Microsoft Teams: The ultimate tool for agile project management

Introduction to Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is business software that is offered as part of Microsoft 365 and was developed for collaboration and communication between teams and project groups. With Microsoft Teams, users can share and collaborate on chat messages, video and audio calls, as well as files and content. Microsoft Teams is therefore a good alternative to other communication and project management tools such as Slack and Trello.

What is agile project management and how does it fit in with Microsoft Teams?

Agile project management is a method that aims to complete projects faster and more effectively by breaking them down into smaller, iterative steps. Agile project management methods such as Scrum rely on flexibility and the ability to react quickly to changes. Good communication and collaboration within the team is an important prerequisite for agile project management.

This is where Microsoft Teams comes in: The tool offers all the functions needed for successful collaboration and communication within an agile project team.

Features of Microsoft Teams that are important for agile project management:

• Chat function: With the Microsoft Teams chat function, users can communicate with each other quickly and easily. The chat messages can be sent directly to individual users or to entire groups.
• Video and audio calls: The video and audio call functions of Microsoft Teams make it possible to exchange and discuss even without a personal meeting. This is particularly important if the team is working at different locations or in times of Covid-19 when face-to-face meetings are difficult.
• File sharing and collaborative editing: With Microsoft Teams, users can share files and work together on them. This is particularly helpful when multiple team members are working on a project and need to keep each other informed.
• Kanban board: Microsoft Teams also offers an integrated Kanban board feature that makes it possible to perform project tasks

Agile project management with Microsoft Teams

Are you wondering how to get started with agile project management in Microsoft Teams? We are happy to have created a simple guide for you here so that you can immediately make your project management more agile:

1. Create a new team site in Microsoft Teams and invite all team members.
2. Create a new chat group for the project team and use it to communicate with each other quickly and easily.
3. Use the video and audio call features to hold regular meetings and keep all team members up to date.
4. Create a new Kanban board list and add all project tasks. Use the drag-and-drop feature to move tasks between the various columns (e.g. “To-Do,” “In Progress,” “Done”) and track the progress of the project.
5. Share relevant files and documents with the team using the file sharing feature and use collaborative editing to get all team members involved in working on these files.
6. Use built-in planner and to-do list features to track and manage tasks and deadlines for the team.
7. Use Microsoft Teams' integrated applications, such as OneNote, to provide additional tools for agile project management.

Tips and tricks for agile project management with Microsoft Teams

• Create regular Scrum meetings to discuss and plan the progress of the project.
• Use OneNote to create and share meeting minutes and notes.
• Create a “War Room” channel to track the current progress of the project and any pending tasks in real time.
• Use the built-in planner and to-do list features
• Use the built-in Power BI feature to create visual dashboards to track and analyze project progress.
• Use the built-in Microsoft Forms feature to get regular feedback from team members and track team satisfaction.
• Create custom columns in the Kanban board list to track the progress of the project even more closely (e.g. “Code Review,” “Testing,” etc.).
• Use the integrated time tracking feature to track and analyze working time per task and per team member.

Overall, Microsoft Teams offers all the features needed for successful agile project management. The integrated tools and features enable the team to collaborate quickly and effectively and optimize communication and project management. It is therefore worthwhile to consider Microsoft Teams as a tool for agile project management. With Flinker Studio, we at Flinker offer an integration that is ideal for agile project management for property developers, project developers, general contractors, architects, planning offices or construction companies. The integration of Flinker can be used to work with suppliers and customers or even for better collaboration across multiple sites.

Conclusion and outlook

Microsoft Teams offers everything you need for successful agile project management. The integrated chat, video and audio call functions, as well as the ability to share and edit files together, facilitate collaboration and communication within the team. The integrated Kanban board function and the planner and to-do lists are also useful tools for agile project management.