Enhanced Task Management: Microsoft Teams to Get New AI-Powered Planner Experience

Office 365

Key Takeaways:

  • The new Planner app in Microsoft Teams will incorporate AI-powered capabilities to enhance productivity and streamline workflow management.
  • The Copilot AI assistant will allow users to easily find tasks and scheduling tools required for project planning.
  • The rollout of the new Planner experience in Microsoft Teams is set to begin next month.

Microsoft is getting ready to introduce the new Planner experience within Microsoft Teams. The company will begin updating the existing Tasks by Planner and the To Do apps in Teams to the new Planner application in March 2024.

Microsoft first unveiled its plans to launch the new Planner app in Teams at Ignite 2023. The company highlighted that it will combine some of its existing task management and planning tools (such as Microsoft Planner, Microsoft To Do, and Microsoft Project) into a work management experience under the name Microsoft Planner.

“It brings together the simplicity of Microsoft To Do, the collaboration of Planner, the power of Microsoft Project, and the intelligence of Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 into a single, simple solution that spans from individual task management and frontline task management to enterprise and professional project management,” the company explained on the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Microsoft Teams to Get New AI-Powered Planner Experience

Microsoft Teams’ new Planner app to hit GA in May

In Microsoft Teams, the new Planner app will include new AI-powered capabilities, designed to enhance productivity and streamline workflow management. It will enable users to easily find tasks and scheduling and resourcing tools required for project planning. Microsoft Copilot will facilitate plan creation through natural language prompts, goal setting, and status tracking.

The new Planner experience in Teams is expected to be available for all commercial customers in May 2024. However, users will need to utilize the To Do app for creating new lists in organizations that lack a Microsoft 365 license.

Microsoft also plans to make the new Planner web app generally available in late 2024. The new app will support several new enterprise-grade project management features such as the lead-lag capability, portfolios, and baselines. However, the new features will only be available for premium customers.