Microsoft Lists, a recently released Microsoft 365 productivity application, has proven to be a catalyst to help companies organize and track tasks. On its own, Microsoft Lists allows users to create and share lists with members of their organization to view, edit, and complete within the app - even on mobile. However, where it really shines is in its integration with Microsoft Teams.

The Teams environment already functions well to keep departments and whole companies connected. Lists is fully functional as an addition within Teams channels and allows team managers to structure team tasks and workers to increase productivity all in one application. Microsoft Lists is included with all versions of Microsoft 365 that have SharePoint.

This includes packages such as Business Standard, Business Premium, and Enterprise E3.

Microsoft Lists integration with Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Lists now comes as a default add-in for Teams. If you have Teams already, you should be able to access the Lists app.  Administrators can control which users have access to the app or remove it if desired. Lists is available to be used by all platforms of Teams: desktop app, web, and mobile. As note, mobile users are unable to create or add new lists, but they have full access to viewing and editing already created lists.

To get started using the app in Teams, navigate to the team channel in which you want to add Lists. At the top with the tabs, click the plus icon (+) to add a new tab, and select Lists.

One great feature with this integration is the ability to start conversations about specific list entries. When viewing a list item, right click or click the action button and select Edit. At the top right of the edit screen will be a conversation button. From here, type your message and it will appear in the Posts tab of the Team along with a link for others to go directly to the list item.

Creating and viewing Lists in Teams

After adding the Lists tab to a team channel, you will be prompted to either create a list, or add an existing one. Adding an existing list pulls in a list already created elsewhere. When creating a new list, there are a few options: blank, from template, import from Excel, or import from existing list. As the name implies, a blank list will be completely empty and allow you to build the specific columns you need for the list.

There is also a collection of list templates for different uses with preset columns if you prefer to not create your own. The columns in the templates can be renamed, deleted, and moved around if needed. The templates do show a preview before selection, so you can decide if the template is the right fit before moving forward.

Microsoft Lists can pull data from an Excel workbook and arrange it into a list as well. When creating a list, select the “From Excel” option and find the correct Excel file to import. Lists pulls headings from with the file and turns them into your list’s headings. From there, the data points are converted into items in associated columns within the list.

If you have another list format you would like to quickly replicate with new data, you may choose the “From Existing List” option. This will pull the formatting settings of the original list and leave its data behind. This works great if you are trying to group different data sets that need similar sorting.

Microsoft Lists use cases

The applications of Microsoft Lists are very diverse, so it can be a bit daunting to consider for what exactly you could use this application. It may be necessary to take some time to reflect on existing team processes to uncover how Microsoft Lists could improve them.

An example that is very useful, particularly within the current work-from-home era, is an employee onboarding tracker. HR departments and supervisors will benefit from being able to closely monitor the onboarding of new team members directly from Microsoft Teams.

Lists can be used as a method to list out the steps needed to complete a new hire’s training and meetings for them to attend. You can even include links to relevant resources for the employee to view.

Better yet, Lists has a template set up just for this purpose.

Another example of Microsoft Lists can improve team organization is a content creation tracker and posting scheduler for a marketing team. A marketing manager can create a list where each piece of marketing content is a list item with columns to track where it is within the creation process, when it needs to be completed, and when it will be posted. Marketing teams can add this list to their Team Channel to easily view tasks in need of completion.

Microsoft Lists is very versatile in its application and integration with other Microsoft 365 apps. At its core, it is an effective information tracking application that fits very well within the Teams environment.

If you would like to learn more about Microsoft Lists, Teams, and the rest of the Microsoft 365 products and how they may help your company, check it out here.