
Microsoft Planner for project management: streamline your workflow
Content
In times when efficient project management is critical to success, finding the right instrument that balances simplicity and power can make all the difference. The topic of today’s article is going to be Microsoft Planner, a versatile tool positioned between individual project management solutions and advanced enterprise systems. We will explore Planner from various perspectives: its flexibility and user-friendliness, a wide range of easy-to-use features, AI capabilities, integration possibilities within Microsoft 365, as well as practical insights into its views and task management.
Let’s dive right into it!
Comparing Microsoft Planner to other tools
Planner was designed to balance simplicity and functionality, combining both personal task planning with collaborative team efforts. The table below highlights the specific niche this tool occupies among other similar Microsoft solutions:
Project Desktop | Planner | Project Online | Dynamics 365 Project Operations | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Intended audience | Individual project managers | Teams looking for an easy-to-use, collaborative task management tool | Organizations needing a cloud-based solution for managing multiple projects | Businesses that manage project-based services |
Business value | Helps project managers plan and track projects efficiently | Enables teams to organize tasks and collaborate easily | Allows organizations to manage multiple projects and resources from anywhere | Integrates sales, project management, and financials for project-based businesses |
Thanks to its intuitive design, new users can quickly catch up with more experienced ones, and customize Planner to fit their specific workflows, all without the need to acquire a wide range of skills in a short amount of time, which can be an issue with more complex platforms.

The new features of Microsoft Planner
Microsoft created Planner based on extensive feedback from users, including project managers and team leaders. The goal was to design a tool that combines the best features of Microsoft To Do and Project for the Web, where simplicity and complex project management capabilities come together.
Moreover, with the integration of Copilot with Microsoft Teams, Planner became a unified workspace for seamless communication.

What makes Microsoft Planner stand out?
Timeline view
The Timeline view is a familiar feature for those experienced with project management tools. Essentially working as a Gantt chart, it allows you to visualize task connections and dependencies, assign and manage resources, and build critical paths to highlight key workflows. It also provides a clear way to monitor task completion rates while supporting visual planning and progress tracking.

Resource assignment view
The Assignments view provides an overview of all the resources involved in your project plan. From this view, you can assign tasks, track total accumulated effort, and ensure resources are neither overbooked nor underutilized. This enables smarter, more efficient management of your team and assets.

Portfolio management view
The Portfolio view is not yet available, but it is expected to launch by the end of 2024. With this feature you will be able to combine multiple plans into one portfolio, as well as track tasks, milestones, and deadlines across different projects.

Planner and Teams
Planner tightly integrates with Microsoft Teams, allowing you to create and manage tasks without leaving your conversation. For instance, if you’re discussing the need to schedule a meeting in a Teams chat or channel, you can instantly create a task linked to that discussion.
AI capabilities of Planner
Microsoft 365 Copilot was integrated into Planner in July 2024. It can summarize information, locate necessary data within plans, create new tasks, and break down existing ones. However, another tool surpasses Copilot’s functionality. At the Ignite conference 2024, Microsoft introduced the Project Management Agent AI feature.
M365 Copilot in Planner | Project Management Agent |
---|---|
Create comprehensive plans with tasks, sub-tasks, buckets, and goals using natural language prompts. | Automatically generate tasks based on defined project goals. |
Add, edit, and organize tasks within existing plans. | Incorporate feedback to refine task outputs and improve project outcomes. |
Get updates on task progress and upcoming deadlines. | Collaborate with team members directly within tasks using embedded Microsoft Loop pages. |
Use Al to streamline workflows, set priorities, and manage workloads. | Break tasks into manageable pieces and distinguish work suitable for autonomous agents from higher-value or complex tasks requiring human input. |
Use Microsoft Whiteboard to brainstorm and convert ideas into tasks. |
Note: The Planner Basic version is available for free as a Teams application and web app, while advanced capabilities are included with Microsoft E3 and E5 subscriptions.
Microsoft Planner: practical insights into views, task management, and integrations
Integration with Microsoft 365
Microsoft Planner is a powerful tool on its own, but its integration within the Microsoft ecosystem makes it even more effective:
- Communication tools: Teams and Outlook
- SharePoint
- Viva Goals (available since September 2024)
- Microsoft Loop
- Excel
- Power Platform: Power Automate, Power Pages, Power Apps, Power BI.

The Planner application is currently available within Teams under the Applications tab. On opening the application, you will be able to choose from one of the following views:
- My Day: Displays your individual tasks for focused daily planning.
- My Tasks: Aggregates tasks assigned to you from various plans. It also shows flagged emails that can be converted into tasks and added directly to your plan.
- My Plans: Offers an overview of team activities and progress.
How to create a new plan
When it comes to creating a new plan, you do not have to start from scratch every time. Microsoft Planner offers you a list of templates to choose from. There are some templates available in the Basic plan, but you will find many more in the Premium.
Create a new plan by following these steps:
- Start by clicking New Plan.
- Then, choose a template:
- Templates are available in both Basic and Premium plans. Premium plans offer a wider selection.
- To explore all options, click All templates.
- Review the design, structure, and key benefits of the selected template.
- Once you are satisfied with your template choice, click Use template.
How to manage tasks in Planner
Now that we’ve covered how to create a plan, it is time to dive into managing tasks within it. Microsoft Planner provides handy tools to add, edit, and remove tasks, switch between various views, and much more. Here, we are going to focus on practical insights for managing individual tasks in Planner:
- Right-click a task and select Open details.
- In the sidebar that opens, you will be able to set up the following:
- Start and end dates: Specify the timeline for the task.
- Duration: Set how long the task completion is supposed to take.
Note: A task with a one-day duration and zero effort is marked as a milestone. - Bucket: Organize tasks into categories.
- Priority: Set task urgency.
- Sprint: Associate tasks with specific sprints.
- Checklist: Break tasks into smaller subtasks.
- Effort: Manually define the effort required.
- Resources: Assign people and teams to complete the task.
- Dependencies: Build relationships between tasks to define workflow order.
- Attachments: Add relevant files.
- Teams channel: Create a Teams channel for all involved members.
Note: While mass assignment isn’t available, AI tools like Copilot and the Project Management Agent can assist. The latter excels at assigning people or groups (e.g., a Sales team).
If you have already set up a plan to your liking, you can save it for later by exporting it to Excel or simply copying it to use with another team or customer.
Views for better visualization in Planner
Besides functionality, there is another important aspect of a convenient tool, and it is user-friendliness. Being able to visualize your tasks and plans in different ways depending on what you are currently focusing on adds to a positive user experience. We have already mentioned the Timeline, Assignment, and upcoming Portfolio views, but there are more for your convenience:
- Grid view displays tasks in a structured, spreadsheet-like format, detailing every aspect in clear columns.
- Board view is a Kanban-style interface where tasks are organized into customizable buckets, allowing for easy drag-and-drop updates.
- Charts view provides visual insights into task completion, priority distribution, and workload through dynamic charts for a quick project overview.
- People view groups tasks by assignee, making it easy to identify and balance workload distribution across team members.
- Goals View focuses on broader objectives, tracking progress toward achieving key results and aligning with organizational goals.
Conclusion
Microsoft Planner is a versatile and intuitive project management tool that balances simplicity with powerful functionality, making it perfect for both personal and team workflows. For businesses seeking tailored solutions, proMX offers expert guidance and implementation services to maximize the potential of Microsoft tools.