I needed extra from this Microsoft instrument

Microsoft Loop is a kind of Microsoft products that I can see being nice sooner or later sooner or later, however proper now, all of it feels a bit disappointing, particularly when apps like Notion exist, which Loop appears to be a clone of in some ways.

Loop launched again in November 2023, and it did not obtain a lot fan fare at first. Nevertheless, after two years of updates, I made a decision that it was time to pay it a go to as soon as once more and see what’s modified for the higher — or worse.

What’s Microsoft Loop?

Microsoft’s newer note-taking and challenge administration instrument

Loop is a note-taking platform that additionally features as a solution to brainstorm concepts with the remainder of your staff, deal with challenge administration, and do extra, all inside a single app (or webpage). It must be famous that whereas anybody with a Microsoft account can use Loop, you may must be a Home windows 11 Enterprise consumer to entry the devoted app. There’s additionally a cell model from Microsoft that is accessible for Android.

Microsoft Loop gives a variety of templates and the app itself comes with a clear, minimalist look. In case you’ve used Notion earlier than, you may be very snug throughout the Loop UI, and it is loads cleaner trying than Microsoft OneNote. There’s an infinite-scroll canvas which lets you create free-form notes or Kanban boards. Loop itself is a block editor that permits you to organize blocks by dragging and dropping, making it a extra immersive note-taking expertise and much like newer apps equivalent to Craft.

As an alternative of getting to hunt by a protracted toolbar or menus, Loop makes use of slash instructions for formatting features and content material templates. If you kind / into the physique of textual content in Loop, a listing of choices will seem, together with bulleted lists, numbered lists, tables, and extra. This makes it simple to make on-the-fly changes to no matter challenge you are engaged on, and is one in all my favourite options of Loop. Granted, it is not distinctive to Loop — it is a function present in each Craft and Notion, too.

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Venture administration and Microsoft Loop

From collaborating and sharing with stakeholders to managing private initiatives

Along with note-taking and drafting, Microsoft Loop additionally features as a challenge administration instrument. You’ll be able to insert a Kanban into any file within the utility, however there is a devoted challenge administration template that I like to recommend utilizing if you’re seeking to replicate an app equivalent to Jira, Asana, or Trello.

One factor I actually favored about Loop is its integration into platforms within the Microsoft 365 suite, like Excel and Groups. Loop does assist you to absolutely create and handle a big challenge, however it should work finest in the event you aren’t utilizing Slack and Gmail, and somewhat Groups and Outlook as a substitute.

You’ll be able to customise any column in Microsoft Loop to no matter fits your wants. Just lately, Loop was up to date to function rule-based automation, so you may create alerts for necessary due dates in your columns. Once more, whereas I am glad to see these options being rolled out to Microsoft Loop, they’ve lengthy been accessible in most, if not all, challenge administration software program on the market.

The place Microsoft Loop actually shines is in its collaborative features. It is one of many higher collaborative apps I’ve tried out from the corporate, and you may inform that Loop was designed for use with a staff. It is easy to ask anybody to a workspace by including their Microsoft account e mail to the shape, and it is an effective way to tie the whole lot collectively in the event you work in a staff with a number of folks and totally different stakeholders. Loop is seamlessly built-in with different Microsoft merchandise, particularly Outlook and Groups. You’ll be able to share the whole lot in Groups and sync your Outlook to Loop and vice versa, making a Loop an important possibility in the event you’re already utilizing the Microsoft ecosystem for many issues.

You’ll be able to import lists and paperwork from different Microsoft apps equivalent to OneNote, Planner, and Phrase into Loop. For instance, a writing staff can write its paperwork in Microsoft Phrase, and with the Loop plug-in, ship a hyperlink to their editor by way of Loop. This could drastically simplify your workflow, however it should work finest if you’re already utilizing the total Microsoft 365 suite.

Why Microsoft Loop finally lets me down

Loop takes a drained method to productiveness

Pocket-lint / Microsoft

Microsoft is not by any means the worst productiveness software program I’ve examined. It is tightly built-in into the Microsoft 365 suite, incorporates a user-friendly interface and is simple to study. It is an important possibility in the event you work in an workplace and also you and your staff are already utilizing the Microsoft 365 suite. Nevertheless, it does not differentiate itself sufficient from Notion, Craft, and Coda for me to essentially think about abandoning the productiveness apps I am already utilizing each day.

A big a part of my qualm with Loop is that I do not personally make a lot use of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Nevertheless, in the event you’re managing a staff and utilizing Groups as a substitute of Slack alongside Jira or Asana for challenge administration, Loop supplies a very easy solution to preserve the whole lot contained inside one ecosystem. That being mentioned, Microsoft nonetheless has a protracted solution to go to make Loop seamless throughout the Microsoft 365 suite. On this manner, Loop is hindered considerably by being throughout the walled palace of the Microsoft 365 suite, particularly in the case of getting folks over from different productiveness apps from exterior the Microsoft ecosystem.

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Who’s Microsoft Loop for?

Groups already throughout the Microsoft 365 suite

Microsoft Loop is geared toward enterprise customers, and whereas it is an effective way to deliver a number of groups collectively simply, it does not deliver something new to the desk in its present iteration to make it a killer app. Microsoft’s been steadily updating Loop for the previous two years, so I may see it turning into top-of-the-line productiveness apps sooner or later, however, for now, it does not do sufficient to distinguish itself from the pack.

I’d advocate Loop to any enterprise-level staff supervisor. In case your staff is already utilizing the Microsoft 365 suite for many issues, however your challenge administration is in an app equivalent to Jira, Asana, or Notion, switching over to Loop is price it. In case you’re working exterior the Microsoft ecosystem, I do not suppose there’s sufficient there to make it price switching.

Microsoft Loop

Microsoft Loop is a collaboration instrument designed to assist groups work collectively in real-time throughout Microsoft 365 apps, providing dynamic parts like job lists, notes, and challenge boards that sync immediately throughout platforms.