“Tasks” across Microsoft 365 being revamped as Teams gets new Tasks app

Three months after if was officially announced, Microsoft has started rolling out the new Tasks app in Microsoft Teams.

Image courtesy of Microsoft

This new experience is powered by both Planner and Microsoft To Do and is fundamentally a rebrand (with some) of the existing Planner app which was already available within Microsoft Teams, creating one central hub for all things teamwork and tasks..

As we have become accustomed too with roll outs of features within Microsoft Teams, the new Tasks apps rollout will also be a gradual one which starts today and will complete by September.

It’s worth noting that Tasks for Teams mobile, is not expextes to be available until the desktop rollout has completed.

What about its name?

For now… Presumably to minimise confusion, the name of the Planner app inside Microsoft Teams will not change.

Microsoft has said that as they continue the roll out the new Planner experience, the app name will remain Planner, but will then change to Tasks by Planner and To Do, and then change to simply Tasks. Mobile users, meanwhile, will always only see the app as Tasks.

What is new?

The new features in the new Tasks app include

  • New list view,
  • The ability to edit multiple tasks at once.
  • Traditional board, charts, and schedule view from Planner, with the option for Lists aswell
  • New bulk editing capability, where you can edit multiple tasks simultaneously, for changing progress, priority, due dates etc.

You’ve got the Power

If you are fan and user of Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) can also now add and configure integrations in the new Task app, to bring out tasks created in other applications into Tasks in Teams.

When will I get it?

To check if Tasks is available, you can click the ellipses in the Teams sidebar and choose Planner.

This all part of a new initiate by Microsoft dubbed as “Tasks in Microsoft 365.” This is the first stage of a project within Microsoft to bring together, streamline and consolidate the principles of tasks across all of Microsoft 365.

You can read more on the Microsoft blog herehttps://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/planner-blog/announcing-tasks-in-teams-a-coherent-task-management-experience/ba-p/969386.

Microsoft to bring all tasks across Office365 into new “Tasks in Teams”

Tasks in Teams

Tasks in Teams – this will be the new name for the Planner app currently in Teams today, which will consolidate tasks across To Do, Teams Channels, Planner as well as Outlook Tasks. The goal is to bring all your tasks to ‘Tasks in Teams’ no matter where you create them.

Tasks In Teams

The new Teams Tasks app (which will replace the current planner app) will allow users to see their individual tasks as well as team tasks in a single app. This latest update will begin to rollout in May /  June this year.

Why the change?

According to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, the “Tasks in Teams,” feature describes the coming Tasks app as ‘providing users with a consolidation of tasks across Microsoft To Do, Teams channels, Planner and Outlook Tasks.’

New Teams Tasks View

The Microsoft 365, Teams Public Roadmap ID 57213, describes the reason for the change is that “with the new Tasks experience in Teams, we are delivering several capabilities that will support new levels of team collaboration. Tasks targeting, publishing and reporting in Teams allows corporate and regional leadership to send task lists targeted to the relevant locations, such as specific retail stores, and track their progress through automatic real-time reports. Managers have tools to easily direct activities within their stores, and Firstline Workers have a simple prioritized list available via their personal or company-issued mobile device showing them exactly what to do next.”

Good idea?

What do you think. Is this a good move, confusing or a logical coming together of all your tasks in one place.?

Check out the Microsoft Tasks In Teams YouTube video