Microsoft Planner Overview
Microsoft Planner is a web-based, intuitive, and collaborative task management tool designed to help teams plan, manage, and complete task-based initiatives efficiently. It is an integral part of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, integrating seamlessly with other Microsoft tools such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook.
What Microsoft Planner Does
Microsoft Planner enables teams to create, assign, and organize work in a visual and interactive way. It allows users to manage their tasks and projects through a Kanban board interface, where tasks are represented as cards that can be populated with various details such as due dates, status, checklists, labels, and file attachments. This visual approach facilitates better communication and collaboration among team members, providing clear visibility into task progress and project status.
Key Features and Functionality
Task Management
- Users can create and manage tasks, assigning them to team members with specific due dates, priorities, and other relevant details.
- Tasks can be organized into buckets or columns, which can represent stages of development, days of the week, sprints, or other categorizations.
Visualization and Tracking
- Planner offers a Charts view to display team progress through visualized status insights using pie and bar charts.
- The Schedule view allows users to see task schedules, plan ahead, and meet deadlines with weekly and monthly task views and drag-and-drop scheduling.
Collaboration
- Teams can collaborate on tasks and plans, with features like co-authoring using Office Online and Microsoft SharePoint document libraries.
- Comments can be added to tasks, and users can receive email notifications when tasks are assigned or updated.
Integration with Microsoft 365
- Microsoft Planner integrates with Microsoft Teams, allowing users to access and manage tasks directly within Teams.
- It also integrates with Microsoft To Do, enabling users to see all their tasks across every list and manage them efficiently across different apps and devices.
Filtering and Grouping
- Users can filter and group tasks based on various criteria such as due dates, assignments, and labels to gain deeper insights into their work and meet key deadlines.
Guest Access
- Planner allows external users, such as vendors and partners, to be granted access to plans, enabling broader collaboration beyond the internal team.
Mobile and Web Accessibility
- Microsoft Planner is accessible via web browsers and is available as a mobile app for both iOS and Android, ensuring users can manage their tasks from anywhere.
Additional Features
- Users can copy plans, export plans to Excel, and view Planner tasks in their Outlook calendar.
- The My Plans page in Planner provides a centralized view of all plans, including those from Teams meeting notes, To Do lists, and more, with filters to quickly find specific plans.
In summary, Microsoft Planner is a powerful tool for team task management, offering a range of features that enhance collaboration, visibility, and productivity. Its integration with the Microsoft 365 ecosystem makes it a versatile and essential tool for managing projects and tasks in a collaborative environment.