Looping in Productivity: Task Tracking in Microsoft Loop
Nov 01, 2024
An overview of the essential task management functionalities in Loop
Reading time: 5 Minutes
Have you discovered Microsoft Loop yet? It’s an innovative platform designed to transform the way teams collaborate together. With multiple templates and seamless integration with other Microsoft tools, at Your 365 Coach we’ve embraced Loop as our go-to place for ideation, informal notetaking and low-level planning.
Although collaboration is the main outcome that Loop has been designed for, it’s got some pretty handy features that support task management. While we think that structured, formal project management definitely lives in one of the dedicated apps like Planner or Planner Premium, Loop can add a great deal of support to teams working with more flexible, short term and ‘side-of-the-desk’ activities.
I thought I’d share five ways that you can manage tasks and project details with features in Loop and what I use them for. It’s worth saying that the one pro of all of these is the real-time updating that keeps everyone up-to-date. Let's delve in and explore their other pros and cons.
Task List
Task lists in Microsoft Loop are the closest thing you can get to using Planner (That’s because it is Planner! – Loop uses Planner behind the scenes to create them behind-the-scenes). 😊
Task lists allow you to create, assign, and monitor tasks, ensuring that nothing slips through the cracks. The most exciting aspect of Loop's task list is its integration with the Planner Teams app, making it easy to coordinate efforts across different platforms.
When do I use Task Lists?
I use Task Lists, probably the least, I prefer to use Planner, but I have used them with a customer to allocate deliverables that needed to be completed and who needed to do the work. It worked well as I'd only just introduced them to Loop, so didn't want to add yet another app!
Pros
- Integration: Planner Teams app shows a unified personal task across Loop, Planner, To Do and Outlook
- Ease of use: Simple interface that allows for quick task creation and assignment
Cons
- Limited customisation: It’s Planner! You have the same constraints that frustrate Planner users, no custom columns, subtasks etc.
Other good use cases
- Project Management: Ideal for breaking down projects into manageable tasks and tracking progress.
- Team Coordination: Assign tasks to team members and monitor their completion status.
Progress Tracker
The Progress Tracker template is designed to give a visual representation of the state of play. It helps ensure that everyone is aware of the current status of tasks and projects.
When do I use Project Trackers?
Burndown lists - when things have not gone to plan and I need a short-sharp focus to complete a number of activities to get back on track.
Pros
- Visual: Provides a clear picture of progress with visual indicators.
- Motivational: Seeing a solid list and progress keep me focused!
- Accountability: Clearly shows who is responsible for each task and their completion status.
Cons
- Visibility: Not visible in the Planner app (Not an issue with good cheerleading!)
- Detail: No space for notes, although you can add extra columns
Other good use cases
- Milestone Tracking: Reporting progress to a wider audience on key project milestones
- Performance Reviews: Track employee performance and progress to an objective
- Campaign Management: Ensure marketing or communication campaigns are on track
Kanban Board
The Kanban Board template is used for visual task management using columns to represent different stages of a process. It's great if you prefer a more agile approach to project management.
When do I use Kanban Boards?
Weekly workload planning for my stand up meeting with Scott, I use this to track and share high level what I’m working on and what progress it is at.
Pros
- Visual Workflow: Easily see the status of tasks and bottlenecks in the process
- Flexibility: Move tasks between columns as their status changes
- Collaborative: Team members can update task statuses with drag and drop
Cons
- Overwhelming: Can become cluttered with too many tasks or columns (I use a filter on complete status to overcome)
Other good use cases
- Software Development: Track the progress of features and bug fixes
- Content Creation: Track stages of content production, from ideation to publication
- Sales Pipeline: Visualise the stages of the sales process and track deals.
Checklist
Loop's Checklist component is a very simple task management solution, this works well for a task list style approach.
When do I use Checklists?
I use these when I’m deploying technical solutions or doing work that involves a number of steps that need to be completed in an order. It’s a helpful aide-memoir that I can copy and paste to use again
Pros
- Simplicity: Easy to create and manage checklists
- Visibility: Clearly see which tasks have been completed and which are still pending
- Contained: Works well in a Teams chat message for a one-and-done activity
Cons
- Feature-Limited: Lacks functionality for notifications and assignment (Use a task list)
Other good use cases
- Daily Task Management: Keep track of team daily to-dos
- Event Coordination: Check off tasks as they are completed during event planning
Table
I’m adding the Table component as recently we’ve seen a few of our community members using them for task management. Certainly you can add a column to indicate a task owners, but you’ll lack the Planner integration and out-of-the-box notifications.
When do I use Tables?
I do use Tables in project work, but in addition to a task list somewhere else. Where I find tables excel in Loop are for capturing requirements, collecting project details like a RACI matrix and for recording project outcomes.
Pros
- Organisation: Neatly arrange data in rows and columns for easy viewing
- Detail-Oriented: Include as much detail as necessary for each task
Cons
- Blank Canvas: No template so you’ll need to create all your columns
Other Use Cases
- Data Management: Organise and track detailed project data
- Inventory Tracking: Keep track of project items and kit that has been loaned out
Rules
A neat and evolving feature of Loop is Rules, which allows users to create notifications driven by changes in data. This feature can automate updates and ensure that everyone stays informed, which might make up for the lack of notification and Planner app integrations I’ve mentioned with some of the features above.
It’s worth saying that currently rules are only driven by data changes, so there’s no time based actions like remainders and overdue alerts.
Conclusion
Microsoft Loop offers a flexible and modern approach to task management, catering to various needs. Whether using the task list template, visual progress tracker, Kanban board, simple checklist, or detailed table, Loop provides valuable options. Its Rules feature enhances capabilities by adding automation.
While I don't think Loop is “The Solution” for all task management, it is certainly “A Solution” among others for appropriate activities, particularly more fluid types of scenarios that formal task management solutions can seem a bit overbearing for!
If you've never tried Loop make your next reading our free eBook, '5 Microsoft Loop Features You Need to Know', the eBook reveals the top ways Microsoft Loop can help you streamline teamwork and boost productivity.
Matthew
