Microsoft Teams Integration

Connect Microsoft Teams to Sunsama to create tasks from messages and manage focus status.

The Microsoft Teams integration in Sunsama lets you create tasks from Teams messages, post your daily planning and shutdown notes, and automatically update your Teams status when focused.

Installation and account management

Adding the Microsoft Teams integration

Sunsama’s Microsoft Teams integration operates differently from other integrations. You will not find Microsoft Teams in the right-hand panel alongside other integrations.

To set up the integration, navigate to Workspace Settings from the main dropdown menu in the top left corner and select “Microsoft Teams” on the left side.

Click the “Add Microsoft Teams account” button in the Microsoft Teams integration settings.

This action directs you to a page for connecting your Microsoft Teams workspace and granting Sunsama access. Microsoft account login may be required if not already signed in. Click “Accept” to proceed.

Once completed, the Microsoft Teams workspace becomes connected. You can then utilize the integration to post daily planning and shutdown notes to preferred teams and channels.

Creating tasks from Microsoft Teams

Sunsama’s integration for Teams allows you to create Sunsama tasks from messages or posts in Teams.

How to use

The process for converting Teams messages into Sunsama tasks involves three steps:

  1. Click the ”…” menu appearing next to any message in Teams, then select “Create a task”.

  2. Configure the task with a title, #channel assignment, and other task properties.

  3. Click “Add task” to create the task in Sunsama. When opened, the task displays the original Teams message content and a backlink to the Teams message.

Best practices

Turn messages that will take several minutes to respond to into tasks and plan them out in your day so you don’t feel overwhelmed by substantial requests from Teams.

Update Teams when focused in Sunsama

How it works

When you start a task timer Sunsama can automatically update your status in Teams to let your colleagues know you are focused, what you are focused on, as well as snooze notifications so you don’t get pulled off track.

Turn on “Reduce Teams distractions when working”

Navigate to your Teams settings in Sunsama and turn on the toggle for “Reduce Teams distractions when working”.

Choosing your settings

Once you’ve enabled this feature, you can pick how you want it to work:

  • Update status: Control whether or not Sunsama updates your “Status” in Teams when you are running a timer. Your status will be unset whenever you stop the timer.

  • Enable “Do not Disturb”: Control whether Sunsama should turn on “Do not Disturb” mode in Teams when your timer is running. This will be turned off when you stop your timer or at the end of the day, whichever comes first.

  • Show task details in status: Control exactly what details your colleagues will see in Teams.

    • Always: The task title will always be shown as part of your Teams status e.g. Focused: TASK TITLE (via Sunsama)
    • Use channel privacy: Sunsama will only show task titles based on channel privacy. Tasks in private channels or contexts or in a personal context will show Focused (via Sunsama)
    • Never: Sunsama will never show task details and will always show Focused (via Sunsama)