Category: Collaboration

Cloud Productivity, Collaboration, Document Collaboration, Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Governance, Microsoft Teams, Modern Workplace, Tips & Tricks, User Adoption

“Project Channels” in a Team is a bad idea

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen people create a new team channel for a new project. I can understand that you do it because you quickly get started with creating and saving files and having dialogue via posts in the “project channel”. The idea and ambition are good, but I believe it is wrong to use Teams in this way. Below in this post, I’ll show you some of my arguments for why I think it’s wrong and finally, finish with a tip on what you should do instead.

Continue reading ““Project Channels” in a Team is a bad idea” →
Cloud Productivity, Collaboration, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Lists, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Teams Apps, Modern Workplace, No-Code, Problem Solving, SharePoint Online, Tips & Tricks

How to create a simple event calendar in a Team

It is not uncommon for me to be asked how to create a calendar in a Team in Microsoft Teams. Most of the time, the need is about just wanting an overview of what will happen in the coming days.

  • Should you use the group calendar in the Team’s M365 group?
  • Is it perhaps better to use a channel calendar?
  • Is there possibly an even better and easier way to solve this?

Below I will show you some different options.

Continue reading “How to create a simple event calendar in a Team” →
Cloud Productivity, Collaboration, Document Collaboration, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Modern Workplace, Office 365, SharePoint Online, Tips & Tricks

Make your Office templates available to all users

Most companies and organizations have a good ambition that everyone should use the company’s standardized Office templates. The templates must follow the correct graphic profile and have the correct outline. Unfortunately, few companies and organizations succeed in this.

Wrong file types

A common misunderstanding is that an Office template is a “Reusable Office file” with the file extension .docx .xlsx or .pptx that you copy and change. Nothing could be more wrong.

“Real” Office templates have the following file extensions:

  • Word = .dotx
  • Excel = .xltx
  • PowerPoint = .potx

Stored in the wrong place

Sometimes the templates are on a file server, hopefully, the templates are at least stored somewhere on the company’s Microsoft 365 tenant (sometimes in a document library in SharePoint, sometimes they are even in a Team or spread across several Teams and channels.)

Sometimes you might even have your Office templates stored in an external solution that users have to log into and download the templates from. This often means that you miss when a new version has arrived and you continue, blissfully unaware, to work with your locally stored downloaded outdated templates.

Wrong Access rights

An interesting detail is that when you store these “Reusable Office files” (that are not valid template formats), in an area where most users have editor rights, it is guaranteed that sooner or later someone has been inside and changed one or more of these files.

A good way to avoid these problems is to create “real” Office templates and store them in an area where only a few people have editor rights while all employees have read rights.

But is there an easy way to make these templates available to all users directly from Word, Excel and PowerPoint? The answer is a resounding YES! Keep reading to find out how.

Continue reading “Make your Office templates available to all users” →
Image by Alexa from Pixabay
Cloud Productivity, Collaboration, Document Collaboration, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Modern Workplace, Tips & Tricks, User Adoption

Make yourself seen and heard in Microsoft Teams

You may wonder why it takes so long to hear back from your colleagues. Sometimes it is perhaps so bad that you don’t get an answer at all?

It is a fact that Some people are better at following along, listening and being interested and following what is happening, while others do not react until you tap them on the shoulder. Sometimes the reason may be that it is you yourself who does not work in a way that makes you sufficiently visible. In this case I’m thinking of what it’s like when you communicate in Microsoft Teams.

Continue reading “Make yourself seen and heard in Microsoft Teams” →
Automation, Christmas, Cloud Productivity, Collaboration, Festive Tech Calendar, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Community, Microsoft Forms, Microsoft Teams, Modern Workplace, Planner

How Santa uses Microsoft Teams to plan for Christmas

Background

It’s already October and Christmas is fast approaching. Santa begins to feel sick to his stomach from the annual stress this entails. Considering how big his belly has now become, you can imagine the discomfort he is experiencing.

As far back as Santa can remember, he has used paper and pen to keep all his chores in order. The goblins must know where to go. The reindeers must be prepared and in good shape for all travel. Santa himself must get his clothes in order. That’s right, the Christmas gifts too. After all, he must get hold of all the Christmas presents that he will later distribute to the children.

Photo by Edgar Moran on Unsplash

Photo by Edgar Moran on Unsplash

But how will he be able to keep track of what each child wished for? There will be so many wish lists.

Continue reading “How Santa uses Microsoft Teams to plan for Christmas” →
Cloud Productivity, Collaboration, Document Collaboration, File shares, Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Governance, Microsoft Teams, Modern Workplace, OneDrive for Business, Planning, SharePoint Online, Tips & Tricks, User Adoption

Information structure in Microsoft Teams – Where should I save (and later also find) the documents?

In my daily work, I meet far too many companies and organizations that take the information structure too lightly. Sometimes due to lack of time, but sometimes due to carelessness. Either reason will sooner or later lead to chaos and irritated users. In the best case scenario, one has in any case gotten away from storing files on file servers and instead got over to Microsoft 365 with Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive as storage areas.
BUT
Unfortunately, it is far too common to just dump the files where you see that it is possible.

Here are some examples of Basic misuse (which many actually do).

  • Put all files on OneDrive
  • Put all files in one Document Library on a SharePoint Site
  • Put all files in the General channel in a Team

The reason for this blog post

On the first of September 2022, I will participate in Kai Stenberg’s PodCast “Teams Cast away“. There we will talk about information structure in Microsoft Teams. This blog post is written with the aim of sharing some tips with others who might wonder how to build a smart and logical structure in the simplest possible way so that you know where documents belong and can easily find them again when working in Microsoft Teams.

“Create and store documents in their logical/intuitive context. Then you and your colleagues don’t need to waste time searching for them later”

A golden rule in the handling of documents in Microsoft Teams is that the documents must always be created and stored in their relevant context. In my world, there should always be a relevant channel where a document fits. If you have relevant channels, you store documents and conversations in a relevant/logical context, and thus you don’t have to look for them. They simply have a natural place where they belong and your other team members should know (and practice) that too.


Below I will give you some simple and basic tips on what to keep in mind when you have a document that you are wondering where it belongs.

Continue reading “Information structure in Microsoft Teams – Where should I save (and later also find) the documents?” →
Cloud Platform, Cloud Productivity, Cloud Security, Collaboration, Dynamics 365, ERP, Integration, Microsoft 365, Modern Workplace, Security & Compliance, User Adoption

From Skill to Evidi

What does this actually mean?

Many people have contacted me believing that I have changed employers. It is very nice but not entirely true.

I have been with Skill on our whole wonderful memorable journey from the establishment until now. This has been a time in my working life that I will never forget. We have accomplished so many good and great things together and we have had so much fun together. We have had an incredibly good culture and genuine friendship and kindness and, not least, lots of knowledge.

I have not changed jobs, instead it is just time for a new chapter. The companies eSeven, Pilaro, Communicate, AITC and Skill have now joined forces and can now offer the entire portfolio within Microsoft technology and solutions.

I have met the vast majority of my new colleagues and the fact is that I feel that we are now getting even better. So many friendly, helpful and knowledgeable people in one place. Everyone is different, yet we are very similar.

For me personally, this means that I now have access to many more colleagues and much broader skills and this gives me (and us) a much greater strength when working with our customers.

Together we now gather under the name Evidi and I have a good feeling and genuine belief that we will accomplish great things in the future. Feel free to follow us on our website to get all the news that will come in the future.