Microsoft Lists is Coming in 2020. Here’s What You Need to Know.

Introduction

How many different tasks do you have ongoing at any one time?

If you’re anything like, well, most of us, it’s probably quite a few. And while to-do lists and email inboxes can be useful for tracking these to a degree, after a certain point it’s just not scalable.

It’s not just tasks, either: open issues, upcoming events, itineraries, media assets – all of these things need to be tracked somewhere. Microsoft has the answer, and it’s called Microsoft Lists.

Being rolled out as a free update for all Microsoft 365 subscriptions in late 2020, this app might soon become the centre of your working world.

Let’s learn more.

What is Microsoft Lists?

Microsoft Lists is an application which helps you document, track, and share information, then organize it with your team.

It can be used either directly from the Microsoft 365 launcher or a fully integrated app within Microsoft Teams.

The platform itself is an evolution of the SharePoint lists feature, which has been available for some time. Now, Microsoft wants the app to reach even more users and compete with some of the more popular project management apps, like Asana, which have gained traction since the world moved towards working from home.

When it launches for everyone after August 2020, Microsoft Lists will be included as part of any business Microsoft 365 subscription which also includes SharePoint – i.e. Microsoft 365 Business Basic and above.

The business benefits of Microsoft Lists

So, that’s the background – but what can Microsoft Lists actually do for you as a business?

We’ve picked out some of the most useful features that we think will make a real difference for you and your team – whether local or remote.

• Microsoft Lists can become a single location for all of your team’s tasks. Add your team as users and you’ll be able to assign tasks to them, update the status of those tasks, and even have threaded conversations within each item.
• Deep integration with Microsoft Teams means you can meet and collaborate on lists together anytime.
• You can create as many lists as you like and access them all from one single view – and see the tasks other users are assigned to.
• View and manage your lists from anywhere with access via web browser, Microsoft Teams, or a dedicated iOS app.
• Advanced automation workflows, meaning – in plain English – that you can set rules when certain events happen within a list. For example, sending an email notification when an item is added to a list.
• Make use of built-in templates to create lists quickly, such as issue trackers, new hire checklists, and more.

Does Microsoft Lists integrate with Microsoft Teams?

With more than 75 million active users, Microsoft Teams is fast becoming the world’s go-to collaboration platform. It’ll come as no surprise, then, that Microsoft Lists will be fully integrated with Microsoft Teams when it launches in late 2020.

At any time, you’ll be able to add a Microsoft List to one of your existing team channels. It’ll then appear as one of the tabs (such as Files and Wiki) within that team view, so members of the team can look at the list anytime and see what everyone else is up to.

Because Lists is so tightly integrated, you can also create a list, use a template, and essentially do everything you can with the dedicated web app – but without leaving Microsoft Teams. Pretty handy, right?

Get ready for Microsoft Lists with a Microsoft 365 subscription today

We don’t know about you, but here at Get Support, we’re excited to get our hands on Microsoft Lists. Task tracking is one of the last remaining features which the 365 suite has yet to support, so it’s great to know that it’s almost here.

If you’d like to know more about Microsoft Lists, or make sure you’ve got the right Microsoft 365 subscription to start using it as soon as it’s available, get in touch with our team today on 01865 59 4000 and we’ll point you in the right direction.