Category: Modern Workplace

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miss when a new version has arrived and you continue, blissfully unaware, to work with your locally stored downloaded outdated templates.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” →
Cloud Productivity, Document Collaboration, Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Loop, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, Modern Workplace

Microsoft Loop is here but what is it?

Yesterday, March 22, 2023, Microsoft announced that the Loop app is available in public preview. Launches are always fun and spark a lot of curiosity, but what exactly is the Microsoft Loop? Well in short it is as follows:

Microsoft Loop is a new productivity tool designed to help users organize their work and collaborate with others more effectively. One can say that it is a “cloud-based platform” that allows users to create, share, and collaborate on various types of content, including documents, notes, tasks, and more. It offers an intuitive and flexible workspace where users can organize their content into different sections, such as meetings, projects, and teams.

There are three key parts of Microsoft Loop:

  • Components
  • Workspaces
  • Pages

One of the key features of Microsoft Loop is its integration with other Microsoft applications, such as Teams, Outlook, and OneNote. This integration allows users to easily access and share their content across different platforms, making it easier to collaborate with colleagues and work more efficiently.

In addition, Loop also offers a range of customizable templates that can be used to create various types of content, such as agendas, meeting notes, and project plans. These templates can be customized to fit specific needs and workflows, making it easier for users to get started and stay organized.

Short summary

Microsoft Loop is a powerful productivity tool that offers a range of features designed to help users work more efficiently and collaborate more effectively with others. Whether you’re working on a project with a team or managing your own workload, Loop can help you stay organized, focused, and productive, and I guess that’s something that we all aspire to be. Therefore, this may be of interest to most of us.

As usual, the internet is flooded when news like this launches, so below I’ve compiled some useful and overview articles that can give you the information you need to get started:

Microsoft Loop – Think, plan, and create together like never before

New Microsoft Loop app is built for modern co-creation

The SharePoint storage platform supports the Loop app – Components, pages, and workspaces

Learn how to enable the Microsoft Loop app, now in Public Preview

Artificial Intelligence, Change, Cloud Productivity, Cognitive Services, Machine Learning, Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Autopilot, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, Modern Workplace, Viva Engage

Today I allow myself to be impressed. Welcome Microsoft 365 Copilot

I am very sparing when it comes to the use of superlatives but this time I allow myself to use the word revolutionary! I’m not the easily impressed type either. In fact, I am almost never impressed by anyone or anything but Microsoft 365 Copilot really impresses me! We will hear- and see a lot more of this in the future.

Image by Niek Verlaan from Pixabay

Microsoft 365 Copilot will change the way we work using:

  • Copilot in Word
  • Copilot in Excel
  • Copilot in PowerPoint
  • Copilot in Outlook
  • Copilot in Teams
  • Copilot in Viva Engage
Continue reading “Today I allow myself to be impressed. Welcome Microsoft 365 Copilot” →
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, Cloud Productivity, Digitalisation, Microsoft 365, Modern Workplace, No-Code, Power Automate, Tips & Tricks, Viva Engage, Yammer

Simple Power Automate flow to post a friendly reminder in a Yammer Community

There are many of us who, as a natural part of our work, have the mandatory task of filling in time reports for each completed work week. In the best of worlds, of course you and all your colleagues always have a clear conscience when it comes to this.

Continue reading “Simple Power Automate flow to post a friendly reminder in a Yammer Community” →
Data Residency, Microsoft 365, Modern Workplace, Security & Compliance, Tips & Tricks, Viva Engage, Yammer

A tribute to Yammer (and some thoughtful security considerations)

My opinion on Yammer for intra-company networking

Yammer/Viva Engage is an incredibly useful tool for formal and informal internal networks in an organization.

Yammer is where

  • You can call out into the forest and quickly get an answer.
  • You can share both good and less good experiences with the aim of strengthening your colleagues.
  • The transparency of an organization really shines through.
  • The shy ones who otherwise do not dare to stand up and express themselves have a forum in which they can feel included and comfortable.
  • Leaders can inform by using posts and announcements and all employees are involved and given the opportunity to comment.

If you’ve read this far in this text, you’ve already understood that I’m a big fan of Yammer. I have always been a big supporter of transparency and knowledge-/experience sharing. The best way for me to learn something is to “Work out loud”. Yammer is the tool that gives me exactly what I need.

The best way for me to learn something is to “Work out loud”

But where is my information stored?

Continue reading “A tribute to Yammer (and some thoughtful security considerations)” →
Cloud Productivity, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Modern Workplace

Best news in a long time! The wiki in Microsoft Teams is (finally) retiring

The wiki in Microsoft Teams has never been very useful. I have used it a few times but only to realize that it is not sufficient. I have instead used the Teams associated OneNote as a good replacement.

Now is the time to celebrate!

Photo by SKYLAKE STUDIO on Unsplash

On January 11th, I received the following good news from the Microsoft 365 Message Center.

Image source: MC496248 in Microsoft 365 Message Center
Image source: MC496248 in Microsoft 365 Message Center

But what should you use instead?

Do as I have done (and still do). Use your Teams OneNote instead! You can read more about how to use OneNote in Teams here: Add a OneNote notebook to Teams.

Image source: MC496248 in Microsoft 365 Message Center
Image source: MC496248 in Microsoft 365 Message Center
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.