Can You Track Multiple Plans in Microsoft Planner? Here’s How Portfolios Can Help

Managing lots of plans across different projects can feel like a lot especially if you’re a team lead, project manager, or just someone handling many tasks. To make things easier, Microsoft has added a new feature in the Planner app for Teams called Portfolios.

What Are Portfolios and Why Use Them?

Portfolios give you one simple view of all your premium plans and tasks, so you don’t miss anything important. Instead of jumping between different plans, you can see everything in one place.

If your company has this feature turned on, and you have either a Planner and Project Plan 3 or Plan 5 license, you can start using Portfolios. They let you group related plans, check overall progress, and view tasks in a visual timeline called the Roadmap view.

Whether you’re working with many teams or just want a full picture of what’s going on, Portfolios in Planner (inside Microsoft Teams) can help you stay organized and work better with others.

How to Start Using Portfolios

Once Portfolios is available in your company, here’s how to get started:

1. Open the Planner app in Teams.
2. If you have the right license (Planner and Project Plan 3 or 5), you’ll see a new tab called My Portfolios on the left, below My Day, My Tasks, and My Plans. Click on it.
3. Click + New Portfolio. Or, click the little arrow next to the + New plan button at the bottom and choose Portfolio.
4. Give your portfolio a name (you have to do this). You can also choose a group (optional) from the list. Then click Create.

Ways You Can Use Portfolios

Here are some helpful things you can do with Portfolios:

1. Put Several Plans Into One Portfolio

If you’re working on many plans, you can group them together. That way, it’s easier to keep track of everything.

After you click Create, you’ll see a message saying: “There are no plans in your portfolio yet.” Click + Add Plan to see a list of all the premium plans you’re part of – plans you made and plans others added you to.

Pick the ones you want, and Planner will show key info like:

• Who the project manager is
• How much work is done (in %)
• Start and end dates

You can also choose the plan’s status like Not started, On track, At risk, Off track, or Closed. This helps you see how each plan is going.

2. See All Plans and Tasks on a Timeline

Once you add a plan, it shows up as a row in the Roadmap view. This gives you a timeline view of tasks from different plans, all in one place.

To add tasks to the timeline:

• Click on the plan in the Roadmap view.
• A panel will open on the right.
• Pick the tasks you want to show, then click Add items.

Now you’ll see those tasks on the timeline, making it easier to track everything visually.

3. Work With Your Team

You can easily invite team members to view or help manage the portfolio. Portfolios use Microsoft 365 groups, so you can add people to work together.

Click the Share button at the top right of your portfolio. You can:

• Create a new group by typing in names and clicking Create group
• Or, add to an existing group by picking it from the list and clicking Add

Just note: inviting someone to the portfolio doesn’t mean they can see or edit all the plans inside. It just lets them view the overall portfolio.

Who Can Use This Feature?

Portfolios are being added to the Planner app in Teams right now. Here’s who can use them:

• If you have Planner and Project Plan 3 or Plan 5, you’ll see the new My Portfolios tab.
• If you have Planner in Microsoft 365 or Planner Plan 1, you can view portfolios that are shared with you but only in read-only mode.

Portfolios will also be added to the new Planner for the web in the next few weeks.

If keeping track of lots of plans has been hard, Portfolios can really help. You’ll get a simple, clear view of all your work, organized in one place right inside Teams.

Take Your Multi-Plan Tracking to the Next Level

Managing multiple plans in Microsoft Planner is easier with Portfolios but it’s even better with real-time insights. With the Microsoft Planner Power BI Dashboard by Data Inseyets, you can instantly turn your Planner data into powerful, live reports.

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