At its online conference in November 2021, Microsoft announced the release of a new collaboration platform – Microsoft Loop.
Designed specifically to fit the remote working world that has emerged due to the global pandemic, Loop is designed to help teams of people think, plan and work together easily. It also responds to a market need to bring all Office software together and enables users to move freely between applications.
What is Microsoft Loop?
It is a platform that brings together all Microsoft 365 applications and which keeps all software in sync. It consists of three key features:
1. Components
Loop Components can vary from user to user and might include lists in Excel, notes in a Word document, extracts from Teams, or functions from Microsoft Dynamics.
Individuals can use Components in collaboration with others and all software is continuously synced, so there is no risk of people looking at different versions.
New functionality includes a voting table to help teams make quick and clear decisions together and a status tracker to track the progress of projects.
2. Pages
Loop pages are a space where individual users can put all the most commonly-used Loop components in the order and size they prefer. Pages can evolve over time as projects grow.
3. Workspaces
These are shared spaces that are available to the whole team, enabling everyone to view content at any time, keep each other informed and share feedback promptly.
Timing
Release dates have not yet been confirmed, but we know that Loop Components will be rolling out first, with the standalone app that encompasses Loop Pages and Loop Workspaces arriving later. Watch this space for more news!