Microsoft Planner is integrated within Microsoft Teams, but is also available as a standalone offering for those orgs not yet using Teams. I have argued that MS Project, and certainly Project Server and its direct competitors, are overkill for the needs of most individuals and small teams that really just want something quick and easy to keep their planning organized, and to help drive accountability. For project-centric organizations, Planner is a quick and easy way to get organized. The purpose of this post is not to provide an in-depth review of Microsoft Planner, but I figured I’d supply a quick overview. You can also jump straight to this tip in the video by clicking here.

Thankfully, we are coming to the end of this frustrating and time-consuming activity due to advances in task management.ītw, I shared this tip in the October 2019 Productivity Tips webinar with Tom Duff ( and if interested, you can check out the recording and slides. From the earliest days of my PM career, much of my time was spent aggregating tasks from across multiple projects, building out reporting systems, and chasing people for status reports (I don’t miss any of that last one).

Some of you are aware that I spent the first 15 years of my technology career largely within Project Management roles, and for a few years even deployed project and portfolio management solutions, and helped to build and run project management organizations (PMOs) as both an FTE and a consultant.

Tasks by planner and to do teams