Microsoft has unveiled a new feature available for members of the Microsoft 365 Insider program that blends the capabilities of two of its applications: Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Loop. The feature's versatility enhances task management by allowing users to incorporate Planner support within Loop's workspace.
Background of Microsoft Planner and Loop
Launched in 2016, Microsoft Planner is a business-oriented application designed for effective task management. Its capabilities are further strengthened in the company's new initiative. Planner makes it easier for businesses to manage teamwork operations, allowing the creation of team-wide email notifications, project due dates, and visual dashboards.
On the other hand, Microsoft's Loop was introduced in preview mode earlier in 2023 to assist employees in creating and configuring workspaces for effective collaboration and document handling. The feature is essentially a suite of components such as lists, tables, paragraphs, and others that allow users to collaborate in co-authoring or on Microsoft 365.
The integration of these applications permits Loop workspaces to incorporate Planner support. This feature is now accessible to all Insiders participating in the Microsoft Loop Technology Adoption.
Functionality and User Guidelines
Members actively utilizing tasks.office.com, also known as Planner, are offered the opportunity to import their existing Planner board views into their Loop workspaces. Users can realize a collaborative experience by copying and pasting Planner links into various platforms such as emails, whiteboards, Teams channels, and chats.
To activate the use of this feature, Planner users can generate a plan on the web or open an existing one and copy its link, then navigate to the Loop website to open or create a new Loop workspace, and finally paste the copied Planner link into the Loop workspace.
Features of Planner boards that can be executed within Loop include a broad array of tasks, with additional capabilities such as recurring tasks and new views expected to be introduced in due course.
For users to effectively employ this feature, it's necessary to sign into Loop with a Microsoft work account to facilitate the copy and paste function of the Planner list. It should be noted, however, that a Planner task deleted in Loop cannot be undone at present. As such, users need to exercise caution when managing their tasks through this feature.
