What’s new with Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Viva Goals
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Nov 16, 2023 2:00 AM

What’s new with Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Viva Goals

by HubSite 365 about Microsoft

Software Development Redmond, Washington

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Discover the enhanced Microsoft Planner integration in Viva Goals for streamlining work progress and strategic objectives.

Microsoft recently updated its goal-setting application, Microsoft Viva Goals, to enhance functionality within organizations. By providing a centralized location for goals, Viva Goals links team objectives to their daily activities, simplifying the update process through integrations. One of the key updates in early 2023 was the integration with Microsoft Planner, which allows for automatic updates of Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) and Initiatives based on team performance in Planner.

 

"Microsoft Viva Goals provides a single, secure repository for goals across the
enterprise, connecting team goals to employees’ daily work with easy-to-use
updates, reporting, and integrations. In early 2023, we launched the Microsoft
Planner integration which enables users to automatically update Objectives & Key
Results (OKRs) and Initiatives in Viva Goals based on their team’s activity in
Planner
."
 

 

 

This integration has seen new enhancements like bucket filtering, labels, and progress tracking, enriching the Planner experience. These improvements empower users to better correlate their day-to-day work in Planner with their strategic aims in Viva Goals. It promotes team alignment, concentration, and collaborative advancement toward collective business goals.

Operating within the Microsoft Viva suite—aimed at improving employee experiences—Viva Goals stands out as a robust tool for aligning and managing organizational goals. Its design revolves around enhancing productivity and ensuring all team efforts are well-aligned with the company's overarching targets.

  • The OKR framework within Viva Goals aligns team efforts with corporate objectives and missions, bolstering organizational alignment.

  • Integration with Microsoft's ecosystem, including Teams, Azure DevOps, and Power BI, streamlines OKR management in familiar workspace tools.

  • Viva Goals offers a suite of features, from shared dashboards to Single Sign-On, prioritizing security and workflow efficiency for goal management.

Access to Viva Goals is versatile, available as a web app independently or within Microsoft Teams, although different access levels may require specific subscriptions or licenses. Using Viva Goals within Microsoft Teams, for instance, necessitates a Teams product license.

Ultimately, the rollout of Microsoft Viva Goals aims to reinforce business outcomes by uniting teams under common goals. By providing mechanisms to organize and monitor objectives, it contributes to the creation of a successful and coherent corporate environment.

The Importance of Goal Alignment in Organizations

Aligning individual and team goals with organizational objectives is a critical factor in driving a company's success. Tools like Microsoft Viva Goals and task management solutions such as Planner play a vital role in this alignment. They provide platforms where progress can be tracked and managed effectively, ensuring that all members of an organization are working towards the same end.

Goal alignment tools often include frameworks like OKRs to establish and maintain a clear vision for success. A strong focus on strategic objectives helps streamline efforts and resources, leading to improved productivity and outcomes. Moreover, the integration of these tools into daily work applications makes goal tracking an integral part of routine workflows, keeping teams engaged and aligned with company-wide aspirations.

Thus, the integration of goal management systems with everyday productivity tools is transforming how organizations strategize and execute their visions. By ensuring that team functions are directly contributing to strategic goals, companies like Microsoft are leading the way in fostering environments where businesses and their employees thrive on clarity, purpose, and shared ambitions.

Learn about What’s new with Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Viva Goals

Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Viva Goals have received new updates. Viva Goals offers a consolidated, secure location for all enterprise-level goals. It combines these bigger objectives with the everyday tasks of the teams and employees through a convenient system of reporting, updates and integrations. Planner, in its role, was integrated in 2023 to allow users to keep their Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and Initiatives in Viva Goals in sync with their team's activities in Planner.

Recent enhancements made to the Planner's integration in Viva Goals include features like bucket filtering, labels, and tasks. These updates are aimed at offering users a precise monitoring of their progress towards important business objectives. The new features make it easier for users to connect their daily work and growth in Planner to strategic results in Viva Goals, ensuring the team remains concentrated, aligned, and advancing in unison.

Microsoft Viva Goals functions as an extensive tool for goal-alignment and management aimed at boosting organizational alignment and productivity. It forms an integral part of the Microsoft Viva suite, a set of applications designed to enrich the experience of employees.

Important Elements of Microsoft Viva Goals

  • Viva Goals implements the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) framework. This framework ensures that the focus and efforts of all teams align with the strategic priorities and mission of the organization.
  • Viva Goals also offers seamless integration with multiple Microsoft Products like Microsoft Teams, Azure DevOps, and Power BI, along with other Microsoft 365 apps and services. This compatibility ensures efficient management of OKRs in a well-known work environment.
  • Furthermore, it encases a variety of features, which include OKR workflows and templates, shared OKR dashboards, and tool and data source integrations, and advanced features like Single Sign-On (SSO) capability, enterprise-grade privacy, advanced permissions, and customizable weights and scoring guidelines for OKRs.
  • Another great aspect is its accessibility and usage. Viva Goals can be accessed as both a standalone web application and as an app inside Microsoft Teams. The use of Viva Goals as a web app doesn't demand any other Microsoft product or subscription. Although using it within Teams requires a Microsoft Teams product license.
  • Last but not least, it substantially affects the Business realm. Microsoft Viva Goals is built to drive business outcomes by unifying teams around a common mission and purpose. It empowers individuals and organizations to effectively arrange and keep track of their goals, cultivating a prosperous business environment.

In conclusion, Microsoft Viva Goals aids in a streamlined goal management and alignment within organizations by effectively utilizing the strong infrastructure of Microsoft's suite of tools.

More links on about What’s new with Microsoft Planner and Microsoft Viva Goals

 
Microsoft Planner Integration
2 days ago — Viva Goals integrates with Microsoft Planner to automatically update key results and initiatives in Viva Goals. OKR and initiatives progress ...

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