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Conversational Office 365 Collaboration · dedicated collaboration/social spaces like Yammer...
Transcript of Conversational Office 365 Collaboration · dedicated collaboration/social spaces like Yammer...
ConversationalOffice365Collaboration
ByHeatherSeverino
©2017ConversationalGeek®
ConversationalOffice365CollaborationPublishedbyConversationalGeek®Inc.
www.conversationalgeek.com
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookshallbereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher.Nopatentliabilityisassumedwithrespecttotheuseoftheinformationcontainedherein.Althougheveryprecautionhasbeentakeninthepreparationofthisbook,thepublisherandauthorassumenoresponsibilityforerrorsoromissions.Norisanyliabilityassumedfordamagesresultingfromtheuseoftheinformationcontainedherein.
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WarningandDisclaimerEveryefforthasbeenmadetomakethisbookascompleteandasaccurateaspossible,butnowarrantyorfitnessisimplied.Theinformationprovidedisonan“asis”basis.Theauthorandthepublishershallhaveneitherliabilitynorresponsibilitytoanypersonorentitywithrespecttoanylossordamagesarisingfromtheinformationcontainedinthisbookorprogramsaccompanyingit.
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PublisherAcknowledgments
Allofthefolksresponsibleforthecreationofthisguide:
Author: HeatherSeverino
ProjectEditor: J.PeterBruzzese
CopyEditor: JohnRugh
ContentReviewer(s): KarlaReina
NotefromtheAuthor
I’vebeenworkingwithMicrosoftOfficeapplicationsforovertwodecades,andintheearlyyearsmylearningwasallfromself-education.
SomeofthoselearningmomentsIspentwringingmyfistintheairsaying“whycan’tyouworkthewayIwant?!”.OthertimesIwaspraisingtheapplicationformakingworktasksmucheasier!AsIwaslearningmoreaboutMicrosoftOffice,theInternetwasemerging,anditbroughtwithitawealthofknowledge.Withaquicksearch,tutorialswereavailabletocreatePivotTables,Macrosandmore.
WhileInternetsearchesarestillaviablesource,thetechisemergingsorapidlythere’softennotalotofinformationavailableyet.Othertimes,therearesomanychoicesit’shardtofilterfortherightresults.Office365GroupsandTeamsfitsbothscenarios.
AsaMicrosoftCertifiedTrainer,I’vebeenhelpingotherslearnhowtobeproductivefor15years.Thinkingbacktomyfirstdaysintheoffice,collaborationconsistedofinter-officemail,deskphones,andin-personmeetings.We’vecomealongwaywithInternet,email,mobiledevices,webmeetingsandwebapps.
Thisbookexploreshowpersonalandteamproductivitycollaborationtoolscantransformthewayyouandothersworktogether,transformideastogetherandcreateglobalengagementtogether.
Welcometoawholenewworld!
HeatherSeverino
The“Conversational”Method
Wehavetwoobjectiveswhenwecreatea“Conversational”book:First,tomakesureit’swritteninaconversationaltonesothatit’sfunandeasytoread.Second,tomakesureyou,thereader,canimmediatelytakewhatyoureadandincludeitintoyourownconversations(personalorbusiness-focused)withconfidence.
Thesebooksaremeanttoincreaseyourunderstandingofthesubject.Terminology,conceptualideas,trendsinthemarket,andevenfringesubjectmatterarebroughttogethertoensureyoucanengageyourcustomer,team,co-worker,friendandeventheknow-it-allBestBuygeekonalevelplayingfield.
“GeekintheMirror”Boxes
Weinfusehumorintoourbooksthroughbothcartoonsandlightbanterfromtheauthor.Whenyouseeoneoftheseboxesit’stheauthorsteppingoutsidethedialogtospeakdirectlytoyou.Itmightbeananecdote,itmightbeapersonalexperienceorgutreactionandanalysis,itmightjustbeasarcasticquip,butthese“geekinthemirror”boxesarenottobeskipped.
WithintheseboxesIcansharejustaboutanythingonthesubjectathand.Read’em!
Office365Collaboration:What’sitallabout?
MicrosoftOffice365cameaboutin2011asagroupofcloud-basedsoftwareapplicationsandservices.Overtimetheincludedcapabilitytostoreandsharefilesinthecloudshiftedthewaymanyofuswork:anywhere–anytimeaccess,filesharingbyemailorlink,real-timeco-authoringofdocuments,andmobileapplications(apps)access.
Overtheyears,newfeaturesandapplicationshavebeenaddedtoOffice365,manyofwhichareconsideredcollaborationtools.
Beforewediscussthesetoolsingreaterdetail,let’sbreakdowncollaborationabit.Itcanbedefinedas:towork,onewithanother.
IfyouareworkingwithOffice2013/2016orOffice365,youmayalreadybecollaboratinganddidn’tevenrealizeit!SharingadocumentfromOneDriveforBusinesswithothersand
editing(co-authoring)insaiddocumentisconsideredcollaborating,albeitonamorelimitedandpossiblysmallerscale.MakingrevisionsinadocumenthostedwithinaSharePointDocumentLibraryalsocounts!Workingindedicatedcollaboration/socialspaceslikeYammerGroups,OutlookGroups,SharePointTeamSitesandTeamsisconsideredcollaborationinamorestructured,customizableenvironmentandonalargerscale.NowifOneDriveforBusiness,Yammer,OutlookGroups,SharePointTeamSitesandTeamsareterminologyyouarenotfamiliarwithyet,letsintroduceyoubrieflyhereandlaterwewilldiscusseachoneinmoredetail.
Mid-year2017Microsoft365wasintroducedbyMicrosoftCEO,SatyaNadella.Microsoft365isanintelligentandsecurepackaged
solutionforteamworkprovidingOffice365,Windows10,andEnterpriseMobility+
Securitytogether.ThissolutionisavailableforBusiness(smallandmediumsized
businesses)orEnterprise(largebusinesses).Whilewearenotgettingintothisnewly
bundledoffering,wewillcoverquiteabitinOffice365.
ABreakdownofApplicationsandServicesMicrosoftOffice–aproductivitysuiteofapplicationslikeOutlook,Word,Excel,PowerPoint,OneNote,VisioandAccessisavailableinDesktop,Mobile,andTablet-basedversions.Inthisbook,referencewillbemadetoOfficeinitsmanyforms:thecommondesktopversioninstalledonacomputer,Office2016forWindowsorMac,theweb-basedversion,Office365apps,andtheOffice365mobileappsfortabletsandphones.
OneDriveforBusinessDocumentLibrary–documentstorageandsynchronizationspaceforanindividual’spersonal
documents.ThisishostedonaSharePointServerandhasaverysimilarinterfaceandstructuretoaSharePointDocumentLibrary.
SharePointDocumentLibrary–documentstorageandmanagementsystemthat’spartofaSharePointportal,aweb-basedplatformthatintegrateswithMicrosoftOffice.
SharePointTeamSite–thisisadedicatedspacewithinaSharePointintranetportalforconnectingwithyourcolleagues,storingandsharingfiles,creatingandmanaginglists,stayinguptowithasharedcalendar,seeingrecentsiteactivity,andlinkingtootherapps.
Office365Groups–aservicethatworkswithmanyOffice365toolsandcanbesettopublicorprivate.
GroupsinOutlookincludeasharedinbox,sharedcalendar,SharePointDocumentLibrary,Plannerappandconnectorstomoreinformation.AnexistinggroupcanbeturnedintoaTeam.
GroupsinYammer–BycreatinganOffice365GroupinYammer,youwillgetaYammergroup,aplaceforconversationsandinformationsharing,aSharePointDocumentLibrary,asharedOneNoteNotebook,aSharePointTeamSite,andaprojectplaninthePlannerapp.IfyouarenotfamiliarwithYammer,it’sadedicatedspaceforgroupcollaborationwiththeYammercloud-onlyenterprisesocialnetwork.ThisintegrateswithSharePointandisincludedinOffice365.
Teams–anapplicationthatcombinesworkplaceconversations,chat,meetings,notes,documents,andconnectorstootherOffice365applicationdata/informationandnon-Microsoftproducts.Teamscanbecreatedaspublic-anyoneintheorganizationcanfindandjointhisteam,orprivate–onlytheownercanaddmemberstotheteam.The
TeamsappisavailablewithinOffice365,asamobileapp,aWindowsDesktopapp,andasaMacOS10.10orlaterapp.
SkypeforBusiness–anapplicationprovidinginstantmessaging(IM),videocalls,audiocalls,webmeetings,conferencing.AvailableinOffice365,amobileapp,WindowsDesktopapp,andMacapp.Note:InthenearfutureSkypeforBusinesswillbeintegratedwithandrebrandedaspartofMicrosoftTeams.
Okay,nowyouhaveabetterunderstandingofwhattheseappsandservicesareandhowyoumightusethem.Whatwehaven’ttalkedaboutyetishowalotoftheseservicesandappsareinterconnectedandcanbeaccessedfrommanydifferentplaces.Wewillgettothatsoonenough.First,weneedtodoabitofdiscoverytodeterminewhichofthesecollaborationtoolsmightworkbestforyourgroup’sculture.Evenifyouarenotcurrentlyintheprocessofsettingupacollaborativespace,youwillgettoknowthedifferencesandwhatmightworkbest.Youneverknowwhentheteamworkquestionsmaycomeup…inameeting,breakroom,ortheelevator.Getthatelevatorpitchready!
Office365Collaboration:TheWho,What,When,WhereandWhyTocreateasuccessfulcultureofcollaborationyouneedtoaskkeyquestionsandgatheranswersfromothersandyourself.Thiswillhelpyouchoosethebesttoolforthewayyouandothersprefertoworktogether.Thequestionslistedbelowarejustasamplingofsomethatmaybehelpful.Youmaycomeupwithmoreastheyrelatetogeographicplacementandtimezonesoffellowcolleagues,thetypesofinformationyouworkontogether,andwaysyouwanttobeupdatedonnewandchanginginformation.Asyoureadeachquestion,jotdownyouranswers.Refertotheseaseachcollaborationtoolisdiscussedlaterinthebook.Theycanhelpyoudecidewhichcollaborationappsandservicesyouwanttoadoptandembracewithinyourorganization’sculture.
• Q1:Whowillyoubecollaboratingwith?
• Q2:Howmanyindividualswillyoubecollaboratingwithonaspecificdocumentoroverallproject?Isitjustafew,30ormore?
• Q3:Aretheseindividualsinternaltoyourorganization,external,oramixofboth?
• Q4:Doyouneedtocollaborateonsomethingspecific:emailconversations,adocument/setofdocuments,acalendar,projectmanagementtasks,connectedinflowofinformationlikesocialmediapostsanddashboards,oramixtureofmany?
• Q4:Dotheindividualsyouwillbeworkingwithspendalotoftimeinoneapplicationoverothers?I.e.is90%oftheworkdayspentinOutlooktriagingemailandmanagingmeetingsorsomeothertypeofapplication?
• Q5:Isthecollaborationononecentraltopic/idea/product,oraone-to-many(hubandspoke)relationship?
• Q6:Dotheseindividualsprefertoreceiveemailnotifications,bannernotifications,orsomethingabitmorecustomizable?
Okay,enoughwithallthequestions,right?Let’scollaboratetofindthebesttoolsforyou.
AsaMicrosoftCertifiedTrainer,IhelpotherslearnhowtobeproductivewithOffice365onaregularbasis.ThequestionIhearmostis“Whyaretheresomanychoicesforcollaborationtools?Idon’tknowifIshoulduseSharePoint,OneDriveforBusiness,OneNote,Yammer,Groups,Teams,orSkypefor
BusinessforwhatIneedtoworkonwithothers.”Thegoodnewsforyouisthatifyoualreadyansweredthose6questionsaskedinthepreviousparagraph,youhave“thewho”,“thewhat”,“thewhere”and“thewhy”.Whatwewillfigureoutnowis“thewhich”,whichcollaborationtool(s)worksbestforyourspecificanswers(needs).
WhenMicrosoftTeamsbecameavailablein2016,manyspeculatedthatOffice365
Groupswasgoingaway(beingreplacedbyTeams).Thisisnotthecaseandinfact,
GroupscanbeturnedintoTeams,makingthesameinformationaccessibleinmanyplaces.WhenanewTeamiscreated,agroupisalsocreated.Somemayarguethisistoomuchinformationintoomanyplacesandthatit
makesend-useradoptionmorechallenging.Icompletelydisagreewiththis.Havingaccesstothesamecollaborationspacesinmany
appsandservicesmakessensetome.Ifyoucancollaborateonmanythingsfromone
space,youarestreamliningtheprocess.It’saboutbeingmoreefficientandproductive!
TheBigTakeawaysCollaborationwithinOffice365canhappeninmanyways.Hopefully,thebreakdownofappsandservicesintroducedhelpedyougetafundamentalunderstandingofwhat’sitaboutandwhereitislocatedwithinOffice365.Wewillgetintomuchgreaterdetailwitheachserviceandappasyouprogressthroughthebook.Whilesomeofthecollaborationservicesandappshavesimilarcollaborationtools,somearealsounique.We’llexploreeachtoolbasedonascenariofromapeerandfigureoutwhichOffice365serviceorappmayprovidethebestspaceforteamworktohappen.
Office365Collaboration:Co-authoring
Eliashasakeynotepresentationheandasmallgroupofcolleaguesareworkingon.Hesentthispresentationouttothegroupbywayofanemailattachment.Afewdayslateraseachcoworkerrespondswiththeireditsherealizeshehasmanydifferentversionsofthisfileanddreadstheprocessofmergingthesetogether.Theotherchallengehehasisthatasthesevariousversionsareemailedbackandforthnoonehasvisibilitytothechangesalreadymade.HeheardaboutabetterwaytocollaborateinOffice365andwantstoknowifthiswillhelphisteamworkmoreefficientlyandgivevisibilitytoallseeingthelatestchanges.
Youmightbeshakingyourheadrightnowandsaying,“Yes,Ihavehadthisexactproblemplayouttimeandtimeagain!”
WhileElias’scenarioisspecifictoapresentationfile,thisisnottheonlyfileheandhiscolleaguesneedtoworkontogether.Storingthesefilesinacloud-baseddocumentlibrarymayworkgreatforsharingthesewithothersandeditingwithintheonlineordesktopversionoftheOfficeapplication.Theeditingcanbedoneinrealtimewithmanycolleaguesworkinginthedocumentatthesametime.Thisiswhatisknownasco-authoring.ItcanalsobeupdatingasharedOneNotenotebookorco-authoringadocumentinaSkypeforBusinessmeeting.Let’stakeacloserlookathowEliascanaccomplishthiswithsomeoftheOffice365applicationsandservices.
OneDriveforBusinessisagreatplaceforEliastokickoffthesharingprocess.Sincethisareaissetupforpersonaluse,alldocumentsmovedtohisOneDrivelibraryornewlycreatedfromthesameOneDrivelibraryareonlyaccessiblebyElias.
Therearemanywaysthedocumentcanbeshared,fromOneDriveorwhileviewingthedocumentintheonlineordesktopapp.Withthesetwomethods,thereareoptionsavailabletosendbyemail,grantpermissionstoeditorview,orcopyalinktoaccessthefile.AnotheroptionistoattachittoanOffice365Mailappemail(inasharableway).It’sthesamefamiliarPaperclipAttachcommandyoumayalreadyknowinOutlook,itjustworksinadifferent(better)way.Whenclickedtherearechoicesforhowthefilecanbeattached.ItcanbeattachedinthatoldfamiliarwaythatcausedEliasalltheversionissuesofthepast.Thismightstillbegoodifjustsendingtoonepersonforviewing(notcollaboration).Insteadofselectingthat,hepicksafilefromtheOneDrivelibrarylisted.ThefileisattachedasbeingsharedwitheachpersonontheTolineofthemessage.
WhenafileisattachedfromOutlook2016withthePaperclipcommand,youcanbrowsetheCloudstoragelibrarieslikeOneDriveandSharePoint.Thismenualsodisplaysthemost
recentfilesyouhavebeencreatingandediting,makingiteasytoattachthefile
quickly.Imean,doesitgetanybetterthanthat?Idon’tknowaboutyou,butwhenIamattachingsomethingtoanemailitisusuallythatlastdocumentIjustmadechangesto
andneedtosenditoutASAP!
Okay,sothefileisnowonitswaytohiscollaborators.So,what’snext?Well,let’sgettothegoodstuff,co-authoring,chattingaboutchangesandtrackingwhat’shappened.
Co-authoringWhenyouareworkinginthesamedocumentatthesametime,alotishappening!Whoisherenotificationspop-upintheupper-rightcorner,acolorlegendappearsnexttoalistmakingiteasytofindwhereeachpersonismakingchanges,andifSkypeforBusinessisenabledwithyourOffice365subscription,achatpanelcandisplayinstantmessaginginlinewiththedocumentinview.
WhileEliasisco-authoringwithhiscolleagueshe’shavingoneofthoseAha!momentsandcuriouslyasksrelatedquestions:
Elias:HowdoIknowwhomadewhatchanges?
Heather:TheownerofthedocumentcanviewversionsintheOneDriveforBusinesslibrary.Theseversionsaredisplayedinamajorversionformat,1.0,2.0,3.0andincludedwiththisisthedate/timestampforthechanges,andwhomadetheassociatedchanges.
Elias:DoIhaveawaytomanageversions?
Heather:Yes,theownerofthedocumentcanviewtheversionsandmanagetheversions.BymanageImean,restoretoapreviousversionordeleteaversion.
Elias:Doestheappknowhowtomanageconflictsiftwoormorepeopletrytochangethesametext,celldata,pictureplaceholder?
Heather:Yes,therearesomebuilt-inconflictrules.Ifyouandsomeoneelsetrytomakechangesattheexactsametimetothesamecell,textplaceholder,orotherareaitwillnotletyou.
Elias:Howarechangesbeingsaved?Idon’tseeaSavebutton.
Heather:Wellthat’sthebrilliantthingaboutcloudhostedstorage.Allchangesareautomaticallybeingsavedtothelibraryyouopenedorcreateditfrom.
Elias:Canyouco-authorinOffice2016apps?Istheprocessanydifferent?
Heather:Yes,youcanco-authorinOffice2016appslikeWord,Excel,PowerPointandOneNote.Theprocessforthemostpartwilllookthesame:colorlegendmatchingcolorstoperson’sname,similarcalloutsfordeletes,additionsandeditsonscreen,andchattingintheIMpanel.WhatworksslightlydifferentforsomeapplicationsisSavingandRefreshingrecentchanges.Thistoolhelpsyoutoseethelatestchangesbyothersco-authoring.
Elias:WhydoIhavebothOffice2016andOffice365apps?Isitbettertouseoneovertheotherforeditingandcollaborating?
Heather:WhenyouopenadocumentfromOneDriveforBusinessbywayofawebbrowser,thefilewillalwaysopenintheonlineapplikeWordOnline(browserversion).IfyouhaveworkedwithOffice365beforeyoumayhavenoticedthat
somefeaturesarenotavailableonlinelikeMailMergeinWord,MacrosinExcel,AnimationTriggersinPowerPoint,andVideoRecordinginOneNote.Asfeaturescanbeengineeredforusewithinmodernbrowsers,theyarebeingintroducedbyMicrosoft.Forotherreasons,likeMacros,theyarenotavailabletoworkwithintheonlineversionforsecurityreasons(youcanopenaworkbookthatcontainsmacros,youjustwon’tseethem).Ifyouneedtouseapplicationcommandthatisnotavailableintheonlineversion,thisisgreattimetoswitchtothedesktopversion.Theotherreasonyoumaywanttoworkwiththeonlineappsversioniswhenyouareon-the-goanddon’thaveyourdevicewithyou.Ihave,asyoumayhave,onoccasionusedthecomputerinthehotelbusinesscenter.It’sgreatformakingquickeditsandcollaboratingwithothers.
WhenastudentorpeermentionshowtheywishaMicrosoftapplicationcouldworkdifferentlyorhaveanewfeatureidea,I
alwaysmentionMicrosoftUserVoice.It’saplacewhereyoucanviewwhatothershavesuggested,andifyouagreevoteforit!Ifyoudon’tfindwhatyouarelookingfor,youcansuggestyourideaforotherstovote.I’ve
heardthatoncetheideahitsapproximately100votesorso,theproductdevelopmentteamstartstheprocessofmakingitpossible(ifitis).Useyouroutdoorvoiceandbeheard!
https://office365.uservoice.com/
TrackingChangesEarlieritwasmentionedhowsomethingmightworkdifferentlyintheonlineappversusthedesktopapp.Trackchangesisoneofthese.It’senoughofonetomakesureEliasunderstandshowitworks.IfaWorddocumentissavedtoacloud-based
libraryandtrackedchangeshasbeenturnedonintheWord2016,changeswillbetrackednomatterwherethedocumentisbeingedited.Toaccept,reject,orturnofftrackingchanges,itwillneedtobeviewedinWord2016.
Co-authoringinaWord,ExcelorPowerPointfilehasasimilarlookwithaWho’shereareaintheupper-rightcornerandSkypechatpane.OneNotealsohasalotofgreatcollaborationtools,enoughofthemthatit’sgettingitsownspaceheretodiscusseachone.
OneNotehasbeenaroundsince2003,andEliashasusedthisovertheyearsformanaginghisownprojectandmeetingnotesbuthasn’tcollaboratedwithhiscolleaguesinthesamenotebookyet.Let’sexplorehowthismighthelphimandhissmallgroupofcolleaguesworktogether.
OneNotecanbeamulti-userdigitalnotebooktomanageallprojects.RememberthatTrapperKeeperyouhadbackinschool,youknow,theonethatwasthecoolest(ifyouwerepartofthatgeneration)!Evenifyoudidn’thaveone,justimagineit’sthatcooltimes10!
Speakingofschool,OneNoteisalsousedbyeducatorstomanageclassesandstudentassignments,intheEDUareait’sknownasaclassnotebookandworkswiththeClassroom(whichisbecomingpartofTeams).WewilldiscussTeamslater.
TherearesomegreatOneNotelearningtooladd-ins.Forexample,ifyouarehelpingsomeonelearnhowtoread,checkout
ImmersiveReader:http://onenote.com/learningtools
CollaborationinOneNotestartsfromtheminuteanewnotebookissetup.StartinganewnotebookworksdifferentlythanstartinganewWord,Excel,orPowerPointfile.Before
contentcanbeaddedinthenotebook,thesavedlocationneedstobeselected.Forcollaboration,aOneDriveorSharePointDocumentLibraryworksbest.Byselectingcloudstorage,contentcanbesharedwithothers.Allthosewhohaveaccesstothenotebookcancreatesections,addpages,andaddmanyformsofcontentlikefree-formtextonpages,drawingandinkingonpages,insertingpicturesandscreenclippings,embeddingfiles-printedorasattachments,recordaudioorvideo,includemeetingdetailsfromOutlookmeetingsandmuchmore.
Allthechangessynctothecloudstoragedocumentlibrary(OneDriveorSharePoint)sothateveryoneisviewingthelatestandgreatestversion.
SeeingwhomadewhatchangesandwhenthechangesweremadeworksdifferentlythantheotherfamiliarOfficefileslikeWord,ExcelandPowerPoint.
InOneNote,thereisaribbondedicatedtothesechangesandit’scalledtheHistoryRibbon.Changescanbeviewedbyeachauthororbyrecentchanges-whenthechangesweremade-yesterday,lastweekandallthewaybackto6monthsago.It’squiteusefulafterreturningfromvacationorabusinesstrip;it’saquickwaytocatchuponnewlyaddedcontentandseewheresignificantchangeshavebeenmade.Thesearchresultsaredisplayedinapanelandarehighlightedoneachofthepages.
DeletedsectionsandpagesgotoaOneNoteRecycleBin.YoucanfindthiswithintheHistorytabbedribbon.TheseitemsstayintheRecycleBinfor60daysandarethenautomaticallydeleted.Tosavespace,checkthisfromtimetotime,andmanuallydeletewhatisnolongerneeded.
InyearspasttherewasagreatsiteforOneNoteresourceslikecustomtemplatescalledIHeartOneNote.Whilethatsiteisnolongerinexistence(tomyknowledge),IstillsayIHeartOneNotewheneverItalkaboutit(Ireallydoloveitthatmuch,maybeevenmorethanmyTrapperKeeperbackinthe
day).
TheBigTakeawaysItlookslikewemayhavesolvedallofElias’attachmentwoes.
Documentscanbestoredinonecentralcloud-baseddocumentlibraryandsharedwithmanyforco-authoringinrealtimewhileseeingthelatestchanges.IfquestionsariseaboutthesechangesaSkypechatcantakeplaceinlinewiththedocumentandwhenemailinganattachedfile,itcannowbesharedfromthecloud.
OneNotecanprovideEliasasharednotebookwhichhasitsownsetofuniquecollaborationandco-authoringfeatures.Dependingontheprojectneedsofthegroup,thismaybeamoresuitedworkspace.
Office365Collaboration:Groups
PeteriswhatyoumightcallaRoadWarrior.Constantlyonthego;speakingatconferences,helpingotherslearnemergingtechnologies,andclosingdeals.Inthemanycommunitiesheworksin,heneedsawaytoeasilyswitchfromprojecttoproject;gatherthelatestdiscussions,editfiles,andviewhiscalendarinlinewiththecommunitygroupcalendar.Knowingthathespendsabout90%ofhisworkdayinOutlook,hiscolleaguesuggestshetryOffice365Groups.We’lltakeacloserlookatwhatGroupsareallaboutbutfirstlet’sseewhat’sneededasfarastechnologyforGroupstobeavailableforuse.
Office365Groupsareasubscription-basedserviceandonlyavailableforuseiftheorganization’sOffice365subscriptionisusingExchangeOnlineandSharePointOnline.Theseare
includedintheOffice365BusinessEssentialsandBusinessPremiumplans,andtheEnterpriseE1,E3andE5plans.
GroupsaremostcommonlysetupandaccessedintheOffice365MailapporOutlook2016.SofaritsoundsperfectforPeter!
Let’sdiscussthesetupandthengetintothespecificareasofagroup.
TheGroupsareaislocatedwithintheOffice365MailorOutlook2016NavigationPane(belowInbox,SentItemsandDeletedItems).IfGroupsarenotlistedthereit’smostlikelynotactivatedwithinyourorganization,theorganizationisnotusingtheonlineversionsofSharePointandExchange,ordoesnothavetheversionneededofOffice365.
Whenyouaresettingupanewgroup,youneedtogiveitauniquename.Thereasonforthisisthatitalsosetsupanamedemailaddressforcommunicatingwithallmembersofthegroup.PeterhasdecidedtonamehisGroupBookTour.Theassignedemailaddressisauto-populatedasbooktour@company.com(ifthisemailaddressisnotalreadyinusewithinhisorganization).ThisemailaddressbecomespartoftheGlobalAddressList(GAL)andistreatedlikeasingleidentity.Whenhesendsamessagetothisemailaddress,itwillnotifyallofthemembersofthegroupwiththemessage.We’lldiscussnotificationsandconversationsmoreinabit.Fornow,let’sproceedwiththerestofthegroupsetup.
Groupscanalsobesettopublicorprivate.Ifheselectspublic,membersoftheorganizationcansearchforandjointhegroup.Allcontentinapublicgroupcanbeseenbyanyoneinhisorganization.Ifthegroupissetasprivateinstead,onlythosewhohavebeenapprovedtojoincanseegroupconversationsandcontent.Publicandprivategroupscannotbeviewedoraccessedbythoseoutsideofhisorganizationunlesstheyhavebeeninvitedasguests.
Memberscanbeaddedduringthesetupprocessoratanypointlater.
Nowthatthegroupissetup,let’sdiscusstheservicesincludedinthiscozylittlespace.GroupsarereallyacontainertoorganizeanddisplaymanyservicesofferedinOffice365andSharePointOnline.Itincludesaconversation,sharedgroupcalendar,adedicatedOneNotenotebook,aPlannerprojectboard/planandconnectorstomanyotherservices.
HereishoweachoftheseareasmightbeusefultoPeterandtheothermembersofhisgroup:
Conversation–adedicatedareaforcommunicationwithinthegroupspace.Themessagesarepersistent,meaningtheyarealwaysthere.WhenPeterreturnsfromthattriptotheCaymanIslands,hecancatchuponthebrilliantideashiscolleagueshaveshared.
Files–ThisisaSharePointDocumentLibrarythatisautomaticallycreatedwiththegroup.Accesstothisfollowsthegrouppermissions,publicorprivate;onlymemberswiththepermissionsneededcanworkwiththefiles.
Calendar–Aplacetolistalltheactivitiesandmilestoneshappeningwithprojectsthegroupisworkingon.TheGroupCalendarcanbeviewedinlinewithapersonalcalendarsothatallmeetingsareinview.Thishelpstoseewherethereisoverlapandavailabletime.
Notebook–AsharedOneNotenotebookthatisreadyforuse,nosetupneeded.Addcontentandcollaborate,collaborate,collaborate.
Planner–AnOffice365appincludedwiththeGroup.Greatforassigningandtrackingtasksforgroupmembers.Taskscanevenbeassignedtomorethanoneperson!
Site–AwaytoviewthesameservicesavailablewithintheGroup,justaSharePointOnlineTeamSiteviewinstead.
Connectors–DeliversinteractivecontentandupdatesfromOffice365appsandservicestothegroup.TheseconnectorsgofarbeyondtheMicrosoftappsyouknow.TheyincludemanyforSales,HR,ProjectManagement,andotherindustries.AfewtomentionareAha!,Twitter,Salesforce,Zendesk,MailChimp,GitHub,UserVoiceandTrello.
AtthispointPetersays“Whoa,Nelly,thisisgreatbuthowamIgoingtokeeptrackoftheseupdatesthatarehappeningfrequently?”That’swheresubscribingtoemailnotificationscomesin,Peter.Whenyousubscribetoagroup,themessagesandmeetinginvitationsaresenttoyourinbox.Theyarealsosavedinyourgroupfolder.Ifthemessagesormeetinginvitationsareaccidentallydeleted,thereisstillaseparatecopystoredintheassociatedgroupfolder.ThesubscriptionnotificationsinGroupsworksverydifferentlythanthatofTeams(we’llgettothisinthenextchapter).
Inearly2017,YammergroupswereintegratedwithOffice365Groups.ThismeansthatYammergroupsnowhaveOffice365serviceslikeSharePointOnline,OneNoteandPlanneravailable.Youcanalsocollaborateexternallyinthisgroupbyaddingcustomers,partners,vendorsandotherstothegroupconversationsforinput.Ifyouneedmorethanaconversation,dedicatedexternalgroupsornetworkscanbecreatedinYammertoexpandthecommunitycapabilities.Yammergroups
can’tbeactivatedinTeams.YoucanaddaYammerfeedasaconnectortoachannelinstead.
Inmyopinion,Office365Groupsworkbestforsmalltomediumsizegroupsofinternalandexternalmembers.YammerGroupsaremoresuitedforlargegroupsacrossanentireorganizationorthosethatmayneedmore
visibility.IfyouarenotfamiliarwithYammer,it’sanenterprisesocialnetwork.
TheBigTakeawaysWefoundanexcellentcollaborationspaceforPeter.GroupsisaccessibletohimonthegowiththeOffice365Mailapp,evenonhismobiledevice.WhileworkingfromhisPC,hecanalsoworkinOutlook2016Groups.Onoccasion,whilebeingasocialbutterflyinYammergroups,hecanworkinafamiliarwayasthesameOffice365Groupappsandservicesareavailablethere,too.
IfheeverdecidestoventurebeyondthewallsofOutlook,hemaywanttotip-toeonovertoTeams.Afterall,anexistinggroupcanbeturnedintoateam.Moreonthisinthenextchapter.
Office365Collaboration:Teams
TodayShariworksontwicethenumberofteamprojectsasshedid5yearsago.Shespendsherworkdaysswitchingfromapp-to-apptosendcommunications,attendonlinemeetings,chatwithhercoworkersandupdateprojecttasks.Herwishistohaveacentralhubtoworkwithothersontheseprojects.HercolleagueLeeannesuggestsanewOffice365appcalledTeams.Let’skickthetiresandtakeTeamsforaspin!
TeamsisoneofthenewkidsontheOfficeAppLauncherandisgettingalotofattention(rightfullyso,IMO).
Itsdubbedachat-basedworkspacebyMicrosoftandthatdescriptionisfitting.ThesameappsandservicesavailableinGroups(forthemostpart)arealsoavailableinTeams.Thedifferenceisthehub-and-spokeapproachtotheTeamandChannelsrelationship.ThisapproachiswhatmakesLeeanne’ssuggestiontoShariseemlikeagoodsolutionforherneeds.
Anexistinggroupcanbeturnedintoateam,orwhencreatinganewteam,anewgroupwillalsobecreatedandassociatedwiththeteam.
Shariiscurrentlyworkingon6projects,let’sseehowtheymaytranslatetoaTeamandChannelsworkspace.She’sbeeninvitedtothreedifferentTeams:ProductDevelopment,Sales&Marketing,andOnboarding.
WithintheSales&Marketingteam,shenavigatestothevariouschannelsbyregion:NorthAmerica,SouthAmerica,EuropeandAsiaandcatchesuponrecentconversationswithgeographicallylocatedcolleagues,viewsapinnedPowerBIdashboard,addsinformationtoawiki,andcreatesapollwiththePollybot.
WithanothercoupleofclicksshequicklynavigatestotheProductDevelopmentteamandstartsaSkypemeetingwithinthePhase2ChannelautomaticallyincludingalltheProductDevelopmentteammembers.
She’sdiscoveringthattheexperienceintheTeamsappiscomfortable;allthefamiliarOfficeappsareintegratedinoneworkspaceandinawaythatshelikestowork.
Theprivatemessagingisacozyplaceforone-to-oneorgroupconversationsthatdon’tneedtotakeplaceinthechannelconversationforalltoread.Sometimestheseconversationsthatdon’tapplytotheentireteamoraroundatopicofconcerntoallcanbecomenoise.Theseunscheduledmessagesormeetingsarelessformalandmorelikeacoworkerstoppingbyyourdesktochat.
Can’tdecidewhichoneyouwilluse–GroupsorTeams?Ifoneoftheseisbeingadoptedinyourorganization,Ioftenfindit’sthebosswhodecides.Ifemailiswhatthebosslikes,
Groupsitwillbe.
That’swhyyouarepartofthisconversationhere,right?So,youcanhelpdrivethat
decisionwhenthetimearrives!
WhileShari’sfindingherwayaroundTeams,letspointoutsomeofthekeyareas.
Teams–Acentralhubworkspaceforcollaboration.Ateamincludesindividualchannelsforspecificworkandprojectstotakeplacein.
HerearequickfactsyoumaywanttoconsiderifyouaretheadministratorforTeams,theownerofaTeam,orcreatorofTeams:
• ThemaximumnumberofteamsthatcanbecreatedinanOffice365tenantiscurrently500,000.
• Ateamcanhaveupto5owners.
• Ausercancreate250teams.
• Themaximumnumberofmemberswhocanbeaddedtoateamis999.
• Downloadable32-bitand64-bitinstallersforWindowsareavailableforcentralizedITinstallation.A.dmginstallationfileisalsoavailableforMaccomputers.
Channels–ConsideredaspoketotheTeamhub.Itislistedbelowthechannelandindented.It’sadedicatedspaceforcontentrelevanttothenamedchannel.Eachteamcomeswithonepre-builtchannelnamedGeneral.Thischannelhasthreetabbedareastogetyoustarted;Conversations,Files,andWiki.Conversations–aplacewithinachannelforShariandotherstohavepersistentchats.Yourmessagescanbeeditedordeletedduringthefirst24hoursaftertheyareposted.Whendocumentsareadded,meetingsarelaunched,andpollsarecreated,notificationsforthesewillalsoappearintheConversationsarea.
Emojis,StickersandMemes–ThesearegreatwaysforSharitorespondtoconversationsvisually;givingpraise,officedrama(neverhappens,right?)andaddingsomedailyhumorwithcustommessages.
SharePointDocumentLibraries–Thisiswheredocumentsaddedtoaconversationwillbesaved.Newdocumentscanalsobecreatedhereandexistingdocumentsuploadedhere.Eachlibraryhas1TBofstorageandeachdocumentcanhaveamaximumsizeof10GB.
TeammemberscanalsoaddadocumentlibraryfromanexistingSharePointsiteasatabbedareawithinachannel.ForadvancedSharePointfunctionalitylikeapplyingaworkflowandreviewingversionhistory,theywillneedtogototheSharePointsitetomanagethis.
Tabs–Office365appsandfileslikePlanner,
OneNote,PowerPointandmorecanbeaddedtotheChannelspace.
Connectors–ThesearethesameconnectorsdiscussedinGroups.It’sawaytobringinformationintotheTeamchannelforeveryonetohaveaconversationaround,buildinsightsandrespondasneeded.
ThoselistedinthescreenshotbelowarethemostpopularonesasofAugust2017.Thereareseveralcategoriesyoucanperuse.ForonlinenewsandinsightssetupRSSfeedsandBingNews.YourteamcanquicklyanalyzeandrespondtosocialmediawithconnectionstoFacebookPages,Twitter,HootsuiteandYammer.CRMcontentfromDynamics365andSalesforcecanflowintoateam.IfyouworkwithProjectManagement,connectionscanalsobeestablishedwithJiraandTrello.
Bots–Therearemanybotsavailabletohelp.T-botistheTeamsbotthatcanprovidehelpwhenquestionsareasked.
OtherhelpfulbotsincludePollyforcreatingPollsinconversations,PersonalSecretaryforschedulingmeetings,andKayakforgatheringbudget-friendlytravelfares.WhileT-botisautomaticallyenabledinthechatarea,theotherbotsmustbeenabledintheareatheywillworkin-privatechatorspecificteam.Botsneedtogatherinformationfromteammembersandneedtocommunicatethisintheconversationorchatareas.ThePollyBotsetsupapollbasedonaquestionaskedbyateammember.
SkypeMeetings–Anunscheduledmeeting(alsoknownasMeetNow)canbestartedintheTeamChannelconversationarea.AscheduledmeetingcanalsobecreatedfromthesameareaortheMeetingsareaoftheNavigationbar.Themaximumnumberofpeopleinameetingis80.
Meetings–ThisareadisplaysupcomingOutlookmeetingsforthepersonloggedintoTeams.
PrivateMessages–Outsideoftheopengroupconversations,thisiswhereprivatequestionscanbesenttoT-botforhelpandwhereprivatechatswithoneorseveralothercolleaguescantakeplace(outsideoftheChannelconversation).Therecanbe20membersinaprivatechatincludingthepersonwhocreatedthechat.
Search–Astheteamgrowsandthechannelsfillwithconversations,documentsandothertypesofcontentsearchcanhelpfindbyakeywordsearch,nameofpersonorkeyword.Thesearchresultsthatappeararesortedinthreecategories:Notifications–ThisworksdifferentlythantheemailsubscriptionsforOffice365Groups.Therearemanywaystobenotified:bybanner,emailandmoreandwhatyouwanttobenotifiedabout,like@mentions,updatesandmore.
TheTeamsappisavailableasanonlineappwithinOffice365,asadesktopappandamobileapp.
TheDesktopandOnlineappshavethesameinterface,withslightdifferences.AsofAugust2017,theonlyfunctionaldifferenceIhaveseenishostingaSkypemeetingwithinateam.It’snotavailableintheonlineversionyet,butitshouldbeavailablesoon.Otherdifferencesyoumayseewiththeonlineversionmaybecausedbythebrowseryouareworkingwithandsettingsofthis,likeifappscandisplayinframesorifitneedstoopeninanotherwindow.
Many,includingmyself,areembracingthisnewall-in-oneworkspace.AsMicrosoftaddsadditionalapps,servicesandcapabilities,mycrystalball(orisittheMagic8ball?)saysthismaybetheonlyappyouneedtogetwork
doneindividuallyandasateam!
TheBigTakeawaysSharihasdiscoveredawaytoworktogetherbetter.Shehasamoreefficientwaytoeasilynavigatethe6growingprojectssheisworkingonwithhercolleaguesintheTeamsapp.Notonlyissheabletoaccessthetribalknowledgebeingsharedbyothersintheconversationsarea,sheisalsoabletogetintuitivehelpfromherintelligentbotsnamedT-botandhiscutesidekickbluebirdpal,Polly,andmanyothers.
Whilesheisonthego,theTeamsmobileappisessentialinupdatingtheteamwithsitevisitphotos,documentrevisionsandthosespur-of-the-momentmeetings.OccasionallysheaccessestheassociatedOffice365groupsinOutlook(unlikePeter,whoprettymuchlivesthere).