Tasks & Planning with Planner

What's Changing

Google Tasks is being replaced by Microsoft Planner — a single app that now handles both personal to-do lists and team project boards. In 2024, Microsoft merged To Do, Planner, and Project into one unified app, so you get everything in one place.

Think of it this way: Google Tasks was a simple checklist. Microsoft Planner gives you that same simplicity for personal tasks (called To Do) plus visual team boards for tracking group work — all under one roof.

What Stays the Same

• Simple task lists — create tasks, check them off, move on
• Due dates and reminders — set a deadline and get notified
• Mobile access — manage tasks from your phone, just like before
• Quick capture — add a task in seconds from wherever you are

Migration Heads-Up

This is important to know before the move:

• Google Tasks do NOT migrate automatically. There is no conversion tool. Your Google Tasks lists will stop being accessible once Google Workspace is switched off.
• Write down or screenshot your current Google Tasks before move day. If you have recurring tasks or important checklists, you'll need to manually recreate them in To Do once you're on Microsoft 365.
• The good news: most people only have a handful of active tasks, so recreating them takes just a few minutes.
• Flagged emails carry over — any email you flag in Outlook automatically becomes a task in To Do, so you get a head start on your task list just by using email.

Don't wait until move day. Open To Do now and start building your lists.

To Do: Your Personal Tasks

To Do is the personal side of Planner — it's where you manage your own work, day by day.

My Day

My Day is your daily focus list. Each morning, open My Day and pick the tasks you want to tackle today. It resets every night, so you start fresh each day — no guilt about yesterday's leftovers.

This is one of the most-loved features. It helps you focus on what matters today instead of staring at a giant list.

Your Task Lists

To Do organizes tasks into lists you can customize:

• My Day — tasks you've chosen to focus on today
• Important — tasks you've marked with a star
• Planned — tasks with due dates, sorted by when they're due
• Assigned to me — tasks colleagues have assigned to you in Planner boards
• Flagged email — any email you flag in Outlook appears here automatically
• Tasks — your default catch-all list
• Custom lists — create your own (e.g., "Weekly Reports", "Show Launch Prep")

Creating a Task

1. Open To Do (from the Planner app, or the checkmark icon in Outlook's sidebar)
2. Click + Add a task
3. Type your task name and press Enter
4. Click the task to add details: due date, reminder, notes, or steps (sub-tasks)

Flagged Emails Become Tasks

This is one of the most useful features: flag any email in Outlook and it instantly appears in your To Do list. Right-click an email > Flag > choose a due date. Now you won't forget to follow up.

Planner: Team Task Boards

Planner is the team side — visual boards for tracking group work. If you've ever used Trello or a sticky-note wall, you'll feel right at home.

How Boards Work

Each board (called a Plan) has:

• Buckets — columns that organize tasks into groups (e.g., "To Do", "In Progress", "Done")
• Task cards — individual tasks with a title, assignee, due date, and priority label
• Labels — color-coded tags (e.g., Urgent, Review Needed, Waiting on External)
• Progress tracking — mark tasks as Not Started, In Progress, or Completed

Creating a Plan

1. Open Planner in Teams (click the Planner icon in the left sidebar) or go to planner.cloud.microsoft
2. Click + New plan
3. Give it a name (e.g., "FAST Channel Launch Q3")
4. Add it to a Teams channel if you want the whole team to see it
5. Start adding buckets and tasks

Assigning Tasks

Click any task card, then click Assign to add team members. They'll get a notification and the task appears in their "Assigned to me" list in To Do. Everyone stays in sync.

Where to Find It

Common Blue Ant Scenarios

Here's how Blue Ant teams are using Planner and To Do:

• Production: Track episode delivery milestones — buckets for Pre-Production, Filming, Post, Delivery
• Marketing: Launch checklists for new shows — assign social posts, press releases, and creative assets across the team
• Content: Review workflows — route rough cuts through Review, Feedback, and Approved buckets
• Finance: Month-end close tasks — recurring checklists with due dates and assignees
• Creative: Asset request tracking — intake requests as cards, move them through Design, Review, Done
• HR: Onboarding task boards — new hire checklist with tasks assigned to IT, HR, and the hiring manager

A Note for F3 License Holders

If you're on an F3 license, you get full access to basic Planner boards and To Do — which covers most daily task management needs. Premium features like timeline view, goals, and portfolio management are E3/E5 only.

The bottom line: F3 gives you everything you need for personal tasks and team boards. The premium features are nice-to-haves for project managers, not essentials for daily work.

Not sure which license you have? See F3 license guidance in the Outlook module for the full picture.

Mac Users: Planner works the same way on Mac — access it through Teams (desktop app or web) or at planner.cloud.microsoft in your browser. The To Do app is available for Mac in the App Store. Keyboard shortcuts use Cmd instead of Ctrl.

Tips

• Start your day with My Day — spend 2 minutes each morning picking your focus tasks
• Flag emails instead of making mental notes — flagged emails become tasks automatically
• Use buckets that match your workflow — "To Do / In Progress / Done" is a classic, but customize to fit your team
• Don't over-organize — a simple board with 3-4 buckets beats a complex one nobody updates
• Pin Planner in Teams — right-click the Planner icon in Teams and select "Pin" so it's always one click away
• Add Planner as a tab in your Teams channel — your team's board lives right where you chat
• Set due dates on everything — tasks without dates tend to get forgotten

Planner vs. Other Tools

Quick Reference Downloads

Keep these handy for quick lookups:

• Planner & To Do Quick Reference Card

Need Help?

1. Check the Quick Start guide on this site
2. Browse other modules on this site
3. Contact your regional IT support team (the Contact page lists the right email for your office)