Microsoft Planner in Teams: The New Experience

Effective March 2024, the new Planner app is available in Microsoft Teams, followed by a web experience later in 2024. The current Tasks by Planner and To Do app in Teams will be renamed to Planner. Learn more about Microsoft Planner and find a FAQ at the bottom of the article.

 

What is Microsoft Planner?

Microsoft Planner is a simple, visual way to organize teamwork. You can create Kanban boards with detailed tasks, collaborate with your team, and track the status of your projects using charts. Planner works across Microsoft 365 applications and integrates with Microsoft Teams, Power Platform, and Viva Goals. You can also use Copilot in Planner, an AI assistant that helps you generate and manage plans. Microsoft is leveraging its experience in collaborative work management (CWM), enterprise work management (EWM) and frontline task management to deliver a new modern work management solution assisted by next-generation AI. Microsoft Planner will easily scale from simple task management to enterprise project management, empowering everyone to manage their work in one place and accelerate business outcomes.

 

Introducing the new Planner: simple, flexible, scalable, and intelligent

Simple

The new Planner – integrated in Microsoft Teams –  is a unified experience that lets you manage all your tasks, to-do lists, plans, and projects across Microsoft 365 applications in one simple, familiar experience. You can find the tasks you need, right when you need them, and access recent, shared, and personal plans, as well as tasks assigned to you, in the new Planner.

Flexible

The high flexiblity of the Microsoft Planner allows you to work the way you and your teams want, from individual task management to large team initiatives. You can choose from an array of templates, views, and approaches, such as lists, boards, timelines, and sprints, to personalize your plan. You can also enjoy the features that you use and love today in Project for the web, such as agile sprint planning, team workload, goals alignment, custom fields, and task history, in the new Planner experience.

Scalable

The new Planner is scalable, giving you big picture views across initiatives. You can configure, extend, and automate the new Planner (with or without code) to meet your organization’s changing needs. Built on Microsoft Power Platform, the new Planner will enable customized reporting through Microsoft Power BI and configurable workflows through Microsoft Power Automate. It also integrates with Microsoft Viva Goals, connecting to your objectives and key results (OKR) to inform plans and provide high-level visibility. You can easily update task dependencies and check task history in the new Planner.

Intelligent

The new Planner is intelligent, helping you accelerate outcomes with AI. Through simple, natural-language prompts, Copilot in Planner (coming in Spring 2024) will help you generate new plans, set goals, track status, and react to changes as projects evolve. Copilot will provide support for you and your team, making work and project management faster and easier than ever.

Integrated with Microsoft 365 experiences

The new Planner enables you to stay in the flow of work with integrations across other Microsoft 365 experiences such as Microsoft Loop, Microsoft Outlook, Viva Goals, and Teams. You can bring existing Planner plans into a Loop workspace and track your team plan alongside other project content in one place. Emails you flag in Outlook, or action items assigned to you from Teams meetings are also visible in Planner.

 

When will Microsoft Planner be available?

Here is the timeline for the new Planner:

• March 2024: The new Planner app in Teams is generally available (the current Tasks by Planner and To Do app in Teams will be renamed to Planner).
• Later in 2024: The web experience of the new Planner will be generally available. The features you know and love in Microsoft Project for the web will be available in the new Planner app in Teams and the Planner web app.

 

 

More information

For the official announcement, please visit: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/planner-blog/the-new-microsoft-planner-a-unified-experience-bringing-together/ba-p/3977998.

Find more adoption info on Microsoft Planner here: https://adoption.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-planner/.

For our vendor page of Microsoft, please visit: https://www.schneider.im/software/microsoft.

Please contact us for expert services on your specific Microsoft software and online services requirements and to request a quote today.

 

FAQ

Why is there a new Microsoft Planner experience?

The new Microsoft Planner is designed to address the challenges of using multiple work management apps, which can lead to rework, missed opportunities, and reduced productivity. It combines task management, collaborative work management, and enterprise work management into a single, powerful, and scalable experience, assisted by next-generation AI.

When will the new Microsoft Planner be available?

The new Planner app in Teams was released in March 2024 as part of the Microsoft Teams Public preview. It is expected to be available to everyone by the end of April/early May. Other endpoints like To Do, Planner, and Project for the Web will continue to work as usual.

How do I know if I have the new Planner in Teams?

To check if you have the new Microsoft Planner in Teams, look at the name and icon in the top-left corner of the app.

How does the new Microsoft Planner impact Project customers?

The new Planner app in Teams will replace the current Tasks by Planner and To Do app, which will be renamed to Planner. Existing Project for the web customers will get access to premium capabilities in the new Planner app in Teams without needing additional licenses. The new Planner capabilities will also be available as a web experience later in 2024.

What will happen to my work if I already use Project for the web?

Your work and projects within Project for the web will not be impacted. You will continue to access your work in the web experience of Project for the web and view it in the new Planner app in Teams. The new Planner web experience will become generally available later in 2024.

Is there any change in pricing with the new Microsoft Planner?

The new Planner will maintain the current Project for the web pricing tiers. Existing Project for the web capabilities will continue to be available in both Project for the web and the new Planner app in Teams. Packaging for Copilot in Planner will be announced shortly.

How can I experience premium capabilities in the new Planner?

Users with a Microsoft 365 license can access a rich set of capabilities for individual and team work management. To experience premium features, select the diamond icon within the app to start a free 30-day trial or request a premium license. Premium features include report creation, Timeline (Gantt) view, dependencies, sprints, custom fields, team workload, and managing goals. If you already have a Project license, you will have access to the new Planner’s premium capabilities.

What features are coming soon to the new Planner, including Copilot?

The new Planner will be updated frequently. Upcoming features include:

• Copilot in Planner, available through Microsoft Teams Public preview.
• Ability to upgrade a basic plan to a premium plan.
• Enhanced My Day and My Tasks.
• Viewing Project for the web tasks in My Tasks.
• Sorting the task list.
• General bug fixes.

Copilot in Planner can help break down tasks into subtasks, identify work needed to meet project goals, and answer basic questions on the overall status of the project. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest information on Copilot availability.

What changes should current users of Project for the web, Planner, and the Tasks by Planner and To Do app in Teams expect?

• Tasks by Planner and To Do app in Teams will be renamed Planner and will receive the new Planner experience.
• The new Planner capabilities will be available in the Planner web app later in 2024.
• Project for the web will remain available with no change to existing functionality and can be viewed in the new Planner app in Teams.
• Project Power app will be renamed Planner later in 2024 with no change to existing functionality.

Will Project be retired with the rebranding of Project for the web to Planner?

No, Project is not being retired. Project for the web capabilities are becoming part of the new Planner. Project desktop, Project Online, and Project Server will continue to be available and supported.

What does this mean for current Project Online customers?

Current Project Online customers can continue to use the service with no end of service date announced. If you are interested in moving to Project for the web (to be renamed Planner), Microsoft is funding a pilot migration program to assist with data migration.

Are there any changes to license names?

Yes, the Project Plan 1 license has been renamed to Planner Plan 1 to align with the rebranding of the new Planner app. The current Project Plan 3 and Project Plan 5 licenses will not be renamed at this time.

Will I be able to work with people licensed on Planner premium capabilities and included in Microsoft 365, or does everyone need a paid Planner license?

Yes, you can share plans across Planner premium and Microsoft 365 Planner.

Will the new Planner only show tasks from projects in a default environment, or will it show tasks from any named environment project?

Initially, Planner in Teams will show projects in the default environment. Support for named environments is planned for later in 2024.

Will Microsoft 365 users without additional Planner subscriptions be able to view premium features (e.g., Gantt charts) created by users with Planner paid subscriptions?

Microsoft 365 users can modify tasks in premium plans the same way they do in basic plans. However, a Project license is required to view and edit premium capabilities like Gantt charts or goals.

If I have the desktop version of Project and a Project Online license, will I have access to the premium capabilities in Planner?

Yes, you will have access to Planner premium capabilities.

How can I purchase the new Planner with premium capabilities?

You can purchase it through your Admin or individually. Customers can start a 30-day trial of premium capabilities directly from within Planner, provided the administrator of their Microsoft 365 license has enabled trials within their organization.

Are there feature differences between using premium plan features in commercial cloud vs. GCC?

Generally, Microsoft aims for consistency between GCC+ and commercial features, with parity expected within 90 days of the GA release. Some features may not roll out in GCC+ due to relevance, experimental status, or restrictions.

What happens to existing Planner and Project for the web projects when the new Planner app is enabled?

Non-premium plans will continue to be stored in Azure, while premium plans will be in Dataverse. When you convert non-premium to premium plans, we will handle the migration.

Will Power BI and Power Apps reports continue to work?

Yes, Power Apps and Power BI reports built for Project for the web will continue to work.

Do the Tasks in Loop go into Project for the web? How does this work?

Tasks in a Loop component sync to Planner.

Will customers be able to disable Copilot in Planner in Teams?

Since mid-May 2024, there is a control in the admin portal to disable Microsoft 365 Copilot in Planner. If you need to disable it before then, you can open a support request with Planner support.

Is Exchange Online required to use the new Planner experience?

For more information on Exchange Online dependencies with the new Planner, see Microsoft Planner for admins.

Is it possible to delay updating users to the new Planner and enable it when they are ready?

No, it is not possible to delay updating users to the new Planner.

When will Copilot in Planner (preview) be generally available?

Copilot in Planner (preview) is rolling out to general availability to a subset of users. It helps streamline planning, management, and execution of work with the power of generative AI.

How can we experience Copilot in Planner capabilities?

If you have a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 license, you will have access to Copilot in Planner capabilities once it is rolled out to your organization. If not, you can start a free 30-day trial of advanced capabilities, including Copilot, by selecting the diamond icon within the app.

How will I know if Copilot in Planner is available to us?

Look for the Copilot icon in the top right of your screen. If you have access, you’ll see the Copilot preview button. If not, it will be rolled out progressively over the next few weeks.

Will users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license have access to Copilot in Planner, or do they need a Project Plan 3 license?

Copilot in Planner requires a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 license. It is a separate license from the Microsoft 365 Copilot license.

Do you have more questions?

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