Microsoft Teams is commonly used as communication software but it can also be used to collaborate with your teammates. It can be used for project management as it allows video calling, chatting with colleagues, sharing files and apps, team coordination, keeping track of tasks assigned, and much more.
In this article, we will show you the usefulness of Microsoft Teams for project management –
- Why Use Microsoft Teams for Project Management?
- Managing People
- Managing Projects with Channels
- Managing Projects with File Sharing
- Managing Projects with Apps
- Managing People with Teams Meeting
Watch this Video on Project Management with Microsoft Teams on YouTube and give it a thumbs-up!
Why Use Microsoft Teams for Project Management?
Microsoft teams have four convenient ways to make the life of project managers easier, and those are:
- People (Team)
- Meet
- Share Files
- Share Apps
With the help of Microsoft teams, project managers eliminate old redundant, and inefficient ways of project management with constant replies and communication through email threads. Project management has come a long way and Microsoft Teams has come up with some excellent ways to become an efficient project manager.
Let’s analyze each of the handy project management tools mentioned above in detail.
Firstly it’s important to add the people to the team who will meet together for collaboration.
- Go to the bottom left corner of the screen and click on Join or Create a Team
- Then click on Create a Team
- A create a team dialog box will show up with many options to select from, – click on the option tile From Scratch
- In the next step choose the type of team –
- If you choose a private team – People will need your permission to join
- If a public team is chosen – then anyone can join, and
- If you choose an organization-wide team – everyone in the organization automatically joins the team
- For this instance go with the Private team option and then give the team a name and then click on Create
- Now add members to the team, type in the email addresses, and click on the add.
- You can designate each team member as a Member or Owner
- Once the team is created click on the close button and on the left panel area you can find the new team created.
Managing Projects with Channels
You can organize each team into sub-categories or channels. Creating channels helps in specialized or category focussed discussion in each channel.
Follow the steps below to manage projects with the help of channels –
- Click on three dots beside the team name and click Add channel
- Give a name to the channel as required.
- Click on the Channel and then click on New Conversation
- Type and format your message in the compose box and press the send button
- Your message will be live on that channel
Managing Projects with File Sharing
Each channel in Microsoft Teams has a folder wherein you can share files related to that particular channel. You can store and share files by simply clicking on the Files tab.
To share a new file or folder, click on the Upload button
In Microsoft teams, you can add apps to share content and work on projects with other team members.
- Click on the + sign to add a new tab
- Select the app that you want
Managing People with Teams Meeting
You can instantly start a teams meeting for a particular channel by following the steps below –
- Go to Teams and select a channel and then click on Meet Now
- To start the meeting, give it a title and hit Join Now
- Anyone on that channel will be able to join the meeting by clicking on the video icon
- You can go to More > Start Recording to record a meeting and later post it on the channel
In this article, you have seen how to manage people by creating a team and using channels. You have also learned about project management by uploading files and using apps and how to create easy-to-access meetings for your whole team with access to all things related to your current project!
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John Michaloudis is a former accountant and finance analyst at General Electric, a Microsoft MVP since 2020, an Amazon #1 bestselling author of 4 Microsoft Excel books and teacher of Microsoft Excel & Office over at his flagship Academy Online Course.
