What is Microsoft Planner?

Microsoft Planner is a task-manager application, enabling users and groups of two or more to create project management plans, assign work, send files, and communicate and collaborate with each other.

Overview:

Microsoft Planner is an application to help organise teamwork and tasks through a cards-based layout - similar to Asana, Slack or Trello - used primarilly for task and project management. Planner provides a hub for team members to create plans, organise and assign tasks to different users and to check updates on progress through dashboards. It also provides a centralised location where files can be shared, giving visibility to the whole team.

Planners can be added to Microsoft Team channels by the Team owners.

What do I use Microsoft Planner for?

Microsoft Planner is a good solution to use when you need to collaborate with two or more people to complete a project or task.

Users create a board (called a 'bucket') with different columns ('To-do', 'In Progress' and 'Done') and move tasks to different columns at the appropriate stage.

If you're looking at creating a plan for just yourself, rather than a group for collaboration see Microsoft To-Do.

Who is Microsoft Planner available for?

Microsoft Planner is available to all University staff and students.

How do I access Microsoft Planner?

You can access Microsoft Planner via the direct link: https://tasks.office.com. Microsoft Planner can also be found on your Office 365 portal at https://office365.leeds.ac.uk (you may need to search for Planner, or access via the 'apps' menu)

Using Planner in Microsoft Teams

If you're using Microsoft Teams, you may want to work on a plan from within Teams or in Microsoft Planner for web.

Add a Planner tab to a team channel

In your team channel ('General' in this example), select 'Add a tab +'.

In the 'Add a tab' dialogue box, choose 'Planner'.

If there are no existing plans the 'Planner' dialogue box will open.
Click 'Install' button to open the 'Planner' window.

Where a new plan is required

Choose 'Create a new plan' radio button.
To make a new Planner enter the 'Tab Name'.
Click 'Save' button to add it as a Planner tab to this channel.

The 'Planner tab' for the new plan is added to the 'General' channel tabs.

Where a team plan already exists

Click the 'Add a tab +' and select 'Planner'.
Select 'Use an existing plan from this team' radio button.
Click the drop down arrow to the right of 'Existing plans'.
Select the required plan.
Enable/Disable 'Post to the channel about this tab'.
Click 'Save' button to add it as a Planner tab to this channel.

Create tasks in a Teams plan

Select 'Planner tab' to open task window.
Enter 'plan task details' in the 'To do list'.

Repeat this procedure to add more Planner tabs required on your channel.

Important: You can also add Planner tabs for the same plan to multiple channels. This allows easier access to the team plan as Planner tabs can be added to multiple channels.

Opening and working on your plan in Teams

Once a plan or plans have been created there are two access options:

Via team channel Planner tab

Select 'Planner tab' in the channel.
The 'Planner actions' available are shown in the grid below:

Via Teams Planner personal app

*Microsoft will be replacing the "Tasks by Planner and To Do" with a new and unified app called Planner towards the end of March 2024. All the current features will be kept with additional features added. More information can be found via this Microsoft blog.

In the 'Planner personal app' via the 'More Added Apps' ellipsis (...).
Click on the 'Planner icon'.

Using the Planner personal app will show you all the tasks in your personal task list along with all the Shared plans in the teams that you're a member of.

For further information on using Planner in Teams and for support see the Microsoft Website.

How do I get a new plan created?

If you require a new stand alone plan creating then please request this here.

Training

Microsoft Planner training is available via LinkedIn Learning and is free for all staff and students.

Further Information and Support

For further information on stand alone Microsoft Planner and for support see the Microsoft Website.