Navigating Teams and the abundance of possibilities!

Teams can enhance productivity and collaboration, IF you understand it 😇

I have had a lot of questions regarding what to use when, and how to understand the different key functions in Teams, like when to use Chat vs Posts, when to share a link vs attachment and so on.
Because this is a very reoccurring event, I made a couple of slides to show how you can navigate this!

Why should I use Teams?

Some people are still unsure of the reasons to use Teams, and this is mostly due to the lack of information and training from the organization. People need a clear understanding of:

• WHY they should use something
• HOW they should use it
• WHAT they get out of it.

We are very simple; we just need to understand the basics. So here is my take on WHY 💪

Should I create a new team?

When deciding whether to create a new team or use an existing one, consider the purpose and scope of your project. If your project involves a unique set of members and objectives that are distinct from existing teams, creating a new team is advisable. This promotes focused discussions, clear organization, and tailored resources. However, if the project aligns closely with ongoing work within an existing team, leveraging the established team can foster continuity, easier access to relevant documents, and streamlined communication.

Purpose:

• Focused Discussions: A new team allows for discussions to be centered around specific goals and tasks without unrelated interruptions.
• Clear Organization: It helps in maintaining a structured environment where all resources and conversations are relevant to the project.
• Tailored Resources: Resources can be customized to meet the specific needs of the project, ensuring that all members have access to the necessary tools and information.

Participants:

• Streamlined Communication: Leveraging an established team can simplify communication, as members are already familiar with each other and the project’s context.
• Unique Set of Members: If the project requires collaboration from individuals with specialized skills or knowledge not present in existing teams, forming a new team is beneficial.
• Distinct Objectives: When the project’s goals are significantly different from those of existing teams, a new team can provide a dedicated space to achieve these objectives.
• Continuity and Integration: If the project is an extension of ongoing work, using an existing team can help maintain continuity and integrate new tasks seamlessly into the current workflow.

Should I create a new channel?

When deciding whether to create a new team or use an existing one, consider the purpose and scope of your project. If your project involves a unique set of members and objectives that are distinct from existing teams, creating a new team is advisable. This promotes focused discussions, clear organization, and tailored resources. However, if the project aligns closely with ongoing work within an existing team, leveraging the established team can foster continuity, easier access to relevant documents, and streamlined communication.

Purpose:

• Focused Discussions: A new team allows for discussions to be centered around specific goals and tasks without unrelated interruptions.
• Clear Organization: It helps in maintaining a structured environment where all resources and conversations are relevant to the project.
• Tailored Resources: Resources can be customized to meet the specific needs of the project, ensuring that all members have access to the necessary tools and information.

Participants:

• Unique Set of Members: If the project requires collaboration from individuals with specialized skills or knowledge not present in existing teams, forming a new team is beneficial.
• Distinct Objectives: When the project’s goals are significantly different from those of existing teams, a new team can provide a dedicated space to achieve these objectives.
• Continuity and Integration: If the project is an extension of ongoing work, using an existing team can help maintain continuity and integrate new tasks seamlessly into the current workflow.
• Streamlined Communication: Leveraging an established team can simplify communication, as members are already familiar with each other and the project’s context.

Channels:

• Clear Objectives: Ensure that each channel has a clear objective and is used consistently to avoid confusion. This enhances communication and collaboration, making it easier for everyone involved to stay on track and contribute effectively.
• Focused Areas: Channels within a team serve as specific areas for focused discussions and content related to different aspects of your project or department.
• Clarity and Organization: If conversations and files are getting cluttered or off-topic, creating a new channel can help maintain clarity and organization, allowing team members to easily find and contribute to relevant discussions.
• Dedicated Attention: Consider the nature of the content you wish to share. If it is a new project or a sub-topic that requires dedicated attention, a new channel can provide a structured space for this purpose.

Should I create a calendar meeting or a Channel Meeting 🗓

When deciding whether to create a Channel Meeting or a calendar meeting, it’s important to understand the distinct advantages of each format.

Channel Meeting
A channel meeting is ideal when you want to ensure that the discussion and information shared are accessible to all members of a specific team or project. Channel Meetings are held within a designated channel on Teams, making it easy for all participants to find related files, notes, and chat conversations in one place. This setup is particularly beneficial for ongoing projects or recurring discussions where continuity and transparency are key. Everyone in the channel can view the meeting details, join the conversation, and access shared resources, fostering a collaborative environment.

Everything from the meeting gets stored within the channel. Recordings, notes and so on will be available within the channel.

Regular meeting
On the other hand, a standard calendar meeting, is more suitable for one-time discussions, cross-departmental collaborations, or meetings with external participants. Regular meetings provide flexibility in inviting participants from various teams or outside the organization, and they are not tied to a specific channel. This format is useful when the meeting’s content does not need to be continuously accessed by a large group or when the scope of the meeting is broad and involves diverse stakeholders.

To decide which type of meeting to choose, consider the following:

• Purpose: Is the meeting for an ongoing project that requires consistent updates and shared resources? If so, opt for a channel meeting. If it’s a one-time or cross-functional discussion, a regular meeting might be more appropriate.
• Participants: Are all attendees part of the same channel, or do you need to include people from different teams or external contacts? Channel meetings are best for internal team discussions, while regular meetings offer greater flexibility in participant selection.
• Accessibility: Do you want the meeting content to be easily accessible within a specific channel for future reference? Channel meetings keep everything organized within the channel, whereas regular meetings are more standalone.

Chat or Post in a channel?

First – what are Chat and Post ✏️

Chat refers to real-time, instant messaging between individuals or groups. It’s typically used for quick, back-and-forth communication. Examples include messaging apps like Microsoft Teams, Slack, or WhatsApp. Chat is great for:

• Immediate responses: Perfect for quick questions or urgent matters.
• Collaboration: Ideal for team discussions and brainstorming.
• Informal interactions: Suitable for casual conversations and quick updates.

Post refers to messages or updates shared in a more static, often asynchronous format. These are usually found on social media platforms, forums, or internal company boards. Examples include Facebook posts, LinkedIn updates, or announcements on a company intranet. Posts are useful for:

• Detailed information: Sharing comprehensive updates or announcements.
• Documentation: Providing information that others can refer to later.
• Formal communication: Suitable for official announcements or policy updates.

And why should we use Posts instead of Outlook???

The eternal struggle of “Reply” versus “Reply All.” Imagine this: Sarah from marketing sends a cheerful “Happy Friday!” message to the entire department. You want to reply just to Sarah, but in your caffeine-deprived state, you hit “Reply All” instead. Suddenly, your seemingly innocent “You too! Ready for the weekend?” is broadcasted to 50 of your colleagues.

Bob from accounting now knows you’re planning a quiet weekend of Netflix and pizza. Karen from HR sees it and questions if she should organize a team outing instead. The IT department is once again flooded with emails, this time of colleagues who follow your lead, sharing their weekend plans or, worse, replying with “Why am I on this chain?”

So now, instead of finishing up your tasks, you’re stuck in a never-ending thread of out-of-office plans, cat pictures, and memes, all because of that one moment of “Reply All” chaos. Ah, the joys of email.

Use URGENT message🚨 or annoucement📢

To confuse further, we have different versions of chat messages and posts. So how can we facilitate this?

Both chat and announcement have the setting IMPORTANT to set a sense of urgency on the message given. Only chat has the option of URGENT. This should only be used in case of urgency. URGENT alerts the receiver every 2 minutes for 20 minutes if message is not read…

Urgent Message:

• Purpose: Used for time-sensitive information that requires immediate attention and action.
• Medium: Typically sent via chat, email, or SMS to ensure quick delivery.
• Examples: Emergency alerts, critical updates, or immediate action items.

Announcement:

• Purpose: Used for sharing important information that needs to be communicated to a broader audience but doesn’t require immediate action.
• Medium: Often posted on company intranets, bulletin boards, or sent via email.
• Examples: Policy changes, event notifications, or general updates.

When to Use Each:

• Use an urgent message when you need a quick response or immediate action from the recipients.
• Use an announcement when you need to inform a larger group about something important but not necessarily urgent.

Where should I store my files 📑

Both OneDrive and Teams have their unique strengths, and the best choice depends on your specific needs.
If you’re working on personal documents or drafts, OneDrive is a great choice. For team projects and collaborative work, Teams is the way to go.

OneDrive

• Personal Storage: Ideal for storing personal files or work-in-progress documents that aren’t ready to be shared with a team.
• Syncing: Syncs files across your devices, making them accessible from anywhere.
• Sharing: You can share files with specific individuals and collaborate in real-time.

Teams

• Collaboration: Perfect for real-time collaboration and communication within a group or department.
• Project Management: Use it to manage projects, share files, and have conversations all in one place.
• Integration: Files shared in Teams are stored in the associated SharePoint site, making them accessible to all team members.

OneDrive is optimal for personal work-related use, whereas Teams is specifically designed for collaborative group efforts. It being a project, team collaboration or just sharing within a subject. Files within Teams are stored in SharePoint, while OneDrive stores files in personal storage space.

Should I send a link or an attachment?

Picture this: someone sends the same 50-page report as an email attachment to the entire office, not once, but ten times. Every. Single. Day. Bob from accounting opens his inbox and groans at the sight of yet another “Final Report_V10_ReallyFinal.pdf” email. Karen from HR contemplates career alternatives as her storage space rapidly dwindles under the weight of a thousand identical attachments. The IT department is inundated with desperate calls about “inbox overload,” and the network grinds to a halt as everyone’s devices try to download the same monstrous file repeatedly. Instead of working on their actual tasks, the whole office is stuck in an endless loop of downloading and deleting identical files, dreaming of a world where links and shared drives rule the land.

So, how to fix this?

When to Send a Link

• Large Files: If the file is too large to send as an attachment, a link is a better option.
• Collaboration: When you want others to collaborate on the document, sending a link allows them to edit and comment in real-time.
• Updates: If the document is frequently updated, a link ensures that recipients always have access to the latest version.
• Security: Links can be set with permissions, such as view-only or edit access, and can be password-protected.

When to Send an Attachment

• Small Files: For smaller files that don’t exceed email size limits, attachments are convenient.
• Offline Access: If the recipient needs to access the file offline, an attachment is more suitable.
• Quick Sharing: For quick, one-time sharing where collaboration isn’t needed, attachments work well.
• Consistency: If you want to ensure the recipient has a specific version of the file, sending it as an attachment is best.

Be aware! Security: Ensure that sensitive information is shared securely, whether via link or attachment.

In essence, both methods of sharing files have their specific advantages. Choosing between sending a link or an attachment depends on the context of your sharing needs. If you are looking for flexibility, real-time collaboration, and enhanced security features, sending a link might be the best choice. However, for straightforward, one-time exchanges or when offline access is crucial, attachments remain a reliable option. Always consider the size, purpose, and sensitivity of the document to determine the most appropriate method of sharing.

I hope this makes it easier for some of you to understand the use of Teams!

Good luck!