On the planet of planning, no scarcity of software program choices means that you can plan and execute your venture. Microsoft Planner particularly, which is included within the Microsoft 365 platform, is a significant participant within the venture planning and process administration software program area.
Microsoft Planner is a device that helps you collect the weather of your venture and create a venture plan with a starting, center and finish. MS Planner is a part of a set of instruments that Microsoft gives to venture managers and their groups. However is Microsoft Planner the best software program to your wants in comparison with Microsoft Challenge, one other Microsoft venture administration device—or must you maybe look elsewhere, like a Microsoft Challenge different?
Earlier than making any choices on what device to make use of when managing your subsequent venture, let’s take a more in-depth have a look at what works and what doesn’t with Microsoft Planner.
What Is Microsoft Planner?
Microsoft Planner is process administration software program geared up with kanban boards and to-do lists. Microsoft Planner is a part of the Microsoft 365 platform and serves as a to-do record app reasonably than a respectable venture planning software program as a consequence of its lack of venture administration options. The Microsoft Planner interface makes use of process playing cards in a kanban board interface. It’s a light-weight app that can be utilized on each cellular gadgets and desktop computer systems.
For a very full venture administration expertise, you want software program that provides a number of process administration instruments equivalent to Gantt charts, kanban boards, process lists and calendars which can be simple to make use of and don’t price an arm and a leg. ProjectManager has these and different options that can assist you plan, schedule and observe your initiatives.
Microsoft Planner Views
To raised perceive Microsoft Planner’s worth, we have to look at its choices to customers. One in all its extra promising elements is the software program’s a number of views. Here’s a quick record with descriptions of these Microsoft Planner views.
- Board View: This kanban-style structure organizes duties into buckets. Customers can then drag and drop duties between buckets, which makes it simpler to visualise progress and standing. This extremely visible function is most well-liked by these working in an agile setting.
- Charts View: This offers a visible illustration of process standing and progress. It reveals charts for duties by progress, due dates and assignments, which helps groups to shortly assess total venture well being by exhibiting the complete venture in a single place.
- Schedule View (Calendar): This calendar-style view reveals duties displayed primarily based on their due dates. It permits groups to see deadlines at a look and helps plan work extra effectively. The month-to-month view can also be acquainted to most because it mimics a yearly calendar. Additionally it is a view that stakeholders favor to observe progress.
- My Duties View: This customized process administration function permits customers to see all of the duties assigned to them throughout completely different plans. It may be sorted and filtered by due date, progress or precedence, options progress monitoring and shows due dates for all of the listed duties.
- Record View (through Microsoft To-Do): The traditional process view is greater than a to-do record, although it organizes duties in a extra conventional record format. This makes it simpler for groups to see the main points of the work that has been assigned to them, equivalent to due dates, progress percentages and extra.
Microsoft Planner Options
People and groups use MS Planner to get visibility into their initiatives, keep up to date on approaching deadlines and teams and filter their duties. These are solely among the options obtainable—let’s take a fast tour of what else makes up Microsoft Planner.
- Progress monitoring: Screens the standing of duties by way of visible indicators equivalent to progress charts, standing labels and due dates.
- Integration with Microsoft 365: Works with different MS purposes equivalent to Groups, Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive and others.
- Communication and collaboration: Crew members can remark, talk about particulars, share updates and ask questions whereas utilizing a Groups integration.
- Group and filter duties: Filter your duties by deadline and see what work is coming due quickly.
- Collaborative process administration: My Duties reveals all of your duties, and group members can remark and fix recordsdata on the duty in Outlook, Outlook Teams, Groups and extra.
- Assign a process to a number of group members: Not like another process administration instruments, you possibly can assign duties to a couple of individual.
- Give customers entry to the device: Should you’re engaged on a venture and need to herald a vendor, contractor or stakeholder to see what’s happening, you possibly can add exterior entry.
- Import Microsoft Planner into Outlook: You may put your Microsoft Planner into your Outlook by way of the iCalendar feed, which helps facilitate scheduling and time administration.
- Get e-mail notifications: E-mail notifications preserve customers on observe by alerting them of coming deadlines.
Mixed, these task-tracking options assist plan and execute the venture, although they don’t provide the management venture managers must take care of assets, price range and extra.
Microsoft Planner Plans & Pricing
As talked about above, Microsoft Planner could be acquired by way of paid subscriptions, as a part of the Microsoft 365 platform. MS 365 is a premium grouping of its Workplace purposes, cloud storage, superior safety and extra. It really works throughout a number of gadgets on the similar time, whether or not Home windows, macOS, iOS or Android.
There’s a 30-day free trial to kick the tires, however for those who’re taken with utilizing the business-level subscription, there are a number of tiers.
- Microsoft 365 Enterprise Fundamental: $7.20/consumer/month with an annual dedication, consists of Microsoft Groups, storage and the Workplace suite of merchandise solely accessible on-line.
- Microsoft 365 Enterprise Normal: $15.00/consumer/month with an annual dedication, has the above, enterprise e-mail and premium Workplace purposes throughout gadgets.
- Microsoft 365 Enterprise Premium: $26.40/consumer/month with an annual dedication, consists of the above and larger safety in opposition to cyber threats and machine administration.
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise: $9.90/consumer/month with an annual dedication, consists of file storage on the cloud and Workplace apps, however no Groups or enterprise e-mail.
Microsoft Planner is obtainable on all enterprise plans, schooling plans, enterprise necessities and the enterprise premium Microsoft 365 plans.
What Is Microsoft Planner Used For?
it from a venture administration angle, Microsoft Planner’s kanban boards may help venture managers and their groups make plans and assign duties. Plus, there’s a chat function to foster collaboration in addition to primary task-tracking charts that present progress.
Consider it as a option to arrange your group and duties, just like apps equivalent to Slack and Trello. Microsoft has positioned this process administration device for extra informal customers who’ve private initiatives to execute. For skilled venture managers, MS Planner could be seen as a gateway app into Microsoft Challenge, Groups and Sharepoint.
Associated: Microsoft Challenge vs. Microsoft Planner: In-Depth Comparability
Execs and Cons of Utilizing Microsoft Planner
Whereas Microsoft Planner is an appropriate process administration device for easy initiatives, it has some huge drawbacks on the subject of venture administration. Once you examine it to different venture administration software program, issues come up. Listed below are among the execs and cons of Microsoft Planner.
Execs of Microsoft Planner
- You will get began shortly because of an easy-to-use kanban board interface. It makes onboarding your group easy.
- E-mail notifications within the Microsoft planner app allow you to keep on high of your process record and make sure you’re by no means shocked by surprising deadlines.
- All the data it’s good to full, handle and collaborate in your duties is in a single place, with a kanban card window, guidelines, labels and feedback.
- The venture calendar view permits you to set deadlines the way you need.
- You may generate experiences on duties, progress and extra to remain on schedule with the Planner Hub.
- See your entire group’s assignments to higher handle their workload and keep up to date on their progress.
- Get a novel Outlook e-mail for communications with every plan and higher arrange your venture work.
- The Microsoft Planner app totally integrates with Workplace 365.
Cons of Microsoft Planner
- The absence of a Gantt chart makes it inconceivable to hyperlink dependent duties, set milestones and consider all of your duties chronologically on a timeline.
- There isn’t a option to set recurring duties, which provides busy work and slows you down.
- There isn’t a threat administration function, which makes it difficult to establish and handle any points which may come up.
- There isn’t a time monitoring, which makes it tough to remain on schedule and monitor your group’s progress.
- The dearth of in-app notifications means it’s a must to go away the device to get updates, which takes you away out of your work.
- There isn’t a entry to dashboards exterior of the venture group, which takes away a beneficial device when updating stakeholders.
- There aren’t a number of checklists per process on the kanban board view.
- There isn’t a option to see group workload and reallocate information from the identical web page.
- The dearth of portfolio administration, portfolio roadmaps or dashboards means you possibly can handle just one venture at a time.
- There’s no option to examine group availability, making it harder to assign duties as a result of managers don’t know who’s free.
ProjectManager Is the Finest Microsoft Planner Different
Should you’re in search of software program like Microsoft Planner however need extra options and extra strong venture administration instruments, strive ProjectManager. It gives all the similar performance as Microsoft Planner with the added bonus of sturdy venture administration options.
Extra Planning & Scheduling Options
It’s like taking the highly effective kanban board from Microsoft Planner and including in Gantt charts, real-time dashboards and highly effective collaborative instruments for an entire venture administration expertise. ProjectManager is on-line software program so progress is up to date in actual time. It even helps giant distant groups at a greater value.
With an easy-to-use, user-friendly interface, there’s no coaching required. Enterprise and Enterprise plans have onboarding charges included within the listed value. You will get your group up and operating quick! Plus, you’ll have entry to a top-notch buyer help group to assist.
Associated: Finest Microsoft Challenge Alternate options: Free & Paid Choices Ranked
Sturdy Useful resource Administration Instruments
ProjectManager has superior useful resource allocation options that can be utilized throughout a number of initiatives. It has capability planning to assist managers assess whether or not their group has the bandwidth to tackle further work. When onboarding, group member abilities and availability, together with PTO, trip and international holidays are set, which helps with streamlining assignments. Microsoft Planner has a process board, however that pales compared to the highly effective Gantt charts we have now to plan, handle and observe assets in actual time.
Actual-Time Challenge Monitoring Dashboards and Stories
Our monitoring and reporting instruments additionally go away Microsoft Planner within the mud, which is extra involved with process administration and less complicated reporting options. For individuals who need to see the large image, toggle over to the real-time venture and portfolio dashboard. As soon as a baseline is ready on the Gantt, the dashboard robotically collects dwell information on metrics equivalent to time, price, workload and extra for one or a number of initiatives. To dig deeper into the information, customizable experiences can get within the weeds for groups in addition to present a extra basic view of progress to share with stakeholders.
Microsoft Planner FAQ
Selecting the best process administration device to handle your group’s work is a vital resolution for a venture supervisor or group chief. Listed below are some Microsoft Planner FAQs to study extra about this software program.
Is Microsoft Planner Free?
Microsoft Planner shouldn’t be free. It’s a part of the Microsoft 365 platform and it’s obtainable for enterprise, schooling and enterprise subscriptions.
Is Microsoft Planner the identical as Microsoft Challenge?
Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Challenge sound comparable however are completely different. Microsoft Planner focuses on process administration and planning whereas Microsoft Challenge gives a wider vary of venture administration options.
Is Microsoft Planner a Challenge Administration Software?
Microsoft Planner is a primary venture administration device that depends on kanban boards and to-do lists to handle work. That simplicity may be a superb match for newbie venture managers, however it lacks the options to be thought-about a strong venture administration software program.
Is Microsoft Planner a Desktop App?
Microsoft Planner is a web-based app a part of the Microsoft 365 suite. There isn’t a devoted desktop app for it.
Associated Content material
On the lookout for extra info on Microsoft merchandise? We’ve revealed a number of items on numerous apps, from MS Challenge to MS Lists. Learn all about it by following the hyperlinks beneath.
There’s a lot extra ProjectManager can do for you when planning a venture large or small. It’s simple to make use of and highly effective, with instruments that handle one venture, a program or perhaps a portfolio of initiatives. Get began right this moment planning your subsequent venture on ProjectManager by taking this free 30-day trial.
