I wished 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 capabilities as a strategy 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 should be a Home windows 11 Enterprise person to entry the devoted app. There’s additionally a cellular model from Microsoft that is out there for Android.

Microsoft Loop gives a variety of templates and the app itself comes with a clear, minimalist look. In the event you’ve used Notion earlier than, you may be very snug throughout the Loop UI, and it is lots cleaner wanting 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 just like newer apps reminiscent of Craft.

As an alternative of getting to hunt by way of a protracted toolbar or menus, Loop makes use of slash instructions for formatting capabilities and content material templates. Once you sort / 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 considered one of 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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Mission administration and Microsoft Loop

From collaborating and sharing with stakeholders to managing private tasks

Along with note-taking and drafting, Microsoft Loop additionally capabilities as a challenge administration instrument. You may insert a Kanban into any file within the utility, however there is a devoted challenge administration template that I like to recommend utilizing in case you are seeking to replicate an app reminiscent of Jira, Asana, or Trello.

One factor I actually appreciated about Loop is its integration into platforms within the Microsoft 365 suite, like Excel and Groups. Loop does will let you totally create and handle a big challenge, however it’ll work greatest if you happen to aren’t utilizing Slack and Gmail, and slightly Groups and Outlook as an alternative.

You may 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’ll be able to create alerts for vital 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 out there in most, if not all, challenge administration software program on the market.

The place Microsoft Loop actually shines is in its collaborative capabilities. 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 every part collectively if you happen to 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 may share every part in Groups and sync your Outlook to Loop and vice versa, making a Loop a terrific choice if you happen to’re already utilizing the Microsoft ecosystem for many issues.

You may import lists and paperwork from different Microsoft apps reminiscent of 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 through Loop. This may vastly simplify your workflow, however it’ll work greatest in case you are 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, contains a user-friendly interface and is simple to study. It is a terrific choice if you happen to 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 contemplate abandoning the productiveness apps I am already utilizing every 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, if you happen to’re managing a staff and utilizing Groups as an alternative of Slack alongside Jira or Asana for challenge administration, Loop offers a very easy strategy to preserve every part contained inside one ecosystem. That being stated, Microsoft nonetheless has a protracted strategy 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 relation to getting folks over from different productiveness apps from outdoors 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 carry a number of groups collectively simply, it does not carry 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 might see it turning into among the finest productiveness apps sooner or later, however, for now, it does not do sufficient to distinguish itself from the pack.

I might suggest 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 reminiscent of Jira, Asana, or Notion, switching over to Loop is value it. In the event you’re working outdoors the Microsoft ecosystem, I do not assume there’s sufficient there to make it value switching.

Microsoft Loop

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