Microsoft Office introduced yesterday a new addition to its applications: Microsoft Planner, a team collaboration software which lets users visually organize, assign tasks, share files, and communicate.

The new app, which has been in beta mode since last fall, helped Microsoft to enter the competitive space of project management apps, which include software like Atlassian's Jira, as well as apps like Asana and Trello, reported Tech Crunch.

Incidentally, the new app from Microsoft works almost like Trello, using "Boards" to keep tasks and users organized. Within each of the Board, there are Individual Cards, which have their own details like due date, categories, attachments, and conversations.

The individual cards can also include photos or documents, and can be arranged in columns known as "buckets". Moreover, the Planner application contains a "hub", a location from where the user can track the overall progress of the users and the stages of work phase the members are in.

The addition of Planner to the Office 365 lineup introduces a new and improved way for businesses, schools and organizations to structure teamwork easily and get more done, mentioned Microsoft in an official announcement in their blog.

Planner has been integrated in OneNote, OneNote Notebook, and works with MS Office. This means users can attach Word, Excel or PowerPoint files to a card and store it in SharePoint Online document library.

Users of the Office 365 will see the Planner in their MS Office or Office 365 app launcher, when the app will be available for them to use. There are no specific actions or steps, which should be undertaken by the Office 365 admin.

In addition, all eligible customers of Office 365 including both Office 365 Enterprise E1 - E5, Business Essentials, Premium and Education subscription plans will also be able to use and experience the Planner without any extra cost.