Teams in the past relied on sticky notes and email threads to track tasks, but with modern hybrid workplaces and ever-evolving deadlines this approach no longer suffices; to stay on track effectively project management must now take precedence.

McKinsey reports that employees spend 28% of their workweek managing emails and another 20-25% searching for information or people who can assist.

This article introduces Microsoft Planner. A versatile tool, Planner can be used for everything from task management and project planning, to complex enterprise initiatives. Despite being easy-to-use and powerful enough to oversee multiple projects at the same time. With some assistance from an IT partner with experience working with small teams, Planner could transform how your team collaborates, organizes, and delivers results.

Teams Spend Too Much Time On Emails And Missed Tasks

It can be challenging to monitor team progress when tasks aren't organized correctly:

• Your team cannot meet deadlines


• Conversations may omit vital details.


• Miscommunication can delay projects considerably and halt progress.


• Managers struggle to gain an accurate overview.

These obstacles can hinder productivity and diminish team motivation.

Microsoft Planner Is an Effective Task Management Tool

Microsoft Planner is an intuitive task management application designed specifically for small teams to use quickly and increase productivity. With Microsoft Planner at your disposal, your workday becomes more productive than ever!

1. Organised Task Boards

Imagine Planner as an interactive shared task board on which you and your team can accomplish various tasks:

• Establish Tasks Rapidly By Assigning Responsibilities


• Add due dates to checklists, documents, and notes.


• Task > Under Progress | Done

An organized view makes it simple to keep up with everything without having to depend on long email threads and vanishing messages.

2. Multiple views to improve oversight

Planner provides multiple ways for you to monitor your work, such as:

Board View: Tasks appear as cards within buckets on a board view. Drag and drop tasks between buckets or change their status easily for visual task management.

Grid View List-style layout provides tasks, including their due dates, assignees and progress. This format allows for fast scanning and editing.

Schedule View: Shows tasks organized into months or weeks on a calendar view, enabling you to drag tasks onto it or view them individually.

View of People: Displays the workload distribution among team members.

Timeline View: An animated Gantt chart depicting how tasks are connected, with particular tasks taking on greater significance in keeping a project on schedule.

Tasks View: Allows you to oversee how much effort is being required for each task and when they should be scheduled.

These perspectives can benefit teams at every stage, from daily tasks to long-term planning.

3. Task Details That Keep Teams On Track

Each task in Planner contains all the information you require - simply click on any task of interest for more details.

• Prioritize and Include Checklists in Planning the Launch/Completion Dates/Termination Dates for Events to Complete (also Known as Initiating an Action or Plan).


• Attach documents and assign responsibility


• Set dependencies between tasks to be completed in an appropriate order.


• Links to teams channels relevant for collaboration.

Doing this will ensure nothing important is missed and conversations stay on topic.

4. Templates Save You Time

Why reinvent the wheel when already existing templates exist? Planner offers several ready-to-use templates, some free while others require paid plans to access. Simply customize one and you are off quickly on a project without needing to find new ways of getting things done!

5. Microsoft 365 Integration Made Simple

Planner does not operate alone; rather it integrates seamlessly with various tools you might use for work-related activities, including but not limited to:

• Teams Create tasks and assign them from within a chat room or channel.


• Outlook: Convert flagged emails into actions.


• Loop and SharePoint: Integrating planner tabs seamlessly into project sites will ensure smooth updates.


• Power Platform: Take control of repetitive workflows using Power Automate.


• Excel/Power BI:Exporting data for analysis of tasks, timelines and workloads.


• Set goals: Align tasks with company-wide goals.

Once connected, linking all aspects together generates real momentum, reduces friction and provides clarity.

6. Built-In Artificial Intelligence Increases Efficiency

Microsoft Planner will soon be upgraded with Copilot, providing you with additional functionality that helps increase efficiency. This feature assists with:

• Subsume tasks and plans. Create tasks and subtasks using natural language.


• Stay on track and receive automatic updates and reminders with automatic progress reports and progress tracking capabilities.

Microsoft's Project Management Agent takes it a step further by analyzing goals and breaking work down into tasks. Furthermore, this tool suggests who should take charge of each one - so your team can focus on creative aspects rather than mundane administrative duties.

Step 1: of Starting Planning

Step 2: To Get Started with Planner, launch either the Planner Web App or Teams Client application.

Step 3: To create a new plan, choose "New Plan", and then choose a template from our selection.

Step 3. Construct Your Board. Add Buckets, Tasks and People

Step 4 : Customize each task by including dates, checklists and attachments for it.

Step 5 Explore views that allow you to monitor daily and overall progress.

Step 6 Automate reminders or notifications

Step 7 : Get your team acquainted with the fundamentals and guide them along their way.

This setup will assist your team in quickly and seamlessly collaborating.

What You Will Gain

Microsoft Planner offers many advantages to small businesses, including reduced email overload and keeping everyone aligned, as well as visualizing project progress. You'll gain from Microsoft Planner by being able to launch new initiatives more rapidly, use AI-powered automation to save time on manual work tasks, and integrate tasks seamlessly with other team tools that your team uses.

Focus more on your clients and projects by keeping your project moving along smoothly.

What could happen if I don't act?

Difficulties arise when tasks and tools are mismatched, leading to missed deadlines or employee confusion over their responsibilities. If this scenario occurs for your organization, problems could ensue quickly.

Your business could suffer if you waste too much time attending meetings or lack visibility of project statuses.

Make Planning Part of Your Day Routine.

A planner is more than a simple tool - it keeps your team connected, organized, and on task without stress from misplaced tasks or overlooked updates.

At every turn, our experts will be with you every step of the way to tailor Microsoft Planner specifically to your team - from setup through confident use. Schedule your consultation now to see how project management can become simpler! For inquiries on how to fortify your business:📞 (404) 932-5940 or 📩info@nuwaveitc.com