In the current world of business where things happen at a rapid rate, collaboration is the key to success. Today, organizations of all sizes have embraced Microsoft Teams as a comprehensive communication platform for holding meetings, sharing files, messaging, and project management.
Whether you are a proficient Teams user or just beginning to use it; knowing the different methods of creating and using teams will unleash its power. The present article is focused on the core elements of establishing Teams in Microsoft, and it discusses the benefits you can get as well as the various versions that exist.
What is a Team in Microsoft Teams?
In Microsoft Teams, a “team” is a collaborative space where you can chat, share files, hold meetings, and work on projects with your team members. You can create different teams for different purposes, such as managing departments inside your company, projects, or just a specific topic.
You can also customize your teams with various apps and tabs to suit your needs, like Microsoft Lists for example.
Are There Any Requirements to Create a Team in Microsoft Teams?
Yes, there are a few requirements that you should know about before creating your own team.
1) Permissions: If you belong to an organization, you need to have the appropriate permissions from your Microsoft Teams administrator.
2) Privacy: You also need to decide what type of team privacy you want. You can choose to make a private team(you decide to approve any new joiners or send invites to them) or public (anyone in your organization can join).
3) Purpose: Decide whether you will need a communications or teams site. A Communication site template is designed to communicate information to a particular audience, similar to a newsletter or news channel. A Team site template is designed to collaborate on documents and projects with your team members, anyone can comment and participate.
Microsoft Teams Free vs Paid
Depending on the version of Microsoft Teams you have, you can enjoy different features and benefits. With the free version, you can:
- Have unlimited group meetings for up to 60 minutes.
- Get 5 GB of cloud storage per user.
- Chat with your coworkers and external guests.
- Use built-in apps like Planner, Forms, and OneNote.
It is worth noting that since April 2023, it is not possible to create teams or channels in the free version of Microsoft Teams.
I learned this the hard way. I was creating my own free account to show the process of creating a Team from scratch and I was surprised when I realized I was not able to create a team in the free version.
So, to access this and more features, you will need to acquire one of the paid plans.
With the paid versions, you can also:
- Access a separate Microsoft 365 group and its associated resources, such as a SharePoint site, an Outlook mailbox, a shared calendar, and a OneNote notebook.
- Get more cloud storage and meeting time.
- Use advanced security and compliance features.
- Integrate with other Microsoft 365 apps, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Stream.
Benefits of Creating a Team in Microsoft Teams
Clear and Organized Information
Microsoft Teams helps you streamline your communications and reduce email clutter by having all your conversations in one place.
This is How Microsoft Teams Makes it Possible:
- It lets you create channels within a team to organize your chats by topics, projects, or departments.
- You can also use chat to have private or group conversations with your coworkers or external guests.
- You can easily find important messages using the search bar and its different commands.
- If you need to save an important message to reference it later, you can do it too! Microsoft Teams makes it easy to pin important messages or files for quick access.
- Lastly, you can also send and receive emails within the app, so you don’t have to switch between apps.
Improved Team Collaboration
With Microsoft Teams, it is possible to collaborate on documents in real time and co-author with your team members without switching between apps.
Additionally:
- You can access, edit, and share files from SharePoint, OneDrive, or Teams.
- You can also use Office apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote within Teams. All the documents you create in these apps will be saved in Teams as well. Anyone in your Team will have access to them as well. This makes it easy to make sure everyone is collaborating on the same file in the cloud, and no information goes missing in the member’s devices.
- You can also sync your files to your devices for offline access.
- Microsoft Teams also integrates with Azure AD, Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management service, which provides you with a single sign-on password feature for all Microsoft apps. This means you can securely access your files and apps with one login.
Stay Connected on the Move
Microsoft Teams mobile app connects you with your teams while you’re on the go. You can access all the features of Teams on your mobile device, such as chat, calls, meetings, files, and apps.
You can also:
- Manage your team members, settings, and notifications from anywhere. You can also join or host an online meeting from wherever you are, with video, audio, and screen-sharing capabilities.
- You can also use the Microsoft Stream mobile app (available on Android and iOS) to watch or broadcast a Teams live event. A live event is an extension of a Microsoft Teams meeting in which speakers can stream live events to a big online audience.
Three Ways to Create a Teams Site
1) Create a Team from Scratch
Microsoft 365 allows you to create a shared workspace for your team members across different Microsoft apps with Microsoft Teams.
If you do not already have a Microsoft 365 Group or Teams account, you will need to create one. This allows you to tweak the team’s functionality to your liking.
Here’s How You Can Create a New Team in Microsoft Teams:
– Step 1: Click on the Teams icon on the left sidebar of the Microsoft Teams app on your computer or mobile device.
– Step 2: Click on the plus sign button at the top. You will see two options on the screen: to join or create a new team. Select Create Team.
– Step 3: Next, click on the option that says Build a team from scratch.
– Step 4: You should now determine what level of team privacy you prefer. You can decide whether to make your team private or public.
– Step 5: Next, set your Team name and add an optional Description for the team’s purpose or goal.
– Step 6: Click Create.
2) Join an Existing Microsoft 365 Team
Connecting with an existing Microsoft 365 Team works the following way:
Let’s say your firm has a Microsoft 365 group but does not use Microsoft Teams. This occurs when you create a Microsoft 365 group through one of the other Microsoft 365 apps, like SharePoint.
If this is the case, you can set up a Microsoft team within an existing Microsoft 365 group.
Here’s how:
– Step 1: Click Teams on the left sidebar of the Teams app.
– Step 2: A message on your screen will allow you to Join or create a team. Click on the Create team button.
– Step 3: Next, select the option that says Create from… An existing Office 365 Group or Team
– Step 4: Click on the option that says Office 365 group.
– Step 5: You will see a message that prompts you to choose a Microsoft 365 group without a Team attached to it.
Select the existing group to which you want to add a team and then click Create.
What’s automatically added to your new team:
Team members from the specified Microsoft 365 group.
The group’s name.
The group’s privacy settings.
The group’s SharePoint site, Outlook email, OneNote notebook, and Planner schedule.
To create a team from a Microsoft 365 group, you must be the group’s owner.
3) Copy from an Existing Team
You may want to build a new team in Microsoft Teams from an existing team, which means you want to copy the channels, participants, etc.
In this case, it is not necessary to repeat the entire process of forming a new team, inviting the same members, and opening a new team channel.
Instead, simply duplicate an existing team.
Follow these steps to accomplish it:
– Step 1: Select the Teams option on the left side of the Teams app.
– Step 2: You will see a message on screen that says Join or create a team. Click on the Create team button.
– Step 3: Next, select the option that says Create from… An existing Office 365 Group or Team
– Step 4: Select the option that says Team.
– Step 5: Microsoft will display a list of all the teams that you own. Choose the team you want to copy.
– Step 6: Give the team its new name and description. If you choose, you can change the team’s privacy settings. Use the checkbox to pick which team elements you want to copy:
- Team channels.
- Team tabs.
- Team settings.
- Team apps.
- Team members.
– Step 7: Click the Create button.
Note that you need to be an owner of the existing team to create a copy of it. You also need to have the appropriate permissions from your Microsoft Teams administrator to create a team.
Summing Up
The power of Microsoft Teams can be leveraged to enable better communication, enhance collaboration, and facilitate a new level of productivity among coworkers. Teams is a versatile and feature-rich platform that serves complex projects from team projects to large-scale departmental tasks. Do not forget to define your organization’s needs and compare the various creation methods to choose the one that fits your team the best.
Microsoft Teams can be utilized for many purposes, such as optimizing information flow, improving document co-authoring, or just staying connected on the go. In all cases, you are provided with a rich toolset. Utilize those advantages and discover opportunities for smooth collaboration within your company!
Contact our expert Microsoft 365 IT consultants in Toronto to receive tailored solutions to enhance your experience with Microsoft products.
