Frustration with Microsoft’s Task Ecosystem

mdevitt​ 

You're not wrong about the choices Microsoft is making. Thankfully, my role as a consultant doesn't necessitate the use of Planner beyond tracking tasks. But I know not everyone has that luxury. While Asana and other project management/task management applications completely surpass the Planner capabilities, they are missing one crucial thing - full integration with M365 - and not just from a feature perspective but from a governance perspective, as well.

It's harder for IT administrators to govern the information in a third-party solution. But because many third-party tools offer the features business groups actually need, IT teams are at odds with the business, and this truly highlights the ever-present tug of war between security and convenience.

Microsoft should not be the reason those two audiences are at odds with each other, but unfortunately that's the reality right now.

So, it seems to always boil down to conceding governance or settling for a tool that isn't suited to the business goals, simply because it can be governed. It's disappointing that this is where we are with Planner. I've had numerous conversations with clients about this very issue. They ask about what Planner Premium can do and are surprised when I explain its limitations. Planner is not a full project management suite, despite the overlapping similarities. I just wish the distinction was clearer in the way Planner is advertised.