Microsoft Teams make it easier for teams to collaborate productively in real time. It allows sharing of notes, files, and attachments, and you can integrate other software solutions like Github and Trello to create a fully functional and virtual workspace.
In short, Microsoft Teams can transform the way any organization does business.
But then, the software is so broad that you may be unable to leverage half of it. So how can you get the most out of Microsoft Teams?
8 Strategies to Harnessing the Power of Microsoft Teams
1. Review teams to prevent redundancy
Instead of creating a new Microsoft Team right away, check if a team is already doing the same thing. Especially if you allow a href=”https://petri.com/automate-team-creation-in-microsoft-teams/”>self-service creation of Teams, be careful as it might cause confusion.
You can avoid this problem by reviewing all new Teams or Groups created one day after they are made.
2. Find a good naming convention for your Teams
Having a strong naming convention for Teams and Groups is a good idea. But if you allow self-service creation of Teams, it can be hard to enforce the naming conventions.
You can automate it to some extent by blocking certain words or specifying certain prefixes and suffixes for all Team or Group names in the Office 365 Admin Center.
3. Dedicate each team to a project
Make sure that each project has its own Team, even if the same people are working on multiple projects. It will help keep your Teams focused and make finding and organizing documents easier.
And when external users are allowed to join a Team in the future, you’ll find how important this tip is.
4. Create channels for only what’s needed
It’s a good idea to do some initial planning and establish a few channels, but don’t go overboard. Setting up too many empty channels will only make it harder for people to find documents.
Start with a few channels and add new ones as needed.
5. Integrate other software to enhance collaboration
Microsoft Teams work with a host of other solutions to enhance team collaboration. For example, Powell Software’s solution provides a smart admin dashboard through which you can manage your existing teams and automate some processes to save time.
Such tools may also provide ready-to-use templates to make handling repetitive tasks effortlessly.
6. Make shared documents accessible to all
Avoid customizing the default documents library and use it for general file sharing. This way, everyone can access and use the shared documents easily. You can set up specific document libraries on the team site for more advanced content.
7. Connect existing Group with the old
Remember that every Team is also a Group. So, if you want to add a new Team to an existing Group that you already own, remember to connect it to your Group.
Otherwise, it will create a new Group with the same name but a different ID number.
8. User file experience should remain consistent
Make sure all Team members can see new files wherever they are created by using two interfaces to connect to files – through the Teams chat or the team site in SharePoint.
Create tabs using SharePoint for every document library on your Team site and another tab with the Website tab connector on the Team site.
Final thoughts
And remember to have some fun! Sharing your experiences with the Microsoft Tech Community is a great way to learn new tips, celebrate great moments, brainstorm new ideas, and address any issues you may encounter along the way.
With Microsoft Teams rolling out to more and more organizations, there’s always potential for feedback and collaboration, which can help you get even more out of the platform.
So, let’s share and enjoy our experiences together!
