Project Plan Using Microsoft Teams Planner (2024) – Work Productivity Tips for Managers

Transcript: Project Plan Using Microsoft Teams Planner (2024) – Work Productivity Tips for Managers

Are you tired of managing your project manually? If you manage projects, let me show you how you can use Microsoft Teams Planner for your project planning and to manage tasks with your team while staying organized. This is a powerful tool that many people don’t know about. They often think Microsoft Teams is only for virtual meetings or messaging, like WhatsApp. If you’re running a project, you must watch this video till the end.

Now, let’s get started. When you create a Microsoft Teams workspace, you always have a “General” tab. You can add more channels if needed by clicking “Add Channel.” Channels are like subsets of your teams. Now, I’ll show you how to add the Planner function to your Microsoft Teams. First, ensure that all your team members are already invited so they can access the Planner at the same time. Once you’re in, click the “+” button and search for “Tasks.” If you can’t find it, just type “Task” in the search bar, and it will appear.

After selecting it, create a new plan and give it a name. Let me show you how I’ve already set it up. You can create multiple task boards, but my recommendation is to keep it simple by sticking to one board to avoid confusion. If you have multiple projects, create separate channels for each one, and then add the relevant tasks inside those channels. This way, only team members involved in a particular project will see the tasks related to it.

Once inside the Planner, you’ll see different views like “List” or “Board.” The default view is a list of tasks, but I prefer the Board view, also known as Kanban. In Kanban, you have columns like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Complete.” These columns are called “buckets,” and you can add new buckets by clicking “Add New Bucket.” Each task is like a post-it note. To add a task, simply click “Add Task,” give it a name, and assign it to yourself or another team member. The assigned person will receive an email notification about the task.

You can also set a due date, add notes, and create a checklist within the task. Once assigned, the task will appear in the “To Do” bucket. As work progresses, move it to “In Progress” and then to “Complete” when finished. This helps everyone on the team see the status of each task at a glance. You can also add comments and track them easily within the task.

Now, let’s explore the “Charts” view. This feature allows you to track your team’s progress. You can see how many tasks are in progress, how many are complete, and which team members are responsible for each task. This makes managing your team much easier. Additionally, you can view tasks in a calendar format to see their deadlines.

The Kanban board is simple and effective for most projects. If you’re working on more complex projects, such as in Agile, you can explore more advanced features of project management. If you’re new to this, start by testing it out and let me know how it works for you. If you have any questions related to Microsoft Teams Planner, feel free to leave a comment below.

In my next video, I’ll show you more ways to optimize Planner for managing your team and projects. I hope this step-by-step guide helps you save time and become a high-performance leader. Be sure to follow or subscribe to this channel, as this is just the first in a series on how to manage projects using Microsoft Teams Planner. I’ll be sharing more tips in future videos. If you liked this one, give it a thumbs up, and don’t forget to share it with your team. I’m Andrew, and I publish work productivity tips every week. I’ll see you soon in my next video!