Before this course: Teams Collaboration: channels and files (course 13.5.2). You already plan channels, add tabs, keep files in one place, restore versions, schedule channel meetings and set meeting roles and the lobby. Now you will run a whole project in Teams from start to finish.
Set up the project plan
A project plan is a big wall where every job is written on a sticky note. Planner is that wall inside Teams, so the whole team looks at the same notes.
- Add the Planner app: select View more apps, search for Planner and select Add. If you cannot find it, your organization may not have turned the app on.
- Create a plan in the Planner app: select Create a plan in the left navigation, choose a blank plan or a template, then enter a plan name. Adding a Microsoft 365 group makes a shared plan; leaving it blank makes a personal plan.
- Put a plan in a channel: open the channel, select Add a tab > Apps, select Planner and Save. Then create a new plan (basic or premium, from scratch or a template) or add an existing plan shared to the channel or its group.
- Basic plans have these views: Grid, Board, Calendar and Charts.
- Premium plans add more, such as Timeline (a Gantt chart with dependencies), Capacity, Goals and Assignments. Microsoft says some templates, options and views need a premium licence.
- My Tasks in the Planner app has four views: Private tasks, Assigned to me, Flagged emails and All.
| Plan type | Who sees it | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Personal (no group) | Only you | Your own study or work list |
| Shared (with a Microsoft 365 group or channel tab) | The plan's members | A team project |
- Write the project goal in one sentence and a finish date.
- Open the project channel you planned in course 13.5.2.
- Select Add a tab, then Apps, then Planner, then Save.
- Choose Create a new plan. Pick a basic plan unless your organization gives you premium.
- Name the plan after the project, for example "Science Fair 2027 plan".
- Open the Planner app and check the plan appears under My Plans.
- Check: the plan is in the channel tab, and teammates can open it.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "Where is the project at? If the answer lives in someone's head, it is lost."
[Screen: channel > Add a tab > Planner > Save] "Add Planner as a tab in your project channel."
[Text on screen: Shared plan = team · Personal plan = you] "A plan with a group is shared. Without a group it is just yours."
[Text on screen: Basic: Grid, Board, Calendar, Charts] "Basic plans give you Grid, Board, Calendar and Charts. Premium adds more."
Create a shared plan for a real or pretend project of at least three people. Write the goal and finish date in the plan's first task, called "Project goal".
ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude
Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.
For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.
I'm learning "Teams for Projects: planning and meeting practice" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Set up the project plan". What the lesson teaches: - Add the Planner app: select View more apps, search for Planner and select Add. If you cannot find it, your organization may not have turned the app on. - Create a plan in the Planner app: select Create a plan in the left navigation, choose a blank plan or a template, then enter a plan name. Adding a Microsoft 365 group makes a shared plan; leaving it blank makes a personal plan. - Put a plan in a channel: open the channel, select Add a tab > Apps, select Planner and Save. Then create a new plan (basic or premium, from scratch or a template) or add an existing plan shared to the channel or its group. - Basic plans have these views: Grid, Board, Calendar and Charts. - Premium plans add more, such as Timeline (a Gantt chart with dependencies), Capacity, Goals and Assignments. Microsoft says some templates, options and views need a premium licence. - My Tasks in the Planner app has four views: Private tasks, Assigned to me, Flagged emails and All. - Plan type - Who sees it - Good for The exercise I'm working on: Create a shared plan for a real or pretend project of at least three people. Write the goal and finish date in the plan's first task, called "Project goal". I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Set up the project plan" from the course "Teams for Projects: planning and meeting practice". Here's what the lesson says: A project plan is a big wall where every job is written on a sticky note. Planner is that wall inside Teams, so the whole team looks at the same notes. The activity: Create a shared plan for a real or pretend project of at least three people. Write the goal and finish date in the plan's first task, called "Project goal". Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Sources
- Microsoft Support, Getting started with Planner in Teams: support.microsoft.com/en-us/planner/teams/getting-started-with-planner
- Microsoft Support, Manage your Team's plans with Planner in Teams: support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/-manage-your-team-s-plans-with-plan
- Microsoft Support, Add Planner as a tab in Microsoft Teams: support.microsoft.com/en-us/teams/platform/add-planner-as-a-tab-in-mic
Buckets and tasks people can act on
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Track progress and spot problems early
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Prepare the meeting: agenda and polls
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Run the meeting: live notes, polls and tasks
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After the meeting: recap and follow-up
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Sign-offs with Approvals and closing the project
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Final project
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Quiz
What makes a Planner plan shared instead of personal?
Adding a Microsoft 365 group (or creating it in a channel tab); with no group it is personal.
Which views do basic plans have?
Grid, Board, Calendar and Charts.
What are buckets for?
Sorting tasks into phases, types of work or departments.
Up to how many people can be assigned to one task?
Up to 11.
What happens when one assignee marks a shared task complete?
It is marked complete for everyone.
What are the four priority levels in Planner?
Urgent, Important, Medium and Low.
Which chart shows if one person has too many tasks?
The Members chart.
How do you add an agenda when scheduling a Teams meeting on desktop?
In Details, select Add an agenda, then Send.
Who can create and launch polls in a meeting?
Only organizers and presenters.
How do you assign a task inside meeting notes?
@mention the person.
What do you need for an AI meeting summary (intelligent recap)?
Teams Premium or a Microsoft Copilot licence, and a transcribed meeting.
When you create an approval from a chat, who can be an approver?
Only people already in that chat.
Final exam
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Certificate
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