Microsoft 365 Roadmap – RSS Feed improvement Feedback

Recently, Microsoft moved Office 365 roadmap to merge with other products and bring under one umbrella of Microsoft 365 which include Windows and EMS.

Microsoft made the roadmap available on URL – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/roadmap?filters=.

The purpose of M365 roadmap is to let everyone know what’s cooking inside MS and what to expect as change. Many organizations are facing the challenge to know the new feature release and how to prepare for rolling out changes.

Microsoft promised to enable the RSS feed for M365 Roadmap (which was missing from O365 roadmap) so that you can consume RSS feed easily and be ready for what’s coming.

I was able to find the behind API behind the scene and was able to use it in previous blog post to read the content and store in a SharePoint list. Today, I found that RSS link is also working and you can access the RSS feed from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/RoadmapFeatureRSS .

When I was reading the information and comparing with what’s published v/s what’s in feed item, my observation is as below –

Item in roadmap via web	Item in RSS feed

As you can view the information highlighted in above screens, I will details it out as below –

1. In RSS feed, the rather having items directly, it has a channel and then items (which are again flat with other info). I am not sure What’s the intent behind having a channel as root item in RSS feed behind. May be publishing more roadmap of other products via same feed.
2. On web, you can read status (in above examples it is ‘In Development’). While the RSS feed item does not have proper node info about this status field. It is shown as category.
3. Each feature could impact more than one product at any time. The related product information is available on web as Products or Tags information. But again in the RSS feed, this information is again listed as category node. Which is repeating and could be confusing when user is processing this using any tool. If Microsoft can fix the first category as Status and a collection of Tags/Products together so that it is easy to process using tools like Microsoft Flow.
4. The other important information is when this new features is getting released. This information is available on web as Release information. This is very important for Change managers, Trainers or Communication manager who prepare for upcoming changes. In RSS feed this information is missing completely which could be more costly to organizations. Enabling or making this information in RSS feed will be super useful for users.

These are my personal observations and making this recommendation based on my previous work experience and interaction with customers.

Microsoft Flow – Read Microsoft 365 Roadmap and manage changes

Context –

For any organization using Office 365, the biggest challenge is identifying upcoming changes and preparing for the adoption of it. The Microsoft’s biggest productivity platform is a cloud bases SaaS (Software as a Service) offering. This means that you can control for a limited time to disable features. Microsoft is doing more investment with AI, Machine Learning and Graph connected services to make smart workplace.

How does Microsoft share update?

Microsoft generally release blog updates about new capabilities. Based on the Microsoft/Office 365 ring/release cycle your organisation has opted in, you will get the features released in your tenant. Microsoft has been changing product hierarchy and shuffled the announcement from central blog to multiple product blogs. It’s not practical for any organization to follow multiple channels to know about changes.

To make it easy, Microsoft provided two options as below –

Option 1: Sending message in message centre in Office 365 tenant admin centre. Refer to this Flow Blog to use this method.

Option 2: Follow the roadmap to know what is being planned.

Using Flow to track any changes in roadmap information:

I created the following flow to get the road-map items to SharePoint List. Why SharePoint list?

You could track the changes happening in the road map items and push the changes further. Microsoft Flow fully support triggers and actions on SharePoint list, which further can be used to send email or share as conversation in Teams.

I use a SharePoint list as below to store the content of this Flow.

Column {click to edit)	Type
Title	Single line of text
Feature ID	Single line of text
Description	Multiple lines of text
Status	Choice
More Info	Hyperlink or Picture
Estimated Release	Single line of text
Added to Roadmap	Date and Time
Last Modified	Date and Time
Roadmap Status	Single line of text
Tags	Single line Of text

For this Flow, you don’t need authentication or any specific setup.

Conclusion and Next Steps –

Now you have control on source information using Flow for Office 365, you can build you internal Change and Adoption space. Let me know if you have any specific Flow question.

Windows 10 – Preview features – week 15-Dec-17

Being a Microsoft Tech geek, I love all technology advancement which help me to work with increased productivity. I love the way new Window and Office features work together and help to do things faster. I tried insider builds few times, but had to reset to general release as downloading and setting up PC again and again did not work with me.

I love to know what’s coming down the track in next windows release.

I thought to start writing what’s new coming down so that even though you may not be trying the new Insider builds, but can keep updated yourself with what’s coming down the track.

•  An easier way to share files. You can now wirelessly share files and URLs to nearby PCs via Bluetooth using the new Near Share feature in Microsoft Edge. Just follow a few quick set-up steps, click on the Share icon and (once your recipient accepts) watch the file magically transfer. (Build 17035)
• Instantly mute auto-playing media on websites. Microsoft Edge now displays an audio icon that shows which tab is playing sound. Just click the icon to mute and unmute. Thanks to everyone who shared feedback requesting this hand feature. (Build 17035)
• Form Fill for address fields. Microsoft Edge can now save and automatically fill in your preferred information in addresses and related forms. Addresses you save will even be roamed across your Windows 10 devices. (Build 17046)
• More emoji support for the touch keyboard. More of the emoji you love will appear as you’re typing related words with the touch keyboard. Try typing words like unicorn, kiwi, artist, or turtle (in your language, of course) to see related emoji. This flight includes new and updated emoji data for over 150 languages. Check our blog for more details. (Build 17046)
• Shape-writing with wide touch keyboard. With the Fall Creators Update we introduced shape-writing input for one-handed keyboard. We’ve heard your feedback and it’s now also available when using the wide keyboard.³ (Build 17040)

In other Insider news

• An Insider’s look at Microsoft Surface. Watch an interview with Ralf Groene, Head of Industrial Design at Microsoft, as he reveals what inspired those incredible Surface designs, including the importance of fan feedback. And hear from Jeff Stewart, Senior Director and Product Line Manager about how Microsoft produced the most powerful Surface Book ever.
• LinkedIn Learning Courses available free to Windows Insiders. Four more on-demand video courses are available free for a limited time (offer ends Jan 14, 2018).
  • Windows: Learning Microsoft Paint 3D with George Maestri
  • Business: Transitioning from Technical Professional to Manager with Sara Canaday
  • Creative: Digital Imaging for Business Professionals with Rich Harrington
  • Technology: Introduction to Xamarin Forms with Mark Smith, Hellen Miller and Jesse Dietrichson.
• Help us make Windows better in your language. Our Language Community App makes it quick and easy to suggest changes to Windows text translated in your language. Simply click on the text you want changed, enter your suggestion or vote for suggestions from other Windows Insiders and submit. Download Language Community App from the Windows Store.⁴
• New Windows Insider Podcast. Each episode explores tech innovations and other topics relevant to the Windows Insider community. In the latest episode, we chat with Microsoft’s Chief Accessibility Officer about creating inclusive and accessible products and services, and how feedback from users and Windows Insiders drives that process. Get the podcast.

Info for IT Pros

• Microsoft partners extend Windows Defender ATP across platforms. To enable Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to detect, protect, and respond to security threats on macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android devices, we are excited to announce partnerships with leading security companies — Bitdefender, Lookout, Ziften and, most recently, SentinelOne.
• Four success factors for driving Microsoft 365 adoption. In our work helping thousands of thousands of customers move to the Microsoft cloud, we’ve seen four key drivers that are consistently drive success with Microsoft 365. Find out about these highly effective tactics in our 4-part blog series including valuable insights from both Microsoft and third-party research.
• New Windows Server Insiders Previews Builds. Check out recent feature highlights + news of an early update to the Technical Preview of Project Honolulu — a browser-based customer-deployed platform and solution for Windows Server management scenarios.
• New Microsoft Tech Summit dates and cities. Build your Microsoft 365, Windows 10 deployment, and cloud skills with two days of free (yes, free) technical learning brought to you by Microsoft’s top engineers and product experts. Register today for a city near you.

Info for Developers

• UWP Community Toolkit v2.1 available now. This update continues to align the toolkit closer to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update SDK. Several controls, helpers, and extensions have been added or updated, and the documentation and design time experience have been greatly improved. Find out more about the major updates in this release.
• Assessing and Troubleshooting Application Compatibility Issues. Learn how to use the latest tool sets from Microsoft for Windows 10 Enterprise Application Compatibility and test either traditional Win32 applications or repackaged applications that support the newest Windows 10 capabilities. Find out how to use these tools to isolate Windows 10 compatibility issues related to installers, User Account Control, incompatible kernel drivers, shims, and deprecated/undocumented API’s. Register now for the webinar on January 25.
• Windows 10 IoT enables the complete IoT lifecycle. Microsoft recently announced the public preview of the Azure IoT Hub Device Provisioning Service — a new service that works with Azure IoT Hub to enable “zero-touch” device provisioning to an IoT hub. When used in conjunction with the existing Windows 10 IoT Azure Device Management client, this new service forms a complete device provisioning and management solution.
• See IoT in Action with Microsoft in San Francisco. Meet and hear from Microsoft visionary Internet of Things (IoT) leaders including James Whittaker, gain industry insights, and build partnerships with key IoT solution providers from around the world. Whether you’re looking to create new revenue streams or identify new business opportunities, the IoT in Action event is for you. Register for IoT in Action.