Buckets, Tasks, and Subtasks, oh my!

Another week and another post, here's the 3rd in my latest adventure learning about Microsoft Planner Premium. Before I get into this week's topic, a quick thank you to the new subscribers. Your subscription encouraged me to keep going so thank you!

One of the most common challenges Microsoft Planner users face is knowing how to properly structure their projects. With buckets, tasks, and subtasks it's easy to create an overcomplicated or inefficient system. This guide helps you understand the relationship between these elements and how you can use them effectively.

Disclaimer: Some content was generated by Claude.ai, then enhanced and tested by a human named Otto. That's me.

Understanding the Hierarchy

Before diving in, here's a high level view of how these elements of a plan relate to each other:

• Plans - The highest level container with one per project or workstream
• Buckets - Columns that organize tasks: typically by status or category
• Tasks - Individual work items assigned to team members
• Subtasks - Component parts of a larger task aka checklist items

Think of this structure as a tree: your plan is the trunk, buckets are the main branches, tasks are smaller branches, and subtasks are the leaves. As I write this and look out the front window, there are no leaves yet on our trees, but there are buds.😄

Oh, there's a level above Plans called Portfolios but that requires a Plan 5 license and is another topic, another day. Let's start at the Bucket level.

Buckets: The Foundation of Organization

Buckets are queues or vertical columns that help you organize or categorize related tasks. Many users default to To Do, In Progress, and Completed buckets mimicking a simple Kanban board, but you're not limited to this approach.

Instead, spend time up front thinking about how your team will do the work. Talk to them, observe, understand the process, and set some policies like how many tasks the team can realistically work on simultaneously within a bucket.

Strategic Bucket Structures

Consider these alternative bucket strategies:

1. Process-Based: Organize by workflow stages specific to your team's process. For example: Requirements, Design, Develop, Test, Deploy
2. Time-Based: Group by timeframes. For example: This Week, Next Week, This Month, Next Quarter. Personally I'd avoid this approach but it could work for you.
3. Priority-Based: Sort by urgency. For example: Critical, High Priority, Medium Priority, Low Priority
4. Team-Based: Divide by responsible group. For example: Marketing, Design, Development, Sales

Again, take the time to think about your workflow and then you can name the buckets consistent with the major steps or collection of steps in your workflow, i.e. Process-Based. Don't worry, you can adjust them over time too.

Proven Practices for Buckets

Here are some quick guidelines when using buckets:

• Limit to 7-9 buckets max - Too many buckets creates visual clutter and panning right and left
• Keep the bucket titles short - One or two words preferred
• Order strategically - Arrange buckets in a logical sequence, typically left to right
• Use consistent naming conventions - Establish patterns that everyone understands
• Consider color-coding - While buckets themselves can't be colored, you can color-code tasks within them

If you're using process-based buckets, create simple team policies on what it means to be done the work in that bucket/queue. In agile, this is called the "Definition of Done". If you don't discuss and agree to the policies, work will end up being moved into queues before the previous step was completed. This will lead to inaccurate views of completion, and potentially delays when people have to go back and finish the previous step.

OK, we've covered buckets. Now, let's go down one level and understand Tasks.

Tasks: Where the Work Happens

Tasks are the heart of a plan as they represent the actual work that needs to be completed. Each task can have:

• Title and description
• Start and due dates
• Assigned users
• Priority level
• Labels (color-coded categories)
• Attachments
• Comments
• Checklist items (subtasks)

Task Creation Practices

1. Use clear, atomic, action-oriented titles
   • Poor: "Website"
   • Better: "Update product images on homepage"
2. Don't overload task titles with too much information and instead, provide the context in descriptions
   • Add background information, requirements, and success criteria
   • Link to relevant documents or resources
3. Set realistic due dates, preferably ones people committed to
   • Consider dependencies and the team member's capacity
   • Build in buffer time for unexpected issues
   • Try not to assign tasks to people without talking to them first and obtaining their commitment
4. Assign thoughtfully
   • Avoid assigning to multiple people as accountability gets diluted
   • Consider workload balance across your team
   • Talk to the team member about the work so there's a clear understanding of it. I prefer people to self-assign ("pull" model) vs. assigning tasks ("push" model) but that requires a fair bit of maturity in the team.
5. Not too big, not too small
   1. Determining how detailed to get in a schedule is tricky. Too detailed and you spend all your time updating the schedule instead of doing the work. Too high level and it's difficult to know where the progress is at.

Speaking of detail, avoid granular tasks and instead break down tasks.

Subtasks: Breaking Down Complexity

Subtasks appear as checklist items within a task. They're perfect for:

• Breaking complex tasks into manageable steps
• Creating simple acceptance criteria
• Tracking incremental progress

When to Use Subtasks vs. Separate Tasks

This is one of the most common points of confusion in Planner. Here's when to use each:

Use subtasks when:

• Items are small steps toward completing the main task
• Work will be done by the same person
• You don't need to track detailed information about each step
• Steps don't require individual due dates or assignments

Create separate tasks when:

• Work requires different assignees
• Items need their own due dates
• You need to track progress separately in reports
• You want to use labels or priorities for each component

Subtask Limitations to Be Aware Of

Subtasks in Microsoft Planner have some limitations:

• Cannot be assigned to different team members
• Don't have their own due dates
• Cannot have attachments, comments, or labels
• Don't appear separately in Charts view
• Cannot be filtered or searched individually

Common Challenges and How to Fix Them

The following are some of the challenges you might run into when using Planner and how to resolve them.

Creating Too Many Small Tasks

When everything becomes its own task, your board becomes cluttered and hard to manage. Instead, use subtasks for smaller items that don't need individual tracking. Group related small tasks under a parent task with a checklist.

Using Overly Broad Tasks

Tasks like "Update Website" are too vague and difficult to complete. Try breaking down large work into specific, actionable tasks with clear completion criteria.

Inconsistent Bucket Strategy

Mixing different organizational systems e.g. some buckets for status, others for teams confuses people. Use one primary organization method for buckets and then use labels or other task properties for secondary categorization.

Not Updating Task Status

Tasks remain in the wrong buckets, making it hard to trust the board. Instead, build a team habit of moving tasks between buckets as status changes. Consider a weekly cleanup meeting.

Advanced Structure Strategies

Template Plans

For recurring projects, create a template plan with your ideal bucket structure and common tasks. Copy this plan when starting new projects to maintain consistency.

Hub and Spoke Model

For complex projects you can do the following:

1. Create a high-level "hub" plan with major milestones
2. Create detailed "spoke" plans for specific workstreams
3. Use links in task descriptions to connect related items

I haven't done this yet in Planner, I worry that the linking of tasks across plans may not be intuitive and you need to copy/paste URLs vs. having a lookup like you do within a plan.

Progressive Elaboration

Start with broad task outlines, then gradually break them down into more detailed subtasks as you learn more about the work required. There's a concept in agile that I like called "the last responsible moment" where you don't elaborate too early because you likely don't know enough. On the flipside, don't elaborate too late as you'll end up with chaos and work that is not well thought out and planned. Find the balance.

So...

A well-structured Planner implementation makes the difference between an effective project management tool and a confusing mess of tasks. By taking the time to think about and organize your buckets, tasks, and subtasks, you'll create clarity for your team and make progress tracking easier.

Remember: the goal is to create a system that works for your team's specific needs, not to follow rigid rules. Experiment with different approaches, gather feedback, and refine your structure over time. Make sure to obtain the team's commitment to keeping their tasks updated otherwise you will be burdened with that and you'll constantly be asking team members: "Are you done yet?" which will drive them nuts!

Plan ahead, adjust, and have fun!