How to create a Plan in Microsoft Planner

In the second post of the Microsoft Planner category I will step you through the process to create a Plan using the Planner interface. We’ll also look at some of the other basic functions including how to make a copy of a plan, pin a plan, and delete a plan.

If you are brand new to using Planner, I recommend you check out the first post from this category which outlines what Microsoft Planner is and also goes through some of the important phrases, or terminology used in Planner.

Microsoft 365 Groups

Microsoft 365 Groups play a crucial role in Microsoft Planner by providing a streamlined way to associate a Plan with a group or team within your organisation.

When creating a new plan, you have the option to associate the plan with an existing Microsoft 365 Group. A Microsoft 365 group includes a shared Outlook inbox, calendar, SharePoint document library, and OneNote notebook, enabling seamless communication and file sharing among team members. By associating a Plan with a Microsoft 365 group, you automatically grant access to the group members so they can access the plan, assign tasks, set due dates, and track progress collectively.

Create a new plan

1. Open your preferred web browser.
2. Enter the address https://planner.cloud.microsoft/ and hit Enter.
3. Click the link to Sign in using your Microsoft 365 account.
4. The Planner screen will be displayed:

5. Go to My Plans in the left sidebar.
6. Click + New plan from the bottom of the screen:

7. The Create new window will appear:

8. You can choose between a basic template plan or create a Basic plan.
9. Select Basic option at the top.
10. The Create a basic plan from scratch window will appear:

11. Enter a Name for the plan E.g. I have used Planner Training Rollout.
12. Choose if you want the Plan to be added to your Pinned plans list.
13. Now select if you want the new plan to be added to an existing Microsoft 365 group. Select a group from the list.

TIP: If you do not associate the Plan with a group, it will become a personal plan and does include some functions such as being able to duplicate the plan.

14. Click Create.
15. The Planner grid will now be displayed:

Set up email notifications

Microsoft Planner provides three (3) notification options. These can be changed as needed and are useful when you are part of multiple plans.

1. From the Planner screen, click the Settings button located in the top right corner of the window:

2. From the Settings pane select Notifications.
3. The Planner notifications window will appear:

4. Make any changes as needed and click Save.

Copy a plan

Planner allows you to duplicate an existing plan which will allow you to use the copy for another project. This is great where you may need to repeat a previous project and it will save you having to recreate buckets and tasks.

Restriction: You can only use the Copy option for Plans which are part of a Microsoft 365 group. For personal plans where you are the only one with access, there is no option to Copy the plan.

To create a copy of a plan:

1. Open the Plan you wish to duplicate.
2. Click the drop-down arrow near the Plan name:

3. Choose Copy plan from the menu.
4. The Copy plan window will appear:

5. Edit the Name as it will be named “Copy of …”.
6. Select a Microsoft 365 group for the new plan to be a part of (required).
7. Now select which parts of the plan you wish to include. Tick or untick options as needed such as Priority settings, Dates, Description, Checklist items, and Labels.
8. Click Copy.
9. The new plan will appear in The My Plans list.

Pin a plan

By default, all new plans will appear in the My plans list. You can add specific plans into your Pinned list so that you have quick access to them.

To add a plan to the Pinned list:

1. Open the Plan you wish to pin.
2. Click the Pin icon ( ) next to the plan name:

3. The plan will now appear in the Pinned list in the left navigation pane.

Rename a plan

You can easily change the name of a plan using the Plan details window.

To rename a plan:

1. Select the plan from the sidebar.
2. Click the drop-down arrow near the Plan name.

3. Select Plan details from the list.
4. The Plan details panel will open allowing you to change the Plan name.
5. Click in the Plan name field and change the name.
6. Click the X on the panel to close and save the changes.

Delete a plan

Generally, it is not recommended to delete a plan once it has been completed. Keeping a plan may be necessary for archival purposes or auditing. It is also useful to be able to duplicate a plan if you need to perform the tasks again in the future. They can make excellent resources ongoing. If you have created a plan and you decide not to use the plan, you can delete these from your system.

To delete a plan:

1. Open the Plan you wish to delete.
2. Click the drop-down arrow near the Plan name.
3. Choose Plan details from the menu.
4. The Plan details panel will appear.
5. At the bottom of the panel, click Delete this plan:

6. You will see a confirmation asking to confirm you wish to delete the plan:

7. Tick the box for I understand that this plan and all of its tasks will be permanently deleted.
8. Then click Delete.
9. The plan will now be deleted and removed from your navigation pane.

I hope this has provided some useful tips on how to create a new plan along with how to perform some useful functions such as duplicating and pinning a plan. Comment below with any questions.