What’s Good About Microsoft Planner So Far (and What’s Still Missing)

RobOK

Bronze Contributor

Jul 26, 2016

SanthoshB1 Sure, maybe not an exhaustive list:

* List view of tasks (not everyone likes the Card motif)

* Multiple selection and update, or edit a list of tasks in place

* Flagging and possible alerting on overdue tasks

* Integration with Outlook Tasks would be a significiant nice to have

* email a task into a Plan (every Plan has an email address to receive tasks)

* Sorting and Filtering

* I think when I add a task it sends an email to everyone, this may have been changed? I have no understaning of who gets emails or when, but feel like Planner generates excessive email notfications.

My favorite tool in this space is SmartSheet. Very collaborative -- easy to send a reminder on a task, easy to start a discussion on a task. Good ability to make template Plans.

EDIT: we work on smaller screen laptops, that is why Card view doesn't work as the only view for us. Lists get a lot more information on a small screen -- can get about 8-10 cards on the screen at one time, vs 20-30 rows of a spreadsheet.

EDIT2: Love that you can Edit posts here!! Planner plans should be served up as Modern Lists: https://network.office.com/t5/Blogs/Modern-SharePoint-lists-are-here-Including-integration-with/ba-p/3027

Thanks,
Rob.

RobOK
Bronze Contributor
Nov 04, 2016
SanthoshB1 wrote:
RobOK Thanks for your reply. It was really useful in getting to know this. Please find my replies below
* Integration with Outlook Tasks would be a significiant nice to have
MSFT has plans to offer this feature.
https://planner.uservoice.com/forums/330525-microsoft-planner-feedback-forum/suggestions/11037114-integration-with-outlook-tasks

* I think when I add a task it sends an email to everyone, this may have been changed? I have no understaning of who gets emails or when, but feel like Planner generates excessive email notfications.
MSFT is working on this to provide controls for email notifications.
https://planner.uservoice.com/forums/330525-microsoft-planner-feedback-forum/suggestions/11444235-email-notifications-and-alert-options

* List view of tasks (not everyone likes the Card motif)
* Multiple selection and update, or edit a list of tasks in place
* Flagging and possible alerting on overdue tasks
* email a task into a Plan (every Plan has an email address to receive tasks)
* Sorting and Filtering
* Integration with Outlook Tasks
If you are using Outlook client, you can try Apps4.Pro Planner Outlook add-in which will work for the above listed requirements.

SanthoshB1 -- Any updates on the progress of Planner features and capabilities? (there may have been information posted that I missed.)

Rob.
- SanthoshB1
  Bronze Contributor
  Nov 06, 2016
  RobOK There are no updates on the features you have listed. The possible features we can expect as of now are
  Assign tasks to multiple users
  Guest access
Denis Phelan
Copper Contributor
Aug 04, 2016
They've added a feature to stop sending out so many emails. It's on the edit plan tab
RobOK
Bronze Contributor
Jul 29, 2016
SanthoshB1 wrote:
RobOK Thanks for your reply. It was really useful in getting to know this. Please find my replies below
* Integration with Outlook Tasks would be a significiant nice to have
MSFT has plans to offer this feature.
https://planner.uservoice.com/forums/330525-microsoft-planner-feedback-forum/suggestions/11037114-integration-with-outlook-tasks

* I think when I add a task it sends an email to everyone, this may have been changed? I have no understaning of who gets emails or when, but feel like Planner generates excessive email notfications.
MSFT is working on this to provide controls for email notifications.
https://planner.uservoice.com/forums/330525-microsoft-planner-feedback-forum/suggestions/11444235-email-notifications-and-alert-options

* List view of tasks (not everyone likes the Card motif)
* Multiple selection and update, or edit a list of tasks in place
* Flagging and possible alerting on overdue tasks
* email a task into a Plan (every Plan has an email address to receive tasks)
* Sorting and Filtering
* Integration with Outlook Tasks
If you are using Outlook client, you can try Apps4.Pro Planner Outlook add-in which will work for the above listed requirements.

SanthoshB1 thanks for replying and the updates. Just to clarify, the list at the bottom should be features of Planner. I don't anticipate paying an extra $4-6/month/user for an add on, although I do appreciate the architecture and implementation supports an after market ecosystem. The things I listed are basic features that should be inherent in the core product.

I went to the User Voice references, thanks for those too.
Rob.
- SanthoshB1
  Bronze Contributor
  Jul 29, 2016
  RobOK, Thanks for your reply. I accept that the features you have mentioned are basic and Microsoft will provide those over the period of time. The main purpose of the add-in is Outlook sync and the rest are just missing parts in planner. BTW, the pricing $4 is for per YEAR / per user.
  - RobOK
    Bronze Contributor
    Aug 05, 2016
    SanthoshB1 wrote:
    RobOK, Thanks for your reply. I accept that the features you have mentioned are basic and Microsoft will provide those over the period of time. The main purpose of the add-in is Outlook sync and the rest are just missing parts in planner. BTW, the pricing $4 is for per YEAR / per user.
    Thanks... it looks like they changed their pricing, now it is a flat $20 one time fee which makes more sense to me. We look forward to continued progress on Planner (it comes up in our conversations all the time!! Looking for a Sharepoint Tasks replacement).
    
    Cheers,
    Rob.

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What’s Good About Microsoft Planner So Far (and What’s Still Missing)