Creating a team in Microsoft Teams
Creating teams in Microsoft Teams is a fundamental step in organizing and coordinating collaborative efforts within an organization. This operation can be accomplished with either default or custom templates, providing a streamlined solution that can be tailored to suit specific business needs. In this article, we will discuss the process of creating a team from a default or custom template, which is a core part of the MS-700 Managing Microsoft Teams exam.
Creating a Team from Default Templates
Microsoft Teams offers ready-made templates to kick-start your collaboration. These templates are designed with common business scenarios in mind, such as event management, project management, and other sector-specific use cases. They come preloaded with recommended settings, channels, apps, and instructions to help you get started.
Here are the steps to create a new team from a default template in Microsoft Teams:
- From the Teams dashboard, click on ‘Join or create a team’, followed by ‘Create a team’.
- On the ‘Create a team’ panel, there is an option for ‘Start from a template’. Click.
- In the next panel, you will find a list of templates. These are predefined use-case scenarios for common business functions, such as project management, retail stores, and more. Select the one that suits your requirements most accurately.
- Click ‘Next’ and fill in the required details for the team – team name, description, and privacy settings.
- Click ‘Create’. The team is now ready with relevant settings, channels, and apps defined by the template.
Creating a Team from Custom Templates
Apart from using predefined templates, the organization can also create custom templates tailored to specific needs. The process to create a team from a custom template is similar to the default templates.
To create a custom template, follow these steps:
- In the Teams admin center, navigate to ‘Teams’ > ‘Team templates’ > ‘Add’.
- Fill in details about the new template – name, description, locale. Click ‘Next’.
- Choose settings for the team template – channels, apps, and settings for each channel. Click ‘Add’.
- Publish the custom template.
- Once the template is ready, creating a new team from this template involves the same process as creating from a default template.
Comparison Between Default and Custom Templates
Default Templates | Custom Templates |
---|---|
Ready-made by Microsoft | Created by the organization |
Designed for common business scenarios | Tailored to specific organization needs |
Quick and easy to use | Requires planning and designing |
Limited customization | High customization |
Overall, the choice between default and custom templates depends on your organization’s specific needs and the nature of the projects. Default templates are excellent for quick setup and general use cases, while custom templates are best for specificity and flexibility.
Remember, the ability to create and manage teams using templates is an essential skillset for anyone aiming to pass the MS-700 Managing Microsoft Teams exam. You must understand how to accurately configure and leverage templates for efficient team collaboration. Happy studying!
Practice Test
True or False: You can create a team from a default or custom template in both Teams free and Teams paid versions.
- Answer: False.
Explanation: Creating a team from a custom template is only available for paid versions. The free version only allows creation from standard templates.
In creating a team, which of the following templates is NOT available?
- a) Classroom
- b) Staff
- c) Project Collaboration
- d) Social Club
Answer: d) Social Club.
Explanation: Standard templates provided by Microsoft Teams include Classroom, Staff and Project Collaboration. Social Club is not a standard template offered by Microsoft.
What is the maximum number of teams that a user can create?
- a) 250
- b) 500
- c) 1000
- d) No limit.
Answer: b)
Explanation: The maximum limit of teams that a user can create is This applies even if the user is the owner or member of other teams as well.
True or False: When creating a team from a custom template, the team’s security settings can be pre-configured.
- Answer: True.
Explanation: When creating a team from a custom template, pre-configuration of settings including security settings can be done, which ensures conformity and simplifies team creation.
Which one of the following is a reason to use custom templates in teams?
- a) To save time
- b) To ensure consistency across teams
- c) To simplify the team creation process
- d) All of the above
Answer: d) All of the above.
Explanation: Custom templates help in saving time, ensuring consistency across teams and simplifying the team creation process.
True or False: Team owners can create custom templates.
- Answer: False.
Explanation: Only admins can create custom templates. Team owners can create teams using these templates.
Multiple select: Which of the following elements can be included in a custom template?
- a) Team description
- b) Team settings
- c) Channels
- d) Apps
Answer: a) Team description, b) Team settings, c) Channels, d) Apps.
Explanation: A custom template can include Team settings, Channels, Apps and a Team description.
True or false: It is possible to create a team from a custom template using PowerShell.
- Answer: True.
Explanation: Teams can be created from a custom template using PowerShell, given that the right commands are used.
Which of the following cannot be included in a custom template?
- a) Team members
- b) Channel tabs
- c) Pre-configured team settings
- d) Apps
Answer: a) Team members.
Explanation: A custom template can include Channel tabs, pre-configured settings, Apps but it cannot include Team members.
True or False: One can’t modify or delete the standard templates provided by Microsoft Teams.
- Answer: True.
Explanation: Standard templates provided by Microsoft Teams can’t be modified or deleted. However, you can create custom templates based on the standard ones.
Which of the following is not a type of pre-built template in Teams?
- a) Classroom
- b) Project management
- c) Hospital
- d) Management
Answer: c) Hospital.
Explanation: The pre-built templates include Classroom, Project Management, and Management. Hospital is not a pre-built template.
True or False: A template can include settings for meetings and live events.
- Answer: False.
Explanation: A template does not include settings for meetings and live events. It contains settings for channels, apps and teams, amongst other items.
In the template settings, which of the following cannot be configured?
- a) Apps
- b) Members
- c) Tabs
- d) Channels
Answer: b) Members.
Explanation: Members cannot be pre-configured in a Teams template. However, apps, tabs and channels can be.
True or False: If an org-wide team is created, a chat with all members is automatically set up.
- Answer: False.
Explanation: An org-wide team does not automatically set up a chat with all members. It has to be manually set up by the user.
True or False: Once a team has been created from a template, the template can’t be modified.
- Answer: False.
Explanation: A template can be modified at any time. However, changes won’t be retroactively applied to teams already created from that template.
Interview Questions
How would you create a team from a default or custom template in Microsoft Teams?
Teams can be created from a default or custom template in Microsoft Teams by clicking on “create a team”, then selecting “create from” and choosing the desired template. You then provide details like team name, privacy settings, and a brief description.
What are the benefits of creating a team from a custom template?
Creating a team from a custom template allows for consistency across all teams in your organization. It ensures that particular structure, settings, and apps are replicated, making it useful for standardized working groups, projects, or workflows.
Can you modify default templates in Microsoft Teams?
No, Default templates in Microsoft Teams cannot be modified. However, you can create your custom templates based on the needs of your organization.
Is it possible to include channel structure and predefined apps in custom templates?
Yes, when creating custom templates, admins can include the channel structure and predefined apps to create a tailored workspace for specific roles, processes, and projects.
Can you delete a custom template once it’s been created?
Yes, a custom template can be deleted by the team’s admin by going to the Teams admin center, selecting “Team templates” and choosing the template to be deleted.
How can you provide access to a specific template to certain members of the team?
Access to specific templates can be provided by setting up policy package assignments where you can define who within your organization has access to a particular custom template.
Can templates be used for public and private teams?
Yes, templates in Microsoft Teams can be used to create both public and private teams. The selection of visibility depends on the purpose and requirement of the team.
Who can create templates in Microsoft Teams?
Only admins have the ability to create templates in Microsoft Teams.
Can a created template be edited in Microsoft Teams?
Yes, templates can be edited to refine their structures or to keep them updated with the ever-changing needs of your organization.
Can you create a team from a template using Microsoft Graph?
Yes, you can create a team from a template using the Microsoft Graph clone a team API. It allows you to clone either a team’s configuration and channels or its tabs, apps, and settings as well.
Can apps be pre-installed in Microsoft Teams templates?
Yes, team templates can include predefined apps which are pre-installed when a team is created using that specific template, allowing for a cohesive and standardized working environment.
What is the significance of ‘Tabs’ in a Microsoft Teams template?
‘Tabs’ are part of the team structure predefined into a template, they provide quick access to tools, services, and files in Microsoft Teams, thus enhancing productivity by limiting the need to switch between apps.
Can Microsoft Team template include standard channels?
Yes, Microsoft Team templates can include standard channels, ensuring the same working structure across all teams created from the template.
Can Team membership be predefined in a template?
No, team membership cannot be predefined in a template. The assignment of team members happens manually after the creation of the team from a template.
Can you clone existing teams to use as templates?
Yes, Microsoft Teams provides a feature to clone the existing team. This process creates a new team that’s an exact copy of the cloned team, which can be used as a base for a new template.