Microsoft Planner is a web-based tool for work management. It is an Office 365 Service. This easy-to-use tool makes it possible to plan tasks and handle small projects without complex planning effort. With Microsoft Planner, you can efficiently assign and organize times and tasks. You can also set deadlines, share files and, of course, team members can communicate with each other.
Microsoft Planner can be best compared with tools such as Asana or Trello. However, this tool for work management has the important advantage of integration into the Microsoft 365 environment (including interfaces with Outlook, SharePoint and Teams among others).
Learn more about the topic "Integrating MS Project with Planner – What Is Possible?" on TPG Blog.
Microsoft Planner a suitable tool for the following use cases:
Many companies already use agile frameworks to execute tasks in iterations. Microsoft Planner offers the full flexibility necessary for this purpose. You can structure the plans individually depending on your requirements, e.g. by phases, topics or areas.
In contrast to an ordinary task list, Planner allows you to design and structure all tasks visually. They can be displayed in theme-related sections (“buckets” = columns). You can name these buckets individually.
In Microsoft Planner, after your task has a start or due date, you can view it in a calendar in Planner using the Schedule view. You can also choose to display your Planner calendar in Outlook.
Each plan in Microsoft Planner includes a dashboard. This is where you can analyze tasks according to their status or belonging to a plan. You keep an overview of all open or completed tasks. Different charts visualize project progress and show which tasks are overdue.
Microsoft Planner is available on different devices: online and as a mobile application. This applies to iOS devices as well as Android phones or tablets.
In terms of the complexity of a project and the team size, Microsoft Planner sits somewhere between Microsoft To-Do and Microsoft Project / Project Online, which is more challenging and much more powerful.
Microsoft To-Do: This is an individual tool for task management. Currently, you can merely create your own to-do lists which makes the tool useful for individuals only. Microsoft To-Do is a further development of Wunderlist and focuses on the individual productivity of a person.
Microsoft Planner: Using Microsoft Planner, you can create a plan, assign tasks, compile a team and update the status of the associated tasks. Agile work methods are supported, for example with the Kanban board on which tasks can be moved using drag & drop. Microsoft Planner is of great benefit when used within a team but also for the individual representation of the tasks assigned to one person.
Project Online: Project Online is the full-fledged tool for project, portfolio and resource management. Mapping dependencies between processes and recalculating the entire schedule in case of delays as well as a central resource pool are only three of the many differences compared to Microsoft Planner.
When you create a new plan in Microsoft Planner, you automatically generate an Microsoft 365 group with all its components. This facilitates communication concerning task scheduling and the management of documents and notifications.
In addition, a plan also includes so-called buckets. You can name them as you wish and organize your tasks in them according to various elements. The tasks can be assigned titles, description, allocation, documents as well as a status.
Even in the standard, you can connect existing plans with a task in MS Project via a simple link. However, there is also a much more powerful solution from a third-party provider.
