Microsoft Lists – One of the best productivity tools for teams

Keeping track of information across your business can be a challenge. 

Managing projects, tracking inventory, and monitoring customer inquiries can become chaotic when relying on spreadsheets, scattered notes, or email threads.

It’s easy for important details to slip through the cracks.

That’s where Microsoft Lists comes in.

What is Microsoft Lists?

Included in Microsoft 365, Microsoft Lists is a flexible, customisable tool designed to help businesses and teams collaborate, organise information and track work – all in one central place. 

If you’re still using Excel for task tracking, it might be time to switch to a smarter, more secure solution.

And if you’re paying for other tools like Trello or Airtable, using Microsoft Lists can save you money as it’s included in your Microsoft 365 subscription.

Microsoft Lists allows businesses to:

• Collaborate with your team to update and manage data in real time.
• Create, share, and manage lists to track tasks, issues, or assets.
• Customise lists with columns, views, and filters to fit your needs.
• Set alerts and notifications so nothing gets missed.

Microsoft Lists helps small businesses stay organised

1. Ditch spreadsheets and track work more efficiently

Many small businesses rely on Excel to track ongoing work, but spreadsheets aren’t designed for real-time collaboration.

Unlike a static spreadsheet, Lists allows teams to update information in real time, keeping everything up to date and easy to access.

2. Track business processes

Microsoft Lists is great for organising any kind of structured data. 

Some practical use cases include:

• Tracking employee onboarding – Keep a checklist of new hire tasks and mark them off as they are completed.
• Managing customer support requests – Log and update customer inquiries, ensuring follow-ups don’t get missed.
• Inventory management – Monitor stock levels, orders, and supplier details in one place.

With custom views and filters, businesses can tailor Lists to match their workflow and ensure the most relevant information is easy to find.

3. Seamlessly integrates with Microsoft 365

One of the biggest advantages of Microsoft Lists is how well it integrates with other Microsoft 365 tools, allowing you to keep all your work connected.

For example, Lists works with:

• Microsoft Teams – Add Lists as a tab in a Teams channel to track work collaboratively.
• Power Automate – Set up workflows to automate processes, like sending notifications when a list item is updated.
• SharePoint – Store lists securely and manage access permissions.

This integration means your team can track tasks and manage data within the tools they already use, reducing the need to switch between multiple apps.

How different businesses can use Microsoft Lists

Lawyer’s practice 

A law firm can use Microsoft Lists to track client cases, deadlines, and document submissions. They can create a list for ongoing cases, including fields for case status, assigned lawyer, key dates, and next actions, ensuring nothing is missed. Automated reminders can notify lawyers of upcoming court dates or filing deadlines.

Construction company

A construction company can manage job sites, contractor assignments, and material deliveries in Microsoft Lists. A list can track project phases, assigned crew members, materials ordered, and completion status, helping project managers stay updated in real time and ensuring work stays on schedule.

Childhood education centre

A childcare centre can use Microsoft Lists to manage enrolments, staff schedules, and compliance tasks. They can create a list to track student medical information, parent contact details, and upcoming compliance training for teachers, keeping everything organised and accessible.

Event planning business 

An event planning business managing multiple client projects can use Microsoft Lists instead of juggling multiple spreadsheets. They can use Lists to create a list for each event with key details like date, venue, and status. Then assign tasks to different team members, set reminders for important deadlines and attach files like contracts or floor plans directly to each list item.

Microsoft Lists is better than third-party tools

Many businesses rely on third-party apps for tracking tasks and projects, but if you’re already using Microsoft 365, Microsoft Lists offers a better, more secure alternative.

Microsoft Lists vs Trello

Trello is a great tool for managing projects visually, but it lacks custom data fields and filtering options. Microsoft Lists allows you to track more structured data, customise fields, and integrate directly with Teams and Outlook.

Microsoft Lists vs Airtable

Airtable provides advanced database-style tracking, but the free version has limitations. Lists offers similar functionality without having to pay extracosts—and because it’s within Microsoft 365, your data remains in your secure environment.

Microsoft Lists vs Google Sheets

While Google Sheets is useful for storing information, it doesn’t offer real-time alerts, custom views, or automation like Lists. If you need a tool that helps track work dynamically, Lists is the better option.

Microsoft Lists keeps your data secure

Many third-party tracking tools store data outside your business environment, meaning you have less control over security and access.

With Microsoft Lists, your data stays within your Microsoft 365 environment, ensuring:
✔ Enterprise-grade security and compliance
✔ Better control over who can access or edit data
✔ Seamless permission management through SharePoint and Teams

For businesses handling sensitive client information, using Microsoft Lists instead of external tracking tools ensures better data security and compliance.

How to get started with Microsoft Lists

Setting up a Microsoft List is very straightforward:

1. Open Microsoft Lists from your Microsoft 365 App Launcher.
2. Select “New List” and choose a template or start from scratch.
3. Customise your list by adding columns, filters, and views.
4. Share the list with your team and assign tasks or updates.
5. Integrate it with Microsoft Teams or Power Automate for enhanced functionality.

How IT Squad can help you make the most of Microsoft Lists

Expert setup and training

We help businesses integrate Microsoft Lists into their workflow, ensuring they get the most out of task tracking, collaboration, and automation features.

Ongoing support and optimisation

Need help customising Lists for your business? Our team offers ongoing support to ensure your processes run smoothly and securely.

If your business is still using spreadsheets or third-party apps to track tasks and projects, Microsoft Lists offers a smarter, more integrated alternative—and it’s already included in Microsoft 365.

• Track work more efficiently with customisable lists
• Collaborate in real time within Microsoft Teams
• Keep your data secure within your Microsoft environment

Want to start using Microsoft Lists to streamline your business processes? Book a call with us today to see how we can help.

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