What is Microsoft Planner?

Microsoft Planner is a visual task management tool included with Microsoft 365. It lets you create task boards, assign work to team members, set due dates, and track progress — all without needing a separate project management subscription.

It works well for:

Tracking jobs or projects across a small team
Managing recurring tasks and checklists
Coordinating work between staff who are in different locations
Simple project tracking for trades, healthcare, and professional services businesses

Planner uses a Kanban-style board (columns of cards) that is easy to understand at a glance.

How to Access Microsoft Planner

From the Microsoft 365 app launcher:

Go to office.com and sign in
Click the grid icon (app launcher) in the top left corner
Scroll down and click Planner

From Microsoft Teams:

Open Teams
In a Team channel, click the + icon to add a tab
Select Planner
Create a new plan or attach an existing one

Direct link: Go to tasks.office.com in your browser.

Creating Your First Plan

Open Planner and click New plan
Give your plan a name (for example: "IT Projects", "Client Onboarding", "Weekly Tasks")
Choose whether it is Public (anyone in your organisation can find it) or Private (invite only)
Click Create plan

Your new plan opens with a default board view. You will see one empty bucket (column) to start.

Understanding the Board Layout

A Planner board is made up of:

Buckets — vertical columns that represent stages or categories (for example: To Do, In Progress, Done — or: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
Cards — individual tasks that sit within buckets
Labels — colour-coded tags you can add to tasks for quick filtering

Adding Buckets (Columns)

By default you get one bucket. To add more:

Click Add new bucket on the right side of the board
Type a name for the bucket
Press Enter

Common bucket layouts:

By status: To Do / In Progress / Awaiting Approval / Done
By team member: one bucket per person
By project phase: Discovery / Planning / Delivery / Complete
By day of week: Monday through Friday for weekly scheduling

Adding Tasks

Click + Add task under any bucket
Type the task name
Set a Due date (optional but recommended)
Assign it to a team member using the person icon
Click Add task

Editing a Task

Click on any task card to open its detail panel. From here you can:

Add a description — explain what needs to be done
Add a checklist — break the task into smaller steps
Attach files — link a document from OneDrive or SharePoint
Add labels — colour-code tasks for filtering (for example: Urgent, Waiting on Client, Admin)
Set a start date as well as a due date
Add comments — communicate with your team about the task without leaving Planner
Mark complete — tick the circle on the card or use the checkmark in the detail panel

Tracking Progress

Planner provides a few ways to see how work is tracking:

Progress on cards: Each card shows a progress indicator — Not started, In progress, or Completed. You can update this by clicking the card and changing the progress field.

Charts view: Click Charts at the top of the board to see a visual summary:

A pie chart showing tasks by status
A bar chart showing tasks by bucket
A list of late tasks and tasks due soon

Schedule view: Click Schedule to see a calendar view of all tasks with due dates. This is helpful for spotting overloaded weeks or gaps in the schedule.

Using Planner Inside Microsoft Teams

Adding Planner to a Teams channel is one of the most effective ways to use it:

In your team channel, click + Add a tab at the top
Select Tasks by Planner and To Do
Create a new plan or connect an existing one
Your team can now view and update tasks directly inside Teams without switching apps

Updates made in Teams sync with Planner and vice versa.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Planner

Keep it simple to start: Start with three buckets — To Do, In Progress, Done — and add complexity only if your team needs it.

Assign every task: Unassigned tasks tend to get forgotten. Make sure every card has an owner.

Use due dates consistently: Planner's late task alerts only work if due dates are set. Make it a habit to always add a due date when creating a task.

Use the checklist feature: For multi-step tasks, break them into a checklist inside the card. This makes it easy to see partial progress.

Use comments instead of emails: If you have a question about a specific task, add it as a comment on the card. This keeps the conversation attached to the work rather than scattered across email.

Review weekly: Do a quick board review at the start of each week to move tasks between buckets, update progress, and spot anything that is running late.

Microsoft Planner vs Microsoft To Do

Planner is for team tasks — shared boards, multiple assignees, project-level tracking
To Do is for personal tasks — your own daily to-do list and reminders

Both are included with Microsoft 365. They integrate with each other — tasks assigned to you in Planner appear in your Microsoft To Do task list under "Assigned to me."

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Planner included with my Microsoft 365 subscription? Yes — Planner is included with most Microsoft 365 business plans at no extra cost.

Can external clients or contractors use Planner? External users (guests) can access Planner if they are added to your Microsoft 365 tenant as guests. Contact your IT team to set this up.

Can I use Planner on my phone? Yes — download the Microsoft Planner app from the App Store or Google Play Store. It is free and syncs with your Microsoft 365 account.

How is Planner different from Microsoft Project? Microsoft Project is a more advanced, paid tool for complex project management. Planner is simpler, free with Microsoft 365, and designed for everyday team task tracking.

Need Help?

Contact Netluma IT if you would like help setting up Planner for your team or integrating it with Microsoft Teams.

Phone: 1300 521 162 Email: helpdesk@netlumait.com.au

How to Use Microsoft Planner to Manage Team Tasks