The next chapter for AI-powered work management in Microsoft Planner

At the forefront of modern work management, Microsoft has unveiled a significant advancement that promises to transform how teams collaborate and execute projects. Building on the integration of Microsoft To Do, Planner, and Project for the web into a unified, streamlined experience known as the new Planner, this evolution introduces intelligent automation powered by AI through the Project Manager Agent. This enhancement is now accessible within Microsoft Teams and as a web application, designed to empower teams to work faster, stay aligned, and achieve results with greater ease.

Seamless Collaboration: From Conversation to Coordination

Consider a typical Monday morning where a product launch team convenes, some members physically present and others joining remotely. Traditionally, action items might get lost in the shuffle of chat threads or buried in emails. However, with the integration of Facilitator and Project Manager Agent into the meeting experience, this challenge is effectively addressed.

• During meetings, Facilitator actively listens for spoken intentions and captures decisions as actionable tasks. Team members can also interact with Facilitator via meeting chat to add, update, or assign tasks in real time, ensuring no critical action is overlooked and that tasks are created organically from the flow of conversation.
• Project Manager Agent then organizes these tasks within Planner, assigning owners and due dates as directed by the team. This intelligent structuring helps team members efficiently track and manage their responsibilities without leaving the Teams environment.
• Beyond task management, the Project Manager Agent collaborates with Facilitator to generate comprehensive documents such as marketing plans. These documents are created by synthesizing context from meeting transcripts, chat, and shared files, then posted directly in the meeting chat and attached to relevant tasks for easy reference.
• By the end of the meeting, the plan is live and accessible in Planner, with clear ownership and next steps, leaving everyone aligned and confident about their responsibilities.

This scenario exemplifies how the new Planner and AI agents are revolutionizing teamwork within Microsoft Teams, making project management more intuitive and integrated.

Upcoming Features Rolling Out to General Availability

Several exciting features currently in public preview are set to become generally available soon, enhancing the Planner experience further:

Project Manager Agent Skills in Teams Meetings

Leveraging AI, the Project Manager Agent enables Facilitator to create tasks during meetings and automatically extract them from meeting transcripts, ensuring comprehensive capture of action items. These tasks are seamlessly synced to Planner, enhancing post-meeting follow-up. Users can interact with Facilitator by @mentioning it to create, assign, or access tasks and generate necessary documents, effectively addressing the common “cold start” problem in project planning.

Example: In a Teams meeting chat, a user can instruct Facilitator to assign a task to a colleague and set a due date, streamlining task delegation without interrupting the meeting flow.

Project Manager Agent Skills in Teams Channels

Within Teams channels, users can now create tasks, set due dates, and assign responsibilities by @mentioning the Channel Agent. This integration fosters a collaborative workspace where task management is embedded directly into team conversations.

For a detailed overview, explore the announcement blog post.

New Capabilities for Project Manager Agent and Planner

AI-Powered Workback Plans in Teams Channels

The Project Manager Agent and Channel Agent now support the creation of AI-driven workback plans. By inputting a target deadline and goal, these agents automatically generate a reverse timeline of tasks and milestones, helping teams visualize and manage project timelines effectively.

Visual: A Teams channel conversation where the Channel Agent has created a detailed workback plan with tasks and due dates.

Interactive Plan Queries and Task Management

Users can engage with the Channel Agent by asking questions about their plans, such as “What tasks are assigned to me?” or “What needs to be completed this week?” Additionally, the agent can create and update tasks on command, simplifying project adjustments without leaving the chat interface. For guidance, see how to create project tasks using Channel Agent.

Enhanced Status Reports with Planner Data

The Channel Agent now generates enriched status reports that incorporate Planner data, providing comprehensive insights into project progress, risks, and blockers. Delivered as Loop files within the channel, these reports facilitate collaboration and informed decision-making among team members.

Learn more about generating status reports here.

Note: These features are currently in public preview and require a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. Get started with Channel Agent for Teams channels here.

Security and Compliance Enhancements

Information Barriers Support

To address organizational compliance needs, Microsoft Purview Information Barriers are now supported in Planner. These policies allow compliance administrators to restrict communication and collaboration between specific individuals or groups, preventing data leaks and enforcing internal policies. This feature limits plan visibility and collaboration to authorized users, enhancing security and regulatory compliance.

Information Barriers support is generally available in basic plans across Planner for the web and Planner in Teams (web, desktop, and mobile). Learn more about Information Barriers in Microsoft Planner.

Upcoming Compliance Features

Looking ahead, Microsoft is rolling out additional compliance features to Planner, including:

Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) Label Support

Planner will soon support content labels that enforce Data Loss Prevention (DLP) controls, such as:

• Preventing copying, exporting, or forwarding of task content to unauthorized users.
• Restricting printing and hard copy generation when “block print” directives are applied.
• Displaying watermarks on plans and tasks across all supported clients.
• Inheriting content labels from linked Loop Task List components and respecting label changes.
• Informing users of label restrictions and offering downgrade prompts when access changes occur.

This update enhances data protection and ensures sensitive information is handled appropriately within project plans.

eDiscovery Support for Roster Plans

Previously limited to Group-backed plans, eDiscovery support will extend to Roster plans, enabling admins to retrieve task data related to specific users by selecting their mailbox. This improvement facilitates compliance and legal discovery processes.

Engage with Microsoft Ignite 2025

For those eager to explore these innovations further, Microsoft Ignite 2025 offers multiple opportunities to dive deep:

• Theater Session (THR761): Accelerating productivity with Planner and Project Manager Agent in Microsoft Teams
  Thursday, November 20 at 10:00 AM Pacific | Speakers: George Bullock, Robyn Guarriello | Duration: 25 minutes (live Q&A)
• Breakout Session (BRK287): Planner & agents: Driving work across Teams, Outlook, and Copilot Chat
  Thursday, November 20 at 4:45 PM Pacific | Speakers: Howard Crow, Robyn Guarriello | Duration: 45 minutes (live and on demand)
• Expert Meetups: Visit the Copilot & Agents station for hands-on demos and Q&A with product experts.

Additional Resources

• Watch the on-demand Breakout session from Ignite 2025.
• Sign up to receive future communications about Planner.
• Explore the Planner adoption page and Planner help & learning page to deepen your understanding.
• Stay updated with the Microsoft 365 roadmap for feature descriptions and release timelines.
• Experience interactive demos for Project Manager Agent in Planner and Project Manager Agent skills in Teams meetings.
• Enhance your skills with hands-on learning courses focused on AI business solutions with Copilot and agents.

Impact Assessment: What This Means for Admins and Users

From an administrative perspective, these advancements offer enhanced control and compliance capabilities. The support for Information Barriers and Microsoft Information Protection labels empowers admins to enforce organizational policies and regulatory requirements effectively, reducing risks related to data leaks and unauthorized access. The extension of eDiscovery support to Roster plans further strengthens compliance readiness, simplifying legal and audit processes.

For users, the integration of AI-powered agents within Teams meetings and channels transforms daily workflows. The ability to capture tasks directly from conversations, generate plans and documents automatically, and interact with agents through natural language commands reduces friction and cognitive load. This leads to improved productivity, clearer accountability, and better alignment across teams. The enriched status reports and workback plans provide transparency and actionable insights, enabling users to stay on top of their responsibilities and deadlines effortlessly.

Overall, these innovations represent a thoughtful blend of automation, collaboration, and compliance, designed to meet the evolving needs of modern workplaces.