About Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner is a tool that helps teams plan, organise, and track work together. It allows you to break projects into tasks, assign work to people, and see progress at a glance.
It is designed for shared task management, making it easier to coordinate work across a team and keep everyone aligned.
Who this can help
Microsoft Planner can be especially useful for:
Neurodivergent users (e.g. ADHD, autism)
- Provides a clear visual overview of tasks and progress
- Breaks work into manageable steps
- Reduces uncertainty about who is doing what
People managing complex or multi-step work
- Helps organise tasks into clear sections
- Makes it easier to track progress and deadlines
Team-based roles
- Improves visibility of shared work
- Keeps communication and responsibilities clear
Anyone who benefits from visual planning
Uses boards and categories to structure information
What Microsoft Planner can do
- Create plans for projects or areas of work
- Organise tasks into buckets (e.g. To do, In progress, Done)
- Assign tasks to individuals
- Set due dates and priorities
- Track progress using visual boards and charts
- Add comments, attachments, and checklists to tasks
Tips for getting the best experience
- Keep task names clear and specific
- Use buckets to reflect your workflow
- Break larger tasks into checklists
- Keep plans focused – avoid adding too much to one board
- Review and update tasks regularly as a team
How to use Microsoft Planner
Open Microsoft Planner
- Open Planner from your apps, or via Microsoft Teams
- Select New plan
Create a plan
- Give your plan a clear name – For example “Website project”, “Team tasks”
- Choose whether it is shared with a team or group
Add buckets (also known as categories)
Create different buckets to organise your work – For example “To do”, “In progress”, “Completed”
Using buckets help break work into clear stages.
Add tasks
- Select Add task
- Give each task a short, clear title
- Set a due date
- Assign it to a person
Add details to tasks
When the task is open you add these optional details:
- Add a Checklist to break down steps within the task
- Use the Add label section to add 1 or more tags to your task
- Set the Priority to low, medium, important or urgent
- Attach files or links
- Leave comments
Track progress
Move tasks between buckets as work progresses. You can also open the task and change the progress status.
Use charts or views to see:
- What is in progress
- What is overdue
- Who is assigned to what