Photo credit: Gemini

Timestamped Summary of Episode 18 Transcript

00:00–00:03 — Episode Intro

• Announces Episode 18 of the Level Up M365 Podcast.
• Topic focus: Project for the Web retirement, updates to Microsoft Planner, and general M365 project management direction.

00:03–00:12 — Show Introduction

• Host: Joe Cole.
• Audience: M365 admins, pros, and business users.
• Purpose: Demystifying the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

00:12–00:52 — Preamble + What’s New

• Joe has been away for a month and shares personal updates.
• Overview of episode flow: preamble → message center news → main content → tip of the week.

00:52–03:17 — Personal Update (Dominican Republic Trip)

• Joe spent February working from Dominican Republic.
• Mentions:
  • Working remotely from Santo Domingo & Punta Cana.
  • Notes about weather, beaches, cost benefits.
  • Creates light personal engagement with listeners.

03:17–04:01 — YouTube Channel Update

• Joe built a YouTube channel as a “dumping ground” for public resources. Here’s the link – https://www.youtube.com/@levelupm365
• Not intended to be high-production content.

04:01–10:00 — Message Center Updates (“Message Radar”)

MC1235123 — OneNote for iOS Local Backups (04:01–06:42)

• OneNote for iOS will create automatic local backups.
• Rollout: Mid‑March → Mid‑April 2026.
• Allows backup visibility in the iOS Files app.
• Useful for cross-platform users or those not using OneDrive.
• here is the link – https://admin.microsoft.com/#/MessageCenter/:/messages/MC1235123

MC1193421 — Planner Features Being Retired (06:42–07:55)

• Major Planner overhaul in early 2026.
• New features: task chats, rich text, goals.
• Retiring:
  • Old task comments
  • Whiteboard tab for premium
  • Planner Loop component
  • Viva Goals integration
  • iCal feed
• Some features will be temporarily unavailable.
• Here is the link – https://admin.microsoft.com/#/MessageCenter/:/messages/MC1193421

MC1234661 — DLP Blocking Copilot Processing (07:55–10:00)

• DLP policies will block Copilot from processing sensitive labeled files, even on local devices.
• Rollout: Late March 2026.
• Joe emphasizes governance and Purview benefits for compliance-heavy environments (EHR, government, etc.).
• Here is the link – https://admin.microsoft.com/#/MessageCenter/:/messages/MC1234661

10:00–14:00 — Main Topic: Planner vs Project for the Web

• Planner branding hides two products:
  1. Planner Standard (basic Kanban board).
  2. Planner Premium (replacement for Project for the Web, Dataverse-backed).

Planner Standard

• Simple Kanban tool.
• Losing integrations and features.
• Joe does not recommend using it going forward.

Planner Premium

• P3, P4, P5 tiers.
• Modern project management replacement with:
  • Resource dependencies
  • Reporting
  • Roadmaps
  • Dataverse backend

Recommendation

• For rich project management: use Planner Premium.
• For simple lists: use SharePoint Lists instead of Planner Standard.

14:00–18:00 — Project Management Concepts + Gantt Discussion

• When to choose full project management:
  • When you need dependencies
  • Resource load calculations
  • Gantt charts
• Joe references:
  • Episode 3 (task management tools), link – https://levelupm365.com/2023/11/30/episode-3-the-state-of-tasks-in-microsoft-365/
  • Episode 17 (Gantt chart options), link – https://levelupm365.com/2026/01/12/podcast-17-gantt-chart-options-in-microsoft-365/
  • His custom Power Apps Gantt chart prototype, link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGru_sm9a2I&t=211s

18:00–21:32 — Planner Changes Summary

• Joe has a full written comparison table available on his site.
• Reiterates that Planner Standard is being deprecated, and Planner Premium is the future.
• Link to full write up – https://levelupm365.com/2026/02/11/project-for-the-web-vs-planner-p1-what-microsofts-retirement-announcement-really-means/

21:32–23:20 — Tip of the Week #1: Copilot Bug (Drafts/Sent Items)

• Recent bug: Copilot surfaced sensitive data from Drafts and Sent Items, bypassing DLP.
• Microsoft expects a fix by March 2026.
• Joe warns:
  • Many organizations do not apply retention on the Drafts folder → risk vector.
  • Recommends implementing such policies.
• Link to write up – https://office365itpros.com/2026/02/13/dlp-policy-for-copilot-bug/

23:20–23:55 — Tip of the Week #2: Copilot Chat Conversations

• Copilot Chat now supports:
  • Pinned conversations
  • Renaming conversations
• Joe uses this for recurring conversions (e.g., weight/metric conversions while abroad).
• Link Podcast Episode 14 where we cover Copilot chat – https://levelupm365.com/2025/05/27/podcast-14-exploring-copilot-chat-features-and-benefits-plus-all-the-retirements-coming-up/

23:55–24:30 — Closing

• All resources available at LevelUpM365.com
• Asks listeners what tools they use for task/project management.
• Encourages subscribing, liking, and sharing.

Follow

• Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/level-up-m365/id1718776415
• Spotify – https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/levelupm365/
• Newsletter/Socials – https://levelupm365.com/subscribe-social-page/

If this post was helpful support the effort by ether of the following, share, like, subscribe, leave a tip!