Microsoft 365 · Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner is team task management in the Microsoft 365 stack — and since 2024 the new unified platform from the old Planner, To Do, and Project for the Web. We clearly distinguish Planner from Microsoft Project, To Do, and Loop, set up workflows, and train teams for productive use.
What is Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner is built for team tasks in a Kanban style: boards with buckets, cards with assignment, due date, attachments, and checklists. Fast to start, usable without PM training — and embedded directly in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook.
New Planner (2024+): Microsoft has merged the classic Planner, Microsoft To Do, and Microsoft Project for the Web into one unified app. Personal To-Do lists, team plans, and (with a Project license) premium plans with Gantt and resource management live in a single interface.
Distinction
Four Microsoft tools that overlap at first glance — but each have a clearly different purpose. Which tool fits which job.
| Tool | When to use | License |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Planner | Team tasks in Kanban logic. Buckets, cards, assignments, due dates. Fast to set up, no PM methodology required. Integrated with Teams. | Included in all Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise plans (basic plan). |
| Microsoft Project | Classical project management: Gantt charts, critical path, resource utilization, task dependencies, multi-project reporting. | Project Plan 1 (~9 €), Project Plan 3 (~28 €), Project Plan 5 (~50 €) per user per month as add-on. |
| Microsoft To Do | Personal task lists, daily planning ("My Day"), cross-device sync — no team collaboration. | Free in all Microsoft 365 plans — integrated into the new Planner. |
| Microsoft Loop | Live components (lists, tables, tasks) in Teams, Outlook, Word — the frame in which Planner tasks can appear. | Included in M365 Business Standard, Business Premium, E3, E5. |
Rule of thumb: personal daily list → To Do (in the new Planner). Team tasks with boards → Planner. Real project management with Gantt and resources → Microsoft Project. Live components in mails and docs → Loop.
Licensing & Pricing
The basic Planner functions are free of charge within Microsoft 365. Premium functions such as Gantt, resource management, and portfolio-wide reporting come on top via Project licenses.
Boards, buckets, cards, assignments, due dates, checklists, attachments, Teams integration, "My Tasks" aggregation. Included free of charge in every Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, Premium, and Enterprise plan.
Extends Planner with premium functions: Gantt charts, roadmap views, task dependencies, basic resource planning. For users running projects with phases and milestones, but who don't need classic MS Project Desktop.
Full project management with desktop client (Plan 3) and additional portfolio and demand management (Plan 5). For project managers and PMOs with PMI methodology, resource pool, and multi-project reporting.
| License | Price EUR / user / month | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Planner Basic | included in Microsoft 365 (no surcharge) | Boards, buckets, cards, checklists, Teams integration — standard task management |
| Project Plan 1 | approx. EUR 9.30 | Web-only — Gantt, roadmap, task dependencies, lightweight resource planning |
| Project Plan 3 | approx. EUR 28.10 | Web + desktop — full PM, resource pool, Project desktop app |
| Project Plan 5 | approx. EUR 49.30 | Plan 3 + portfolio management, demand management, resource optimization |
List prices EUR/user/month, annual billing, net. Source: microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/project/compare-microsoft-project-management-software — as of May 2026.
Microsoft has established "Project for the Web" as a modern, cloud-native Project stack on Power Platform. Project Plan 1, 3 and 5 are the license tiers on top — the older "Project Online" world (built on SharePoint) is still offered in parallel but is a legacy track.
Anyone starting from scratch today begins on modern Project. Anyone migrating from Project Online has a migration path — which we support in an engineering context.
arades position
Planner is fast to set up, but rarely productive on its own. Often 30 unstructured plans emerge, with no convention for buckets, labels, and assignment rules — and the tool gets abandoned. We set up Planner as a lived platform.
Free Microsoft 365 trial guidance
arades sets up a test tenant for 3 users, trains your key users, runs weekly office hours — and tells you honestly at the end whether Microsoft 365 is the right fit. Free of charge.
30 min initial conversation
We discuss whether Planner is the right tool for your processes — or whether a Project plan, a To Do setup, or a Loop concept fits better. And if Planner is already in use but nobody can find their way through: how we tidy up without throwing away what exists.
Accompanying services
Engineering projects rarely stand alone — licensing logic, architecture clarification, quality gates, knowledge transfer, and follow-on operation usually run in parallel. Below the most common accompanying services we add into discovery spikes, sprint fixed prices, or application care contracts.
Upfront · Architecture
Before any implementation: tenant structure, data model, security concept, integration mapping. The result is an architecture document any engineering team can work with — including a different one than us.
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Upfront · CSP
Which license bundles for which users, which add-on SKUs are required, where you are over- or under-licensed. Sourced via Microsoft licensing partner — with the option to use CSP only as a control mechanism without margin maximization.
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During · Quality gate
Independent second opinion during an ongoing implementation project — regardless of whether we run it ourselves or another partner does. CMMI-based quality gates, risk reviews, fixed price per gate.
During · Adoption
Not the classic two-day workshop forgotten a week later — but a dynamic learning program over 4–6 weeks with initial training, application phases, and follow-on sessions. Training matrix for roles and topics.
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After · Operation
After go-live: a plannable application care contract with monthly flat fee, SLA-based. Including releases, hotfixes, extensions, tenant hardening — and continuous accompaniment instead of just ticket reaction.
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After · Knowledge
When the original developers have left, the previous partner is unreachable, or the documentation is outdated — reverse engineering of the existing solution with a documented result: code map, data model, customizing inventory.
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Frequently asked questions
Microsoft Planner is task management inside the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Teams manage tasks through Kanban boards, buckets, assignments, due dates, and checklists — integrated with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook. Since 2024 the new Planner unifies the functions from the old Planner, Microsoft To Do, and Microsoft Project for the Web into one app.
The basic Microsoft Planner functions are included in practically every Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise plan — at no extra charge. Anyone who needs premium functions such as Gantt charts, resource management, or portfolio-wide reporting adds Project Plan 1 (around 9 € per user per month), Project Plan 3 (around 28 €), or Project Plan 5 (around 50 €) as an add-on.
Planner is built for team tasks in a Kanban style — quick, lightweight, collaborative. Microsoft Project (Project Plan 3/5) is project management in the classical sense: Gantt charts, critical path, resource utilization, task dependencies, Earned Value Management. Those needing multi-project control or PMI-PMBOK methodology take Project — those wanting to structure team tasks take Planner.
Microsoft To Do is personal task management — own lists, daily planning, cross-device sync. Microsoft Planner is team task management — boards, buckets, assignments to colleagues, shared view. In the new Planner (2024+) both worlds are integrated into one app: personal To-Do lists and team plans under one interface.
Microsoft Loop is not task management in the narrow sense, but a collaboration surface: Loop components (lists, tables, task lists, polls) can be embedded in Teams chats, Outlook mails, and Word documents, staying live-synced everywhere. Planner tasks can appear in a Loop component as a task list — Loop is the frame, Planner provides the task engine.
We start with a short workshop phase: which team processes should be structured, which buckets, labels, and assignment rules are needed. Then we build Planner templates, define Power Automate flows for recurring tasks, and integrate Planner boards into the right Teams channels. We close by training users, power users, and admins.
Yes — Microsoft Graph provides a complete API for Planner tasks, buckets, and plans. Via Power Automate, custom connectors, or custom-code integrations, tasks from ERP, CRM, or service management systems can be automatically created and kept in sync inside Planner. The Teams CRM add-on from arades GmbH also uses Planner as a central task list.
