Be more productive with Microsoft Lists

Well, here it is! #MicrosoftLists, one of the new Microsoft #productivityTools, is out. If you have already worked with SharePoint lists before, you know the evolution where it came from (SharePoint lists carry forward), and you already know how to work with this new productivity app. The UI of SharePoint lists is getting smarter. It is in its app simpler, smarter and more flexible way how to track what matters the most in all the Microsoft tools. Let’s have a look at the app more in details.

What does the Lists app (in general) do?

What is Microsoft Lists (download the Microsoft List Look Book, plus read more about MS Lists directly on the Microsoft webpage)? Microsoft List is an Microsoft 365 app that helps you track information and organize work for your team. With a list you can track any kind of data: be it issues, assets, routines, contacts, inventory and much more. Then you can visualize this data in different ways and finally get things done.

Lists offers also “out-of-the-box” options like card or calendar view (like in Planner) but there is an option to create your own customized data views that work for your data in your lists. You can also configure the lists with 

• filters 
• custom formatting 
• smart rules
• alerts 
• color formatting
• ready-made templates

to keep everyone in sync and on track. Another option is to export the data from an Excel spreadsheet. Like the other apps Lists can be mobile, so you can take it with where ever you need on your mobile device. 

Last but not least Lists app was brought to Teams too. So you can add List as extra tab in one of the channels you need to.

Once you have configured the tab and have a list with list items, you can start a conversation about an individual list item. Go to the details view (or form) for the list item by clicking into the title field and then click on conversation to start a conversation about the list item on the channel. With this feature, you can collaborate with your team about the list item (your key business entities) and get work done, faster.

(Source: Microsoft)

Since the conversation is a channel message in Teams, all the messaging features like @mentions, rich text, giphies, stickers, emojis, mentions, tagging, and attachments are available for use! The conversation shows up in the right rail for the list item and also on the channel for those who might not have viewed the list as yet.

Who Is Microsoft Lists app for?

I do speak about some overlapping functionalities in the end of this post, but first who is this app for? Lists would be useful for professionals in every sphere (particularly in every “project you would manage”), as a smarter way to organize and visualize key information and mainly all your data.

In conjunction with Microsoft Teams, the app has in my mind tremendous potential. Microsoft Teams has a massive user base, along with Microsoft’s market-leading suite of Office 365 and Microsoft 365 productivity apps. Lists would help to bring structure to these conversations, taking advantage of simple, rule-based automations to keep everyone on the same page.

How to start with Lists?

The easiest or quickest ways to get started on using the microsoft list app is through the Microsoft365 app launcher and you can see the list app right among the other apps there. If you still don't see it there you can go all apps and search for the Lists app here and it'll show up. I do recommend to pin it so it is always available to you in the app launcher.

 (Source: Microsoft)

You have three ways how to reach Lists app: 

• Lists home (the web version)
• Microsoft Teams
• SharePoint 
• Mobile on the go

The Lists homepage offers you to see all your favorite lists and all your recent lists ( like task in Planner). 

1. The recent list section shows all of the lists that you've recently accessed are created and it's a combination of my shared list and personal lists. 
2. The favorite lists section contains all the lists that matter the most to you, they are the lists you want easy access to. In order to favorite a list you have to hover over any list that you want click on it and mark it with a star, exact the same way like you do it in Planner with plans. It shows up in the favorite section. You can easily remove it from this section the same way. This way you personalize the Lists homepage for yourself.

How to create a list?

To create a list is easy. To create a new list you just need to click on this new list button, from there you have multiple options to get started:

1. The blank list: this option which allows you to create a list from scratch. With this you can define your own structure, formatting and data 
2. From Excel option: which allows you to you know upload an excel file or you can even choose an excel file directly from your files and then you can choose the table of data that you want to import into the Lists app. 
3. From existing list option: which is great if you want to use the structure formatting and business rules of a list that is already in use. 
4. Use ready made templates: Each of these templates comes with pre-defined structure and formatting that helps you jumpstart a common information tracking scenario.

Let’s focus on the templates in Lists app first.

Ready-made templates in Microsoft Lists app

One of the best ways how to get started with a new list is to use the ready made Lists templates. Microsoft has rolled out so far eleven templates to start with. Each template comes with predefined structure and formatting that will help you jump start a common information tracking scenario:

• Issue tracker
• Employee onboarding
• Event itinerary
• Asset manager
• Recruitment tracker
• Travel request
• Work progress tracker
• Content scheduler
• Incidents
• Patients
• Loans

You can use these templates as the are or you can allow them to inspire you. You can add upon their structure changes upon the schema or formatting or anything else you need to do to suit your information tracking needs.

Issue tracker Lists template

Let’s start with the issue tracker. Once you select this template you get to a quick preview of what your list is going to look like. All of the schema is available. There is a priority column, there is a status, there is when the issue was reported and how many days old it is and there is a a bunch of formatting that is associated with the data as well. When you create a list from this template you will get all of these options by default but, remember, you cam change it according to your data needs. 

(Source: Microsoft)

This list template can be used to track, manage and bring issues to a close. It makes it really easy for you to set priorities and status of issues that are being logged in your system and you can also send notifications to team members who are getting assigned to this issue so they can stay on track of their work tasks assigned f.e. in Planner. 

(I am curious about some feedback from some project manager John Waters, how they would value this template in the PM process and how you would improve or modify this template.)

Employee onboarding Lists template

Employee onboarding template makes it really easy for you to manage your new employees onboarding process and guide you through relevant contacts and resources so you can set when the particular work item should be completed and by whom. 

(Source: Microsoft)

You can allow them to mark off things that they have already completed and you can assign mentors to them for each task that they're performing. This is really great for your new employees that are just getting started in your team. 

(I am curious about some feedback from some onboarding specialists Silvia Kurtová, how they would value this template in the onboarding process and how you would improve or modify this template.)

Event itinerary Lists template 

The event itinerary template helps you organize all of your important even details in one place. 

(Source: Microsoft)

It makes sure that everything is running smoothly when it comes to event planning and event management. In this particular list you can also toggle to the calendar view that gives you a pretty clear picture of even activities over time. You can look at it from a month week or day perspective. 

(I am curious about some feedback from some event manager Martina Komárovská, how they would value this template in the event management process and how you would improve or modify this template.)

Asset manager Lists template

Then we have the asset manager template that helps you keep track of physical assets that your team is using so you know which asset is f.e. in repair, which asset is in use, what are the checking and checkout dates for your different assets and also for this particular list type is the picture or the image of the asset very important column. 

(Source: Microsoft)

For this reason you can toggle this list into a gallery view to represent the same data that you're seeing in this list view in a more visual way. 

(I am curious about some feedback from some asset manager Petr Lang, how they would value this template in the asset management process and how you would improve or modify this template.)

Recruitment tracker Lists template

Next template on the default list we have the recruitment tracker which allows you to manage your recruitment pipeline really easily. You can look at each candidate, what position they're applying for, what's the status of their application, which recruiters they're working with and so on.

(Source: Microsoft)

(I am curious about some feedback from some recruitment specialist José Kadlec L i n k e d i n o l o g i s t ?, how they would value this template in the recruitment process and how you would improve or modify this template.)

?

We have a couple more Lists templates for travel requests, work progress tracking, content scheduler, incidents, patients and loans. But as said in the beginning, inspire yourself and use these for customization if needed.

Personalize the lists

The right productivity question is” How to make all your lists more engaging” for your team members you are working with. You can promote your data with personality with rules, flows and forms. Tese options you have in Lists:

• Rules and notifications keep everyone informed
• Customize flows are mapping your business processes
• Show/ hide filters 
• Customize header and footer 

( Source: www.avepoint.com/)

Lists, Tasks, To Do or Planner?

The question is in what scenarios do we use Lists app for, To Do and Planner for. There is some overlap in functionalities. Yes, you can essentially recreate a Planner experience with a List, but why would you if you don’t need the customizability? To Do app is mainly for personal tasks. There is one more important thing, Lists app is not task application as it could look like. That could be the short answer. 

( Source: www.avepoint.com/)

And the long answer? 

1. Use Planner: If you want quick, easy, and simple-to-understand project management. 
2. Use Lists: If you want a customized experience where you can control the task fields, their options, their layout, their views, and more. 
3. Use To Do: If you want to manage all your personal tasks from one place
4. Use Tasks: If you want to see all your tasks from To Do and Planner app from one place

Final FAQs for Microsoft Lists application

Well, this is it. Here are some FAQs related to the new Microsoft app.

• Microsoft app roll out is here, the targeted completion is planned for October 2020 and the Lists mobile app later this year
• Microsoft Lists is an evolution of Sharepoint Lists (using the same infrastructure)
• Microsoft Lists is not a task application like To Do or Planner
• My lists data are kept in individual’s personal storage in Microsoft 365 like OneDrive is used for your files, 
• Microsoft Lists is available for commercial, educational and government clouds. 
• Lists rules are not based on Power Automate and integration continues
• Lists comments are stored in a list’s schem

What do you think about this new way of working with lists?

Share your ideas in the coments.