migration & reconciliation | Import up to 200 students and 10,000 clean active rows from up to three structured sources; validate identifiers, owners and dates. |
| Management reporting | Four dashboards and up to six operational views using the agreed master records and fields. |
| Testing & pilot | Access, end-to-end integration, duplicate prevention, error recovery and reconciliation tests with representative student cases. |
| Training, launch & handover | Three focused role-based sessions, administrator handover, operating guide and launch assistance. |
| Delivery coordination | Progress updates, decision tracking, scope control and acceptance coordination. |
Process assets included
We will complete the operational definitions needed to configure the supplied workflow: approval communication, milestone/key-result framework, resource plan and course-correction communication. We will document onboarding and monthly, quarterly and annual review procedures.
Migration and scale boundary
Initial migration covers up to 200 student records and 10,000 active task/checklist rows from up to three clean structured sources. Document links are included. The design is tested with a synthetic 500-student scenario; migrating the additional 300 students is separate.
One Asana organisation, one approved architecture and integration inventory, and two consolidated revision rounds per configuration milestone. Student-specific advice, plan writing and admissions decisions remain with Ethos. The seven templates are reusable patterns, not a commitment to prepare every student’s individual strategy.
05Implementation and software.
Commercial estimate
Implementation and software.
Priced separately.
All amounts below are USD. Ethos purchases the Asana subscription directly; 9dN Labs invoices consulting services separately.
9dN Labs implementation
$3,000
100 estimated hours × $30/hour.
Time-and-materials within the agreed scope.
Asana Advanced annual subscription
$2,998.80
10 paid users × $24.99/month × 12.
Annual commitment; paid to Asana.
| Cost | Year 1 | Following years |
|---|---|---|
| 9dN Labs implementation | $3,000 estimated, one-time | No repeat implementation charge for the delivered scope |
| Asana Advanced, 10 users | $2,998.80 | $2,998.80/year at today’s rate; renewal pricing may change |
| 20 consultants + 200–500 students | $0 incremental guest-seat charge, if eligible under Asana’s rules | $0 incremental guest-seat charge under the same assumptions |
| Base total | $5,998.80 | $2,998.80/year, excluding optional support and changes |
Billing and budget control
We propose fortnightly invoices for actual hours worked, with a workstream summary. The 100-hour estimate is the approved planning budget. We will not exceed $3,000 or add scope without a written change approval.
Authorise discovery first: up to 8 hours / $240, included in the total. The remaining estimated 92 hours / $2,760 begins after Ethos approves the blueprint and platform suitability.
06Five weeks to configure,
Implementation approach
Five weeks to configure,
validate and hand over.
The same six delivery stages are completed over five weeks, with discovery and architecture coordinated in week 1 and rollout and handover completed in week 5. The 100-hour estimate averages 20 delivery hours per week, with timely client approvals and access.
Discovery and platform confirmation
Validate process, scope, data, guest eligibility and responsibilities. Approve the configuration blueprint.
Ethos decision: authorise implementation after discoveryArchitecture and access
Build internal operations, student projects, fields, portfolios and access boundaries.
Checkpoint: representative permission testsTemplates and workflows
Configure activity patterns, approvals, reminders and review cycles; implement the approved integration map and master-record updates.
Checkpoint: end-to-end workflow demonstrationTrial migration and pilot
Reconcile sample data, pilot up to 20 cleared/synthetic student cases and refine management reporting.
Checkpoint: pilot acceptance and material defects closedInitial rollout and training
Migrate up to 200 student records and train staff and nominated consultant representatives.
Checkpoint: data reconciliation and admin readinessGo-live and handover
Complete acceptance checks, deliver configuration inventory and operating guides, and transfer administration.
Checkpoint: written production acceptanceHow Ethos will accept the implementation
- Students and consultants can access authorised work and cannot discover unrelated student records.
- Student templates create the agreed fields, stages, responsibilities and review dates.
- Approval records the decision-maker/date and starts the correct activity workflow once.
- Reminders, evidence review and monthly/quarterly/annual review cycles behave as agreed.
- Migration counts, IDs, owners and dates reconcile; Ethos reviews at least 20 student records.
- Dashboard totals reconcile to underlying records.
- A synthetic 500-student scenario validates architecture and report coverage, without implying a vendor performance guarantee.
- Every integration in the approved inventory passes agreed read/write and mapping tests; duplicate prevention, failure visibility, recovery ownership and reconciliation are demonstrated.
- The Ethos administrator can onboard students, change consultant access and maintain rules/templates from the handover guide.
9dN Labs responsibilities
Design, configuration, agreed integration and migration, testing, training, weekly delivery reporting and documentation. Correct defects against the accepted scope for 30 calendar days after acceptance at no extra implementation fee.
Ethos responsibilities
Nominate a sponsor and administrator; approve process and data use; provide clean source data, licences and authorised integration access; return consolidated feedback within two working days. Ethos owns student strategy and ongoing service delivery.