Microsoft has unified its project management tools—MS Project, Microsoft Planner, and Microsoft To-Do—into a single app called Planner. This new Planner combines the features of these tools, offering both basic and advanced project management capabilities depending on your subscription plan. Here’s how you can access and use the different features within this unified Planner in Office 365.
Basic Features Available with Most Microsoft 365 Subscriptions
If you have a Microsoft 365 Business Standard or higher subscription, you automatically have access to the basic features of the new Planner. These features include:
Task Management: You can create and manage tasks, set deadlines, assign tasks to team members, and track progress. This is perfect for simple projects and daily tasks.
Collaboration: The basic Planner integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams, allowing you to chat, share files, and manage tasks all in one place.
Advanced Features Available with Higher Plans
For those who need more advanced project management tools, the unified Planner offers features that were previously only available in MS Project. These advanced features are available in higher subscription plans, such as Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5:
Project Plan 3:
Task Dependencies: Manage complex projects by setting up tasks that depend on the completion of other tasks.
Visual Roadmaps: Create visual timelines to track project milestones and overall progress.
Project Baselines: Set and compare project baselines to track deviations from the original plan.
Budget Tracking: Keep an eye on project costs and manage budgets effectively.
Project Plan 5:
Resource Management: Manage resources across multiple projects and allocate them efficiently.
Portfolio Management: Oversee multiple projects at once, managing them collectively.
Customization and Integration: This plan offers more advanced options for customizing and integrating Planner with other systems, making it ideal for large-scale projects.
How to Get and Set Up the Unified Planner
To start using the new unified Planner in your Office 365 environment, follow these detailed steps:
Decide Which Plan You Need:
Resource Management: Manage resources across multiple projects and allocate them efficiently.
Portfolio Management: Oversee multiple projects at once, managing them collectively.
Customization and Integration: This plan offers more advanced options for customizing and integrating Planner with other systems, making it ideal for large-scale projects.
Navigate to Purchase Services:
Log in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center at admin.microsoft.com. You must be an admin to perform the following steps.
In the Admin Center, look at the left-hand menu and click on “Show all” if the full menu isn’t visible.
Under “Billing,” click on “Purchase services.”
Search for Project Plans: Use the search bar at the top of the page to search for “Project. “You will see options like Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5 listed in the results.
Choose Your Plan and Configure Details: Click on the “Details” button under the plan you want. You will be prompted to select the plan, the quantity (number of users), subscription length, and billing frequency. Adjust these options as needed, and you’ll see the subtotal update based on your choices.
Note: Microsoft often provides price breaks based on the subscription length and billing frequency. Consider these options carefully to get the best value.
Assign Licenses:
Once you’ve configured your plan, proceed with the purchase by following the on-screen prompts. After the purchase is complete, it may take a few minutes for the new subscription to appear in your account.
Go back to the main Admin Center menu.
Under “Billing,” click on “Your products.”
Find the Planner subscription or Project plan you just purchased. If it doesn’t appear immediately, refresh the page.
Below the “Buy licenses” button, click on “Assign licenses.”
Click the “Assign licenses” button again under “Users” and select the users you want to assign the licenses to.
Install Planner in Microsoft teams:
Open Microsoft Teams and look at the side rail on the left.
Click on the “Apps” button.
In the app search bar, type “Planner” and select it from the results.
Click “Install” to add Planner to your Teams setup. The Planner icon should now appear on your side rail.
Click on the Planner icon to open it and start managing your tasks and projects.
You May Be Interested In:
Is Microsoft Project part of Office 365?
