Managing tasks efficiently is crucial for any team’s productivity. Microsoft Planner is a great tool for task management, but manual task creation, updates, and tracking can become overwhelming. By integrating Microsoft Planner with Power Automate, teams can automate workflows, assign tasks dynamically, set reminders, and sync data with other Microsoft 365 tools.
In this article, we’ll explore how to automate task management with Power Automate and Microsoft Planner, common use cases, and a step-by-step guide to setting up automation.
1. Why Use Power Automate with Microsoft Planner?
Eliminates manual task creation – Automatically creates tasks based on triggers.
Ensures consistency – Standardizes task assignments across projects.
Improves collaboration – Sends automatic notifications to team members.
Reduces missed deadlines – Sets up automated reminders and follow-ups.
Integrates with Microsoft 365 apps – Connects Planner with Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and more.
Example: When a new project is created in SharePoint, Power Automate can automatically generate Planner tasks, assign them to the right team members, and send notifications via Teams.
2. Key Use Cases for Automating Microsoft Planner with Power Automate
A. Auto-Creating Tasks from Emails
Challenge: Teams manually create Planner tasks based on emails.
Solution with Power Automate:
When a new email arrives in Outlook with a specific keyword (e.g., “Task”), Power Automate:
- Extracts the subject and body.
- Creates a new task in Microsoft Planner.
- Assigns it to the right person.
Impact: Reduces time spent on manual task entry from emails.
B. Generating Planner Tasks from Microsoft Forms
Challenge: HR, IT, and support teams manually track form submissions.
Solution with Power Automate:
When someone submits a Microsoft Form, Power Automate:
- Extracts the responses.
- Creates a task in Planner with relevant details.
- Assigns it to the right department.
Impact: Automates service requests, IT tickets, and HR workflows.
C. Syncing Planner with Microsoft Project
Challenge: Teams using Microsoft Project and Planner separately often have duplicate work.
Solution with Power Automate:
When a new task is added in Microsoft Project, Power Automate:
- Creates a corresponding task in Planner.
- Updates Planner when changes occur in Project.
Impact: Ensures real-time task synchronization between Project and Planner.
D. Setting Up Automated Task Reminders
Challenge: Teams miss deadlines because they forget to check Planner.
Solution with Power Automate:
When a Planner task is approaching its due date, Power Automate:
- Sends a reminder in Teams and Outlook.
- Notifies the assigned user and manager.
Impact: Keeps teams on track with automated task follow-ups.
E. Creating Planner Tasks from SharePoint List Items
Challenge: SharePoint lists track tasks, but teams forget to manually add them to Planner.
Solution with Power Automate:
When a new task is added to a SharePoint list, Power Automate:
- Automatically creates a task in Planner.
- Links it to the SharePoint item.
- Updates the SharePoint list when the Planner task is completed.
Impact: Ensures seamless integration between SharePoint and Planner.
3. Step-by-Step Guide: Automating Task Management with Power Automate & Planner
Step 1: Select a Trigger in Power Automate
1️⃣ Open Power Automate → Click “Create” → Choose “Automated cloud flow”.
2️⃣ Select a trigger (e.g., “When a new email arrives,” “When a form is submitted,” “When an item is added to SharePoint”).
Step 2: Add an Action to Create a Planner Task
1️⃣ Click “New step” → Search for “Planner” → Select “Create a task”.
2️⃣ Choose the Planner Group and Plan Name.
3️⃣ Map the task title, description, due date, and priority to dynamic values from the trigger.
Step 3: Assign the Task to a Team Member
1️⃣ Click “New step” → Add “Update task details” action.
2️⃣ Set the assigned user dynamically (e.g., based on email sender or form submitter).
Step 4: Add Notifications for the Assigned Task
1️⃣ Click “New step” → Select “Send an email (Outlook)” or “Post a message in Microsoft Teams”.
2️⃣ Notify the assigned user with task details.
Step 5: Test and Deploy the Automation
Run a test with sample data.
Verify the Planner task is created and assigned correctly.
Activate the flow for real-time automation.
4. Benefits of Automating Microsoft Planner with Power Automate
Eliminates manual task tracking – Reduces time spent on managing tasks.
Improves accountability – Ensures all tasks have owners and deadlines.
Enhances collaboration – Notifies teams instantly about new tasks.
Reduces missed deadlines – Sends automated reminders.
Scales with your needs – Works for small teams and enterprise-level task management.