How To Use Planner In Microsoft Teams (2023)

Are you struggling to efficiently manage and track your team’s task progress in Microsoft Teams? Microsoft Planner is a powerful tool that’s integrated into Teams to streamline project planning.

In this article, we’ll explore how you can use Planner for effective organization and coordination of tasks within a team. Keep reading if you’re ready to revolutionize your project management process!

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Key Takeaways

Microsoft Planner is a powerful tool integrated into Teams for efficient project planning and task management.
You can add tasks, create buckets to organize them, and easily assign tasks to team members in Microsoft Teams Planner.
Collaborate and track progress by setting notifications and due dates, using the Group by feature to sort and filter tasks, and integrating with other Microsoft 365 tools like Outlook and To Do.

Adding and Organizing Tasks in Microsoft Teams Planner

You can easily add and organize tasks in Microsoft Teams Planner by adding a Planner tab to a team channel, creating and managing tasks, and using buckets to organize them efficiently.

Adding a Planner tab to a team channel

Let’s talk about how to add a Planner tab to a team channel.

First, go to your Microsoft Teams app.
Look for the team channel you want to add the Planner tab to.
Click on “Add a tab +” at the top of the page.
A dialog box pops up titled “Add a tab”.
Here, look for “Tasks by Planner and To Do” and click on it.
You will see an option to setup a new Planner plan.
Select this if you’re starting fresh or pick from an existing plan if available.

Creating and managing tasks in Teams

Managing tasks in Teams becomes easy with the help of Microsoft Planner.

Open the Tasks app in your Teams platform.
Click on the “New Task” button to start creating a task.
Write a name for your task and give it a due date.
You can also write details about the task in the notes section.
Assign your task to one or more team members.
Use the priority setting to rank the importance of your tasks.

Click on “Add Bucket” in the Planner tab.
Give a name to each bucket that fits the group’s work.
Drag and drop tasks into their right buckets.

Using buckets to organize tasks

The use of buckets in Microsoft Planner can make tasks easy to handle. Here are some steps on how to do it:

First, create a Planner board inside Microsoft Teams.
Next, add new tasks to the board.
After adding tasks, break them into buckets.
Buckets can be different work types or parts of a project.
They can also match with different departments in your team.
This way, you divide your tasks by their type or where they belong.
It’s easier for the team members to know what task is for them.
The Tasks app then mixes each person’s jobs from To Do and Outlook with the Planner ones.
At last, you will have an organized view of all your duties in one place.

Collaborating and Tracking Progress in Microsoft Teams Planner

Team members can easily collaborate and track progress in Microsoft Teams Planner by assigning tasks to specific individuals, setting notifications and due dates, and utilizing the Group by feature to sort and filter tasks based on various criteria.

Assigning tasks to team members

Microsoft Planner allows you to assign tasks to your team members easily. Here’s how you can do it:

Create a task in Microsoft Planner.
Open the task and click on the “Assign” button.
Choose the team member you want to assign the task to from the drop – down list.
You can also add a due date for the task if needed.
The assigned team member will receive a notification about the task.
They can view and update the task status in Microsoft Planner.
Managers can track the progress of assigned tasks through Planner’s built-in tracking feature.

Setting notifications and due dates

Setting notifications and due dates in Microsoft Teams Planner is important for staying organized and meeting deadlines. Here are some key facts about this feature:

Notifications in Planner can be managed by both plan members and group owners.
Plan members can receive notifications through email and push notifications.
When a task is assigned to a team member, they will receive a notification.
These notifications can be received through various channels, ensuring that everyone stays informed.
Due dates can be set for tasks to prioritize work and ensure timely completion.
Reminders and alerts can also be set using Microsoft To Do. helping individuals stay on track with their tasks.

Using Group by to sort and filter tasks

Microsoft Planner offers a helpful feature called Group by, which allows users to organize and manage tasks in a more organized manner. Here’s how you can use Group by to sort and filter tasks in Microsoft Teams Planner:

Sort tasks: With Group by, you can easily arrange your tasks based on specific criteria such as due date, progress, or assigned person. This helps you prioritize and focus on the most important tasks at hand.
Filter tasks: In addition to sorting, Group by also enables you to filter tasks based on your preferences. You can narrow down your view by applying filters like task status, priority, or specific team members involved.
Sorting and filtering options: Microsoft Planner provides a range of sorting and filtering options within the Group by feature. You can choose from different criteria and customize the way your tasks are displayed according to your project management needs.
Organizing tasks: By using Group by effectively, you can categorize and organize your tasks into groups that make sense for your workflow. This ensures that you have a clear overview of all related tasks within each category.
Tracking progress: The ability to group tasks based on progress allows for easy tracking of project milestones. You can see at a glance which tasks are completed, in progress, or still pending, enabling better project management and collaboration.
Managing tasks: With the help of Group by, you can efficiently manage large sets of tasks by grouping them sensibly. This saves time and effort when it comes to identifying relevant information or taking action on specific sets of tasks.

How to Use Microsoft Teams for Project Management

Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool for project management. It offers various features that allow teams to collaborate and work together effectively. With real-time communication, collaboration, task assignment, and progress tracking capabilities, Microsoft Teams makes it easy to manage projects.

To use Microsoft Teams for project management, you can create different channels within your team where you can discuss specific tasks and projects. You can assign tasks to team members and set due dates to ensure everyone knows their responsibilities and deadlines.

With the ability to have instant chats, video meetings, document sharing, and screen sharing features in one place, teams can easily communicate and stay updated on the progress of their projects.

One key feature in Microsoft Teams for project management is the integration with Planner. Using Planner allows you to create plans for your projects, assign tasks to team members within those plans, track their progress, and have discussions about each task.

This visual tool provides a clear overview of all tasks and their statuses so that there is transparency among the team members.

In conclusion,

Microsoft Teams provides an all-in-one platform for project management by offering real-time communication tools like chat and video meetings along with document sharing capabilities.

By using Planner within Microsoft Teams, managing tasks becomes easier as teams can assign tasks, track progress, set due dates while having conversations about them – making collaboration seamless throughout the entire process.

Integrating Planner with Other Microsoft 365 Tools

Planner can be seamlessly integrated with other Microsoft 365 tools, such as Outlook and To Do, allowing for a more streamlined task management experience.

Planner and Microsoft 365 groups

Planner and Microsoft 365 groups are integrated tools in the Microsoft 365 suite. They allow for seamless collaboration and task management within teams.

Users can create plans and assign tasks to team members using Planner.
Microsoft 365 groups provide a way to bring together people, conversations, files, and tools for a specific project or team.
By integrating Planner with Microsoft 365 groups, teams can easily access their plans and tasks within the group context.
This integration enables better coordination and communication among team members.
Tasks assigned in Planner can be seen by all members of the associated Microsoft 365 group, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Team members can use the conversation feature in Microsoft 365 groups to discuss tasks, share files, and provide updates.
The integration also allows for syncing Planner with other Microsoft tools like Outlook and To Do, making it easier to manage tasks across different platforms.

Syncing Planner with Outlook and To Do

Microsoft Planner can be easily synced with Outlook and To Do, making it even more convenient to manage your tasks. Here are some important ways to sync Planner with these tools:

View tasks in Outlook: Users can view their Planner tasks right in their Outlook calendar under “Other calendars”. This allows for a quick glance at what needs to be done without switching between different apps.
More details in Outlook: Clicking on the “View event” arrow in Outlook opens up additional details of a task. This gives you a comprehensive view of the task, including its due date, assigned team members, and any attached files.
Add tasks to Outlook calendar: It’s easy to add tasks from a Planner plan to your Outlook calendar by creating a publishing link. This way, you can stay on top of your schedule and deadlines without missing anything important.
Integration with Microsoft 365 Groups: Microsoft Planner is seamlessly integrated with Microsoft 365 Groups, enabling efficient team-based task management. This integration ensures that everyone in the group has access to the same tasks and updates in real-time.
Embed into Office 365 groups: Plans created in Planner can be embedded directly into the associated Office 365 group. This centralizes task management for teams and eliminates the need for constant switching between different applications.
Tasks app in Microsoft Teams: For an even more streamlined experience, Microsoft Planner and To-Do are integrated as the “Tasks” app within Microsoft Teams. This provides a centralized platform for task management, collaboration, and team organization.

Accessing Planner on the web

To access Planner on the web, follow these steps:

Sign in to Office365.com.
Select the app launcher (the waffle icon) in the top left corner of the screen.
Click on the Planner app from the list of available apps.
The Planner interface will open, allowing you to create and manage task-based initiatives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Microsoft Planner is a powerful tool for task management and project collaboration within Microsoft Teams. By utilizing its features such as creating and organizing tasks, assigning them to team members, setting due dates and notifications, and tracking progress through charts and reports, teams can improve productivity and streamline their workflow.

With easy integration into other Microsoft 365 tools like Outlook and To Do, Planner offers a user-friendly experience that helps teams stay organized and on track with their projects.

Start using Planner in Teams today to enhance your team’s efficiency and achieve better results.