{"id":8530,"date":"2022-09-26T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T16:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/?p=8530"},"modified":"2026-04-08T06:30:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:30:39","slug":"transforming-how-microsoft-executives-use-their-time-with-microsoft-outlook-calendar-analytics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/transforming-how-microsoft-executives-use-their-time-with-microsoft-outlook-calendar-analytics\/","title":{"rendered":"Transforming how Microsoft executives use their time with Microsoft Outlook calendar analytics"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MicrosoftWe periodically update our stories, but we can\u2019t verify that they represent the full picture of our current situation at Microsoft. We leave them on the site so you can see what our thinking and experience was at the time.<\/em><\/p>\n

Executives at Microsoft are using calendar analytics to save themselves something precious\u2014their time.<\/p>\n

No matter who you are, if you don\u2019t stay on top of your calendar, it can take on a life of its own. It\u2019s very easy to lose control of how many events and meetings we have each day, week, or month. We all want to make sure we\u2019re using our time wisely and that it aligns with broader goals and deliverables.<\/p>\n

Using the Microsoft Power Platform combined with Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft executives, directors, and teams now have more visibility into how they spend their time. They can do this thanks to a new internally built solution that uses the Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft Outlook to analyze their calendar data.<\/p>\n

Gaining insight into executives\u2019 calendars<\/h2>\n

Microsoft executives are under considerable pressure to rationalize their calendars, to learn where they focus their time, with whom they want to focus their time with, and then use that data to prioritize their time. They want answers to questions such as \u201cHow much time am I spending talking to HR?\u201d, \u201cHow many one-on-ones am I taking?\u201d, \u201cHow much time am I spending talking to customers and partners?\u201d, and \u201cAm I going to meet my objectives and key results?\u201d<\/p>\n

We wanted to create solutions that enable our senior leadership to make the most of their time. We used our technology stack to close gaps in the tools they were using to manage their calendars.<\/p>\n

\u2014Claire Sisson, principal PM, Productivity Studio<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

To overcome this challenge, executive assistants and chiefs of staff for Microsoft\u2019s top executives were tasked with finding a way to drill down into the data to see how these senior leaders were spending their time. They extrapolated calendar data and added events, and then created categories to make sense of the data in Microsoft Excel.<\/p>\n

Then, they turned to the Productivity Studio team in Microsoft Digital Employee Experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to create solutions that enable our senior leadership to make the most of their time,\u201d says Claire Sisson, a principal PM who leads the Productivity Studio team. \u201cWe used our technology stack to close gaps in the tools they were using to manage their calendars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leveraging the Microsoft Power Platform<\/h2>\n
\"Martin
Joe Martin (left) is a senior product manager for Productivity Studio, a team in Microsoft Digital Employee Experience that helps business groups across the company enable product stacks using Microsoft 365 products. Naveen Kumar Jangir (right) helped with the technical implementation of the solution on the Microsoft Power Platform.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Microsoft\u2019s Productivity Studio team helps business groups across the company enable product stacks using Microsoft 365 products. For this project, the team was tasked with creating an automated way to capture calendar data, store it, and analyze it so executives could quickly see how they were spending their time.<\/p>\n

It settled on a low-code\/no-code solution based on the Microsoft Power Platform that leverages Power Automate, Power Apps, and Power BI. A Power App connects the solution to Microsoft Outlook and enables you to configure your calendar so you can determine what events you want to include or exclude. Power Automate captures the data from the calendar and brings it into the database (Dataverse). Power BI is used on top of Dataverse in a Power App dashboard to get insights on the imported data.<\/p>\n

Because Microsoft Power Apps are low code\/no code, any IT admin or citizen developer can edit the solution based on their needs. The platform also enables them to build a solution themselves fast using repeatable parts. So, the solution is easily extendable for easier customization.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can use Power Apps to digitize and automate processes much faster than you can with traditional custom software,\u201d says Evan Lew, a group product manager for Microsoft Power Apps. \u201cAnd low code means you can more easily make adjustments and tailor the solution to the users\u2019 needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it came to building a solution that would help the company\u2019s executives wrangle their time, one of the Productivity Studio\u2019s most significant challenges was to reduce the number of steps and button clicks during installation. It took more than 30 steps to install and onboard an early version of the solution. The team turned to Microsoft Power Automate and Microsoft Power BI to solve this.<\/p>\n

The solution they built is available to Microsoft 365 customers via Microsoft AppSource<\/a>. External customers can get the Microsoft Power Apps package here<\/a> and the Microsoft Power BI package here<\/a>. AppSource offers various applications and solutions that work with Windows365 products, allowing users to enable innovation, drive business outcomes, and help them get more done with the tools they already have.<\/p>\n

The solution is the most beneficial for people with several different categories of meetings or events they need to analyze.<\/p>\n

\u2014Joe Martin, senior product manager, Productivity Studio<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWe think this solution will help a lot of executives and other leaders get more out of their most limited resource\u2014their time,\u201d says Naveen Kumar Jangir, the lead Microsoft 365 architect from Microsoft partner Avanade who helped build the solution.<\/p>\n

More control over your calendar<\/h2>\n

With this solution, Microsoft executives can use the data for strategic decision-making regarding how they spend their time. They can now more effectively impact the organization and focus on areas that are more impactful to overall team and organization goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe solution is the most beneficial for people with several different categories of meetings or events they need to analyze,\u201d says Joe Martin, a senior product manager for Productivity Studio.<\/p>\n

Currently, the solution has been deployed for a handful of teams for various Microsoft executives, with the goal for it to be deployed to senior leaders across every group. Executives are already using it to see a breakdown of their events, including time spent talking with various departments, the number of one-on-one meetings that they\u2019re holding, time spent talking to customers and partners, and time spent at conferences.<\/p>\n

This project also allowed the Productivity Studio team to combine Microsoft products in new and innovative ways that empower executives and others who need to improve how they manage their calendars. It can take learnings and data about how the products function and give it to the product team, improve it, and empower more people. Productivity Studio provides an opportunity to centralize innovation and give back to the products through feedback, product gaps, and new solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to create solutions that enable our senior leadership to make the most of their time,\u201d says Sisson. \u201cWe used elements of our technology stack to close gaps in the tools they were using to manage their calendars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Key<\/figure>\n