Which Tool When?

Which Tool When Banner

 

Communication and Collaboration

Communication

Determining which application to use to get your message out can be tough. Use the chart below to help you determine where best to start your conversation in Office 365.
 

 

Outlook Logo

Outlook

 

Teams Logo

Teams

 

Yammer Logo

Yammer

DescriptionEmail, calendar, contactsChat-based hub for collaborationGathering place for groups of people around topics that interest them
AccessBrowser, Desktop, Moblie ApplicationBrowser, Desktop, Mobile ApplicationBrowser, Mobile Application
Use WhenSending formal messages with heavy content to large groupsSending short, informal messages you'd like quick to immedate response from with those you work with on a regular basisInteracting with people across the organization
Group CreationYesYesYes
File SharingYesYesYes
Live, concurrent file editingNoYesNo
Scheduling CapabilitiesYesYesNo
Audio/Video ConferencingNoYesNo
Screen SharingNoYesNo

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Documents and Productivity

Storage

Both OneDrive and Sharepoint can be used to store and edit documents, but which one should you use? The short answer is both - you'll find that OneDrive and Sharepoint can work hand in hand to provide you a space for drafting personal documents as well as a platform to collaborate on and publish those documents when you're ready. 
 

 

OneDrive Icon

OneDrive

SharePoint Logo

SharePoint Online

DescriptionPersonal Content StorageGroup Content Storage
AccessBrowser, Desktop, Mobile ApplicationBrowser, Mobile Application
Use WhenCreating private files and drafts you're not ready to share or collaborate with others onCollaborating on or files or making them available to others
Features

Version History

Offline access

Co-authoring

External sharing

Mobile access

File-level permissions

Drag-and drop transfer

1 TB of storage

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Faculty

 

Presentation Tools

Not all presentations are created equal. Sometimes you'll want a presentation to run in the background or be interactive, while other times you may need a few slides to aid in your presentation. Either way, deciding between Office 365 presentation tools like PowerPoint and Sway will come down to how you build your presentation, who will present, and what type of content you'd like to add.
 
Sway Logo

Sway

PowerPoint Logo

PowerPoint

DescriptionOnline storytellingSlideshow presentations
AccessBrowser, Mobile ApplicationBrowser, Desktop, Mobile Application 
Offline AccessNoYes
Use When

Creating interactive presentations that integrate well with online content or content that doesn't need a presenter with it

Creating static slide deck content will have a presenter

Layout Options

Continuous vertical and horizontal scroll, slideshow

Slideshow

Adding Content

Manually add:

Images

Text

Charts and Graphs

Audio/Video

Screenshots and recordings

Excel spreadsheets

Word documents

 

Pull web content from:

Bing search

OneDrive

SharePoint

Wikipedia

Youtube

Flickr

Manually add:

Images

Text

Charts and Graphs

Audio/Video

Screenshots and recordings

3D objects

Excel spreadsheets

Word documents

 

Pull web content from:

Bing search

OneDrive

SharePoint

Slide and Presentation Design SuggestionsYesOnly in newer (2019) versions
Content SuggestionsYesNo
Customizable TemplatesYesYes

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Task and Project Management

 

Project Management

Organizing a project and not sure how to pick between Project and Planner? In short, Planner works similar to Trello or Jira and works with a modern, clean display of dashboards, tasks, and buckets. Project offers more complex project management features like itemized tasks that can be connected, grouped, assigned, and more.
 
Planner Logo

Planner

Project Logo

Project Online

ToDo Logo

To-Do

DescriptionSmall Group Project and Task ManagementFormal Group Project and Portfolio ManagementPersonal Task and Project Management
AccessBrowser and Mobile ApplicationBrowser and Windows ApplicationBrowser and Mobile Application 
CostNone

Faculty - Free

Professional - $32.23/annual license

Premium - $59.08/annual license

None
Use ForSmall team who needs to just get stuff doneFormal project managementManaging personal tasks 
Task AssignmentYesYesNo
Sub-Project SupportNoYesNo
Custom views, groups, and filtersNoYesNo
Advanced Features (Resource Planning, Timelines, Gant Charts, etc.)NoYesYes

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Microsoft 365 Applications

Teams Logo

Teams

Chat and more in a hub for teamwork and collaboration.

Office Logo

Office Online

Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.

SharePoint Logo

Sharepoint Online

Create and manage team content, sites, and document libraries.

OneDrive Icon

OneDrive

Store files that you can access from anywhere.

Forms Logo

Forms

Collect data and information easily.

OneNote Icon

OneNote

Cross-functional notebook for all your notetaking needs.

PowerAutomate Logo

PowerAutomate

Automate and streamline repetitive tasks and business processes.

PowerBI Logo

PowerBI

Create visual dashboards and reports.

Planner Logo

Planner

Organize and assign tasks and projects.

Project Logo

Project Online

Manage small to large projects and initiatives with a premier project and portfolio management application.

ToDo Logo

To-Do

Manage To-do lists for any project or task.

Visio Logo

Visio Online

Create vector diagrams.

Delve Logo

Delve

Manage your Microsoft 365 profile and discover content across the organization.

Stream Logo

Stream

Create, upload, share, and discover video.

Sway Logo

Sway

Create and publish presentations using modern digital design features.

Yammer Logo

Yammer

Connect with your organization using M365 integrated employee social network.