As subscribers to Microsoft Office 365 some of you will already be using the Planner app, but for those that aren’t here’s a quick overview… 

If you manage, or work within, a busy team, with numerous deadlines to hit, then Planner could be just what you need. Introduced by Microsoft in 2015 the app allows teams to create new plans, organise and assign tasks, share files, chat about what they’re working on and received updates on progress, without needing a PhD in project planning!  

 

Designed to integrate easily with other Microsoft apps, it uses visuals well, providing interfaces that are easy to understand and use. For example, each job can include a relevant photo – much easier to find and more memorable than having to scan through project titles. The ‘charts’ view also displays information so that it’s quickly apparent when deadlines are being missed! 

 

Planner is an ideal addition where a project manager isn’t required, but where there are a lot of projects on the go, and where it’s useful for team members to easily see what needs to be achieved and the status of a job. However for more in-depth project planning we’d recommend the Microsoft Project tool and we’ll give more information on that in a future blog, so keep ’em peeled. That said, we’re always happy to run through the different Microsoft 365 apps with you, and advise you on those that will help your organisation run even more smoothly…