How to use Microsoft Planner for Agile Teams
You can use Microsoft Planner to organize your Agile team’s work. The tool helps you manage backlogs, plan sprints, and assign tasks with visual boards. You track progress in real time and review completed tasks after each sprint. Planner works with Microsoft Teams, so your team shares files and chats easily. You also see reports that show how well your team performs during each sprint.
Key Takeaways
Make a Microsoft Planner plan. Add your Agile team members. Give each person a clear role and permission. This helps you organize work well.
Use buckets to show Agile stages or sprints. Add color-coded labels to tasks. This helps you sort and track tasks easily.
Give each task a clear name, due date, and owner. Track progress with Board, Charts, and Schedule views. This keeps the team working together.
Connect Planner with Microsoft Teams and Power Automate. This helps the team work together better. You get updates right away and reminders happen automatically.
Planner has limits for big projects. Use other tools with it or switch to advanced Agile software if you need more features.
Setup in Microsoft Planner
Create a Plan
You start your Agile journey in Microsoft Planner by creating a new plan for your team. This plan will hold all your tasks, sprints, and backlogs. Follow these steps to set up your plan:
Select + New plan from the left navigation pane.
Enter a unique name for your plan.
Choose to create a new Microsoft 365 Group or add your plan to an existing group.
Decide if you want your plan to be public or private.
Add a description to help your team understand the plan’s purpose.
Click Create plan to finish.
Rename buckets to match Agile stages like "Backlog," "To Do," "In Progress," "Testing," and "Done."
Add tasks with names, due dates, and assign them to team members.
Use checklists to break tasks into smaller steps.
Set labels to organize tasks by type, such as "User Story," "Bug," or "Epic."
Tip: You can use templates to speed up your setup. Templates like Sprint Backlog, Scrum Board, and Burn Down Chart help you organize tasks and track progress right away. These templates give your team a clear starting point and make onboarding easier.
Add Team Members
After you create your plan, you need to add your team. You can invite members and set their permissions based on their roles. The table below shows common roles and what each can do in Microsoft Planner:
Note: You can control who uses Microsoft Planner by setting permissions in the Teams admin center. This helps you keep your workspace secure and organized.
Agile Workflow Configuration
Buckets for Sprints
Buckets help you organize your Agile workflow visually. You can set up buckets to represent each stage of your process or each sprint. This makes it easy to see where every task stands.
Create buckets with names like "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done." These names show the current stage of each task.
For teams running multiple sprints or projects, you can create a bucket for each sprint or customer. This keeps tasks grouped and easy to manage.
Move tasks between buckets as work progresses. Drag a task card from "To Do" to "In Progress" when someone starts working on it.
Use the board view to see all buckets side by side. This gives you a clear picture of your team's progress.
Tip: Buckets make it simple to track tasks. You can quickly spot bottlenecks and see which tasks need attention.
Labels and Priorities
Labels add another layer of organization to your board. You can use color-coded labels to show work types, priorities, or categories.
Assign labels for different work types, such as "Feature," "Bug," or "Enhancement."
Use labels to show priority. For example, red for "Urgent," yellow for "Medium," and green for "Low."
Keep label names consistent. This helps everyone understand what each color means.
Combine labels with buckets to filter tasks. You can quickly find all high-priority bugs or see which tasks belong to a certain project phase.
Reserve special colors for critical tasks or milestones. This makes them stand out on the board.
Note: Labels help your team focus on what matters most. They make it easy to filter and find tasks during daily stand-ups or sprint reviews.
Task Details
Each task card in your plan holds important information. Customizing these cards helps your team stay organized and on track.
Add a new task under the right bucket. Give it a clear name and assign it to a team member.
Open the task to see the detail pane. Here, you can:
Set start and due dates.
Add labels and set the priority.
Break the task into smaller steps using checklists.
Attach files, such as user stories or design documents.
Add comments to share updates or ask questions.
Use checklists to track subtasks. Check off items as you complete them.
Attachments keep all related files in one place. Your team can find what they need without searching through emails.
Use comments for quick updates or to tag teammates.
Pro Tip: Checklists and attachments help you manage complex tasks. They make sure nothing gets missed and keep everyone on the same page.
Buckets, labels, and detailed task cards work together to support Agile workflows. You can see your team's progress, organize work by priority, and keep all task details in one place. Microsoft Planner gives you the tools to manage sprints, track work, and collaborate efficiently.
Managing Backlog and Sprints
Product Backlog
You organize your product backlog in Microsoft Planner by creating a dedicated bucket. This bucket holds all tasks that your team needs to complete in future sprints. You can add tasks with clear names, due dates, and assign them to team members. Attach files from SharePoint to each task for easy access and real-time collaboration. Use checklists and notes to break down complex items into smaller steps. To prioritize, drag tasks within the backlog bucket or move them to the sprint bucket when ready. You can also use color-coded labels to show task complexity—green for low, orange for medium, and red for high. Filter tasks by due date to see what needs attention first. As the Product Owner, you can adjust your backlog management style over time to fit your team’s needs.
Tip: Move tasks between buckets using drag and drop. This helps you reflect changes in priorities and sprint planning quickly.
Sprint Planning
Sprint planning becomes easier when you use buckets and labels. Create buckets for each sprint or project stage, such as Planning, In Progress, Review, and Complete. Assign tasks from the product backlog to the current sprint bucket. Break tasks into subtasks using checklists on each card. Use labels to tag tasks by priority or category. During sprint planning meetings, you can review the board with your team and decide which tasks to tackle next. Microsoft Planner integrates with Microsoft Teams, so you can share updates and coordinate work in real time. Premium features let you see dashboards and workload distribution, helping you balance tasks and avoid bottlenecks.
Board View
The Board view gives you a clear picture of your sprint progress. You see all buckets as columns, with tasks grouped by backlog items, stories, or people. Drag and drop tasks to update their status instantly. Filter tasks by team member to monitor individual workloads. The board updates automatically as you move tasks, so everyone sees the latest progress. You can track remaining work directly on each task, making it easy to estimate and manage progress. Use the Board view during daily Scrum meetings to discuss what’s done and what needs attention.
Note: The Board view supports daily stand-ups and sprint reviews by showing task status and workload at a glance.
Task Assignment and Tracking
Assign Tasks
You can assign tasks in Microsoft Planner with just a few steps. This helps your team know what to work on and when to finish each task.
Create a new task by clicking the "Add Task" button.
Enter a clear task name and set a start and due date using the calendar.
Assign the task to one or more team members from your address list or by email.
Place the task in the right bucket to show its phase or priority.
Set the task status, such as "Not Started," "In Progress," or "Completed."
Add a description, checklist items, attachments, and comments if needed.
Use color-coded labels to organize tasks by type or urgency.
You can view tasks in different ways, such as Board, Grid, Charts, or Schedule. This makes it easy to see who owns each task and when it is due. Assigned team members get notifications and can update their progress or add comments.
Tip: Assigning tasks to multiple people helps share the workload and keeps everyone involved.
Progress Tracking
Tracking progress in Microsoft Planner keeps your Agile team on track. You see how much work is done and what needs attention.
Use the Charts view to see visual stats for task status, bucket distribution, and member assignments.
Monitor progress flags and priority levels to spot urgent or delayed tasks.
View tasks on the Schedule tab to check deadlines and adjust plans.
Planner Premium offers custom sprint fields, date tracking, and Gantt chart views for advanced scheduling.
Notifications and activity feeds alert you to new assignments, changes, and updates.
Workload management tools help balance tasks among team members.
You can filter tasks by sprint, priority, or owner. This helps you find bottlenecks and keep your sprint goals in sight.
Reviews and Stand-ups
Daily stand-ups and sprint reviews help your team stay focused and accountable. You use Microsoft Planner’s board during these meetings to show progress and discuss next steps.
Hold short daily stand-ups where each member shares what they did, what they plan to do, and any blockers.
Use the Planner board to highlight completed tasks and tasks in progress.
Integrate with Microsoft Teams for remote meetings and real-time updates.
Capture meeting notes in OneNote and link them to Planner tasks.
Export task statistics to Excel for deeper analysis or manual burndown charts.
Note: Using Planner during stand-ups and reviews keeps everyone informed and helps your team reach sprint goals.
Integrations and Limitations
Teams Integration
You can help your Agile team work together by using Planner with Microsoft Teams. This lets you manage tasks, share updates, and talk in one spot. Here are steps to set it up:
Make a Team and channels for your Agile project.
In a channel, add a new tab and pick "Tasks by Planner and To Do."
Make a new plan or connect an old one.
Set up buckets for stages like "To Do," "In Progress," and "Complete."
Handle tasks right in Teams, so you do not switch apps.
Assign tasks, set due dates, and use alerts to keep everyone in the loop.
The table below shows how this helps Agile teams work together:
Tip: Use the Planner tab in Teams for daily meetings and sprint reviews. This helps your Agile team stay focused and know what is happening.
Power Automate
Power Automate lets you set up automatic alerts and workflows. You can make flows that tell your team when tasks change or are due. Here is how to use Power Automate with Planner:
Open Power Automate and look for templates like "Post message in Teams when a Planner task is done."
Connect your Planner and Teams accounts.
Pick the plan and team to watch.
Choose who sends the alert and where it shows up.
Change the message or use the one given.
Save the flow and add more steps if you want.
With Power Automate, you can:
Send alerts for task changes, due dates, and when tasks are finished.
Use ready-made templates to save time and keep things the same.
Connect with Teams and Power BI for quick updates and reports.
Keep task management in one place and help everyone work together.
Note: Setting up automatic reminders and updates means less manual checking and helps your team stay on track.
Limitations
Planner is good for simple Agile work, but it has some limits:
It is a basic task tool, not a full project manager.
Advanced Agile features like detailed resource tracking and hard workflows are missing.
It may not work well for big teams or projects with lots of tasks.
Reports and analytics are not as strong as tools like Jira.
You cannot connect Planner with coding tools like GitHub.
Guest access only works in Teams, not in Planner channels.
You can fix some limits by using Teams, Power Automate, SharePoint, and Power BI together. If your Agile projects need more features, better reports, or links to coding tools, try other options like Jira or Virto Kanban Board App.
Tip: Pick the best tool for your team. For easy Agile projects, Planner with Teams and Power Automate might be enough. For harder workflows, look for stronger tools.
You can set up your Agile team by following these steps:
Organize tasks into buckets and use labels for clarity.
Track progress with Board, Schedule, and Charts views.
Collaborate by adding comments and files, and connect with Teams.
Update tasks and set notifications to keep everyone informed.
Try using templates and integrating with Teams to save time and boost teamwork. Adapt these steps to fit your Agile process. Explore new integrations to improve your workflow.
FAQ
How do you copy tasks from one sprint to another in Microsoft Planner?
You can open the task, click the three dots, and select "Copy task." Choose the plan and bucket for the new sprint. Update the details as needed. This helps you reuse tasks without starting from scratch.
Can you set recurring tasks in Microsoft Planner?
Planner does not support recurring tasks directly. You can use Power Automate to create a flow that adds tasks on a schedule. This saves you time and keeps your sprints organized.
How do you export your sprint data from Planner?
Click the three dots in your plan and select "Export plan to Excel." You get a spreadsheet with all tasks, labels, and progress. Use this file for reports or to share updates with your team.
What should you do if your team outgrows Planner’s features?
If your team needs more advanced Agile tools, try integrating Planner with Power BI for better reports. For complex needs, consider switching to tools like Jira or Azure DevOps. These offer deeper Agile support.
Can you track dependencies between tasks in Planner?
Planner does not have built-in dependency tracking. You can add notes or use labels to show dependencies. For more control, use checklists or link tasks in the description. This helps your team see what must happen first.