Team collaboration with Microsoft Planner

Summary

The video script highlights the importance of collaboration in a hybrid workplace and introduces the Planner app as a solution. The app simplifies project planning by offering basic and premium plans tailored to project needs. Users can create plans, set timelines, and collaborate with team members across different time zones through easy group sharing and integration with team channels. It emphasizes goal setting and task visibility, allowing team members to see how their work contributes to the project's objectives. The app also includes features for workload balancing, task reallocation, and tracking task history. It facilitates seamless communication through task conversations, ensuring effective collaboration regardless of geographical distance.

Takeaways

• 📈 The importance of ease of collaboration in a hybrid workplace is highlighted as crucial for teams spread across different time zones.
• 🛠️ The Planner app is introduced as a tool for simplifying project planning and collaboration.
• 📋 Two types of plans are available in the Planner app: basic for straightforward projects and premium for more complex needs with additional features.
• 📅 Users can create a project plan, set tasks, and timeline within the Planner app.
• 👥 The app allows for easy sharing of plans with team members and integration into a team's channel for centralized collaboration.
• 🎯 Goals can be added directly to the plan and linked to tasks, ensuring team members understand their objectives and how their work contributes.
• 🔍 The 'people view' feature enables team members to see what others are working on, facilitating communication and workload management.
• 🔄 Task reallocation is possible to balance the workload and ensure no team member is overburdened.
• 🗓️ The resource assignment grid helps in refining effort estimates and identifying over-allocated team members.
• 🕒 Task history provides visibility into changes made to tasks and who made them, aiding in tracking project progress and accountability.
• 💬 Task conversations within Teams allow for direct communication about task changes, even across different time zones, enhancing collaboration.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the Planner app mentioned in the script?

The main purpose of the Planner app is to facilitate ease of collaboration in a hybrid workplace, especially for teams spread across different time zones. It allows users to plan projects, set goals, manage tasks, and collaborate with team members effectively.

What are the two types of plans available in the Planner app?

The Planner app offers two types of plans: a basic plan for simple projects and a premium plan that includes more extensive capabilities such as task dependencies, goal setting, and enhanced customization.

How does the Planner app help in setting up a project timeline?

After creating a plan in the Planner app, users can start planning out the necessary tasks and set the timeline for the project, ensuring that all team members are aware of the project schedule and milestones.

Can the Planner app be shared with a team or integrated into a team's existing workflow?

Yes, the Planner app allows users to create a group of team members or share the plan with an existing group. Additionally, it can be added to a team's channel, where the team collaborates, to keep all project-related information in one place.

How does the Planner app assist in communicating project goals to the team?

The Planner app enables users to add the project's goals directly in the plan and link tasks to these goals. This feature ensures that every team member understands what they are working towards and how their work contributes to the overall objectives.

What is the 'people view' in the Planner app and how does it benefit the team?

The 'people view' in the Planner app allows every team member to see what others are working on, which helps them identify who to contact with questions or whose work they depend on to complete their tasks. It also facilitates reallocating tasks to balance the workload across the team.

How can the Planner app help in managing daily work and reallocating tasks if needed?

The Planner app features a resource assignment grid that helps users refine effort estimates for each team member assigned to a task. This tool provides insights into which team members are over-allocated each day, allowing for the redistribution of work as needed.

What is the task history feature in the Planner app and how does it help users?

The task history feature in the Planner app allows users to view changes made to a task and who made those changes. For example, if a task start date is pushed back, users can quickly identify the associated task that caused the timeline change.

How can team members communicate and collaborate across time zones using the Planner app?

The Planner app integrates with Teams, allowing users to start a chat directly within the platform using task conversations. This feature enables real-time communication across different time zones, ensuring that questions and updates are addressed promptly when team members log back on.

How does the Planner app contribute to seamless teamwork and staying connected in a hybrid workplace?

The Planner app contributes to seamless teamwork by providing a centralized platform for project planning, task management, and communication. It allows teams, whether they are all together or located in different time zones, to stay on top of their work, collaborate effectively, and stay connected on the most important tasks.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Project Planning and Collaboration with Planner App

The script introduces the importance of collaboration in a hybrid workplace and showcases the Planner app as a solution. It allows users to start a project by choosing between a basic or premium plan, depending on the complexity of the project. The app enables easy task planning and timeline setting, as well as sharing plans with team members and integrating them into team channels. A key feature is the ability to add project goals directly into the plan and link tasks to these goals, ensuring everyone is aligned on the objectives. The 'people view' provides visibility into team members' work, facilitating communication and workload reallocation. The resource assignment grid helps in managing daily workloads and identifying over-allocation. Task history offers insights into changes made to tasks, and task conversations allow for direct communication across different time zones. The script emphasizes that Planner makes collaboration seamless, regardless of team members' locations.

Keywords

💡Hybrid Workplace

A hybrid workplace is a work environment that combines both remote and in-person working. It allows employees to work from home or any location outside the traditional office while still maintaining the option to work at the office when necessary. In the context of the video, it emphasizes the importance of collaboration tools like the Planner app for teams working in different time zones and locations.

💡Collaboration Tools

Collaboration tools are software applications that facilitate teamwork and communication by enabling the sharing of information and resources. In the video, the Planner app is highlighted as a tool that simplifies project planning and collaboration, especially in a global and remote work setting.

💡Planner App

The Planner app is a project management tool that allows users to create, organize, and assign tasks, set timelines, and track progress. It is presented in the video as a solution for easy project planning, with features such as basic and premium plans, task dependencies, and goal setting.

💡Project Planning

Project planning is the process of defining the activities required to achieve a project's goals, sequencing them, and allocating resources. The video script mentions creating a plan as the first step in using the Planner app, which involves choosing a plan type and outlining necessary tasks and timelines.

💡Task Dependencies

Task dependencies refer to the relationships between tasks where the completion of one task is contingent upon the completion of another. The video highlights this feature of the Planner app, which is particularly useful for complex projects that require extensive planning.

💡Goal Setting

Goal setting is the process of identifying and defining the desired outcomes of a project. In the context of the video, adding project goals directly into the Planner app helps ensure that all team members understand what they are working towards and how their tasks contribute to these goals.

💡Team Channels

Team channels are dedicated communication spaces within collaboration platforms where team members can discuss specific topics or projects. The video mentions adding a plan to a team's channel to centralize collaboration and make the plan accessible to all team members.

💡People View

People view is a feature that allows team members to see what others are working on, facilitating better coordination and awareness of each other's tasks. The video script describes how this view helps team members know whom to contact with questions or whose work they depend on.

💡Resource Assignment Grid

The resource assignment grid is a tool within the Planner app that helps in reallocating tasks and balancing the workload across the team. It provides a visual representation of each team member's workload and allows for adjustments to ensure no one is over-allocated.

💡Task History

Task history is a feature that records all changes made to a task, including updates and edits by different team members. In the video, it is mentioned as a way to track changes and understand the reasons behind schedule shifts or modifications to task details.

💡Task Conversations

Task conversations refer to the ability to discuss and communicate about specific tasks directly within the collaboration tool. The video script illustrates how starting a chat in Teams using task conversations allows for real-time or asynchronous communication across different time zones.

💡Enhanced Customization

Enhanced customization refers to the ability to tailor the features and appearance of a tool to suit specific needs or preferences. The video mentions this as a premium feature of the Planner app, allowing for a more personalized and efficient project management experience.

Highlights

Ease of collaboration is crucial in a hybrid workplace.

The Planner app simplifies project planning and collaboration.

Choose between basic and premium plans based on project needs.

Create a plan and set a timeline for your project.

Easily share plans with team members and existing groups.

Integrate plans into team channels for centralized collaboration.

Communicate project goals effectively to align team efforts.

Link tasks to goals for clear visibility of team contributions.

Utilize the people view to monitor team workload and dependencies.

Reallocate tasks to balance the workload across the team.

Use the resource assignment grid for daily workload adjustments.

Track task history to understand changes and their causes.

Initiate task conversations directly in Teams for cross-time zone communication.

Planner facilitates seamless teamwork and project management.

Stay connected and on top of important work regardless of team location.

Planner enhances collaboration for teams in different time zones.

Transcripts

- [Robyn] In the hybrid workplace,

ease of collaboration has never been more important.

Using a vast number of tools with team members

located in numerous time zones around the world,

how do you stay connected?

With the new Planner app it's never been easier.

You can easily get started planning your project

by creating a plan.

Choose a basic plan for simple projects

or a premium plan when you need more extensive capabilities

like task dependencies, goal setting,

and enhanced customization.

Once your plan is created,

you can start planning out the necessary tasks

and set the timeline.

And when you're ready to share, it's easy to create a group

of team members or share with an existing group.

After sharing, you can also add your plan

to a team's channel so that it lives in the same place

where your team collaborates.

One of the most important parts of any project is creating

and effectively communicating goals so that everyone knows

what they're working towards.

To help do just this,

you can add your project's goals directly in the plan

and link tasks to these goals

so that team members see exactly

how their work is making an impact.

In the people view, everyone on the team

can see what others are working on,

so they know who to reach out to with questions

or whose work they depend on to complete their own.

Here you can also reallocate tasks

to help balance the workload across your team.

If daily work needs to be reallocated

use the resource assignment grid

to refine the effort estimates for each team member

who is assigned to a task.

Here you get an idea of which team members

are over allocated each day

and distribute the work as needed.

When questions come up about what changes have been made

to a task and who made those changes,

you can view this in task history.

For example, if you see your task start date

was pushed back a week,

you can quickly see which associated task

caused this change in timeline.

And to follow up about those changes,

start a chat directly in Teams using task conversations

even across time zones.

When your coworker logs back on,

they can see your question and respond.

Collaboration has never been easier than it is with Planner.

Whether your team is all together

or located time zones apart, you can easily stay on top

of your project, work together seamlessly,

and stay connected on the work that matters the most.