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Planner categorization and automations

Ibakordor Kharmih 40 Reputation points
2026-06-19T05:28:08.92+00:00

I have a set of task under a category called Snake and Ladder. There are 25 tasks altogether that is expected for every trainee who joins the company to execute it and complete it within 30 days. We usually have a new batch of trainees joining almost every week.
In planner, I want to categorize all the 25 tasks under the Snake and Ladder so I can assign it to individuals everytime when a new batch comes. How or what approach do I take for that? What would be the easiest way without double work.
I'm expecting the following:

  1. Assign the snake and ladder to all trainees, and all tasks will automatically be assigned to them.
  2. Have the overall progress report or charts displayed in a linked SharePoint site, so I can easily view the overall progress of trainees from SharePoint itself instead of going to Planner.
  3. Every month, it will automatically generate a report, share as Newsletter and send to a certain alias and be added to a News section under the same SharePoint site.

I also want to understand how will the SharePoint storage look like.

Microsoft 365 and Office | SharePoint | For business | Other
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  1. Vivian-HT 17,365 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-19T06:36:30.6666667+00:00

    Dear @Ibakordor Kharmih

    Thank you for outlining your requirements so clearly. I understand you’re looking to streamline onboarding by reusing a standard set of 25 tasks for each new trainee, automate assignment, and centralize reporting with minimal manual effort.

    However, currently, Microsoft Planner does not currently support directly assigning a group of existing tasks to multiple users in one action.

    According to my research, you can try connecting Power Automate to Microsoft Planner, which will automate routine task creation and assignment processes. This integration leverages Microsoft 365’s built-in connectors to streamline workflow management without requiring advanced coding skills. You can even sync Planner tasks with Excel using Power Automate for better reporting and tracking.

    For more information, you can refer to this article: How to Create a Task in Microsoft Planner using Power Automate

    Disclaimer: This link is shared by community members for your convenience. It points to a third-party site that is not managed or verified by Microsoft. We can’t guarantee the quality, safety, or suitability of any content or software found there. Please review carefully and make sure you understand any potential risks before using it.

    For more comprehensive reporting such as overall progress, completion percentages, or overdue tasks across trainees, Power BI is the recommended option. You can bring task data from Microsoft Planner into Power BI for analysis, using Power Automate and SharePoint as intermediaries. Power BI can connect to Planner data and provide a visual dashboard, which can then be embedded into your SharePoint site. This allows you to monitor all trainees’ progress directly from SharePoint without needing to navigate back to Planner.

    For more information and instruction, you can refer to these articles: Import Microsoft Planner Data into Power BI Using ... - Microsoft Fabric Community and How to integrate MS Planner and Power BI for Visualization?

    Disclaimer: This link is shared by community members for your convenience. It points to a third-party site that is not managed or verified by Microsoft. We can’t guarantee the quality, safety, or suitability of any content or software found there. Please review carefully and make sure you understand any potential risks before using it.

    In this case, as a forum moderator, I can provide general best-practice guidance, but I don’t have access to your tenant configuration or the ability to walk through advanced setup or troubleshoot flow behavior in detail. Therefore, I recommend you contact Microsoft Support through the Microsoft 365 admin center by going to Help & support and creating a new service request. This will ensure you get accurate, hands-on assistance and avoid potential issues during implementation.​ ‌For reference: Get support | Microsoft Docs   

    Moreover, this is related to the Microsoft Power Platform Product, however, as our category focuses on Office 365 products. Therefore, to ensure that you get professional help and avoid incorrect information from our side, I suggest you post on the Microsoft Power Automate Community for expert assistance. You'll get the most qualified group of respondents, and other partners who read the forums regularly can share their knowledge or learn from your interaction. 

    Here's the Microsoft Power Automate Community Forum: Power Automate Community Forum

    I hope the information shared helps point you in the right direction. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward to your update.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-19T05:28:32.46+00:00

    Use Planner to define a reusable set of tasks, then surface and summarize them in SharePoint. Planner and SharePoint already integrate, and Planner data (files, comments) is stored in the underlying Microsoft 365 group/SharePoint site.

    1. Reusing the same 25 tasks for every trainee

    Planner plans are built around tasks, buckets, and assignments:

    • Create a plan for the “Snake and Ladder” program.
    • Create the 25 tasks and organize them into buckets (for example, phases or weeks) using buckets:
      1. Display the plan board.
      2. Select Add new bucket to the right of any existing buckets.
      3. Type a name for the bucket, and then press Enter.
      4. If Add new bucket is not visible, select Group by near the upper-right corner and choose Bucket so the board is grouped correctly.

    Tasks can be assigned to multiple people (up to 11) in Planner:

    • When creating or editing a task, select Assign and choose one or more trainees.
    • A task can be assigned to more than one person; when any assigned trainee marks it complete, the task is complete for all.

    For each new batch:

    • Add the new trainees as members of the plan.
    • Assign the existing 25 tasks to the new trainees using the Assign option.
    • Alternatively, group the Board by Assigned to and drag tasks between columns to change assignments.

    This avoids recreating tasks each time; the same plan and tasks are reused, and only assignments change.

    2. Viewing overall progress in SharePoint

    Planner integrates with SharePoint via the Planner web part on group-connected team sites:

    • On a group-connected SharePoint team site, add the Planner web part to a page.
    • Connect it to the “Snake and Ladder” plan.
    • The Planner web part shows the Planner board and allows switching to charts view to display progress.

    Planner provides:

    • A task board with buckets and assignments.
    • A charts view to display the plan’s progress.

    This allows monitoring trainee progress directly from the SharePoint page without opening Planner separately.

    3. Monthly report and newsletter

    From the available information:

    • Planner provides charts and progress views for plans.
    • Planner plans and tasks can be surfaced in SharePoint via the Planner web part.

    The context does not describe a built-in automatic monthly report or newsletter generation from Planner/SharePoint. Only the existing charts and task board views are documented.

    4. How SharePoint storage is used

    Planner is powered by Microsoft Graph and Microsoft 365 groups:

    • Files uploaded and attached to Planner tasks are stored in SharePoint.
    • Planner comments are based on Outlook group conversations.

    This means:

    • Any documents trainees attach to tasks (e.g., evidence of completion) are saved in the SharePoint document library associated with the Microsoft 365 group for that plan.
    • The Planner web part runs on the same group-connected SharePoint team site.

    So, SharePoint storage will contain:

    • Files attached to Planner tasks, organized in the underlying site’s document library.
    • Pages where the Planner web part is added.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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