The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed a few recent emails from Microsoft singing the praises of its MyAnalytics feature. Learning to use a new tool is probably the last thing you want to add to your workload, but MyAnalytics might actually be worth the trouble.
What is MyAnalytics?
MyAnalytics uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyse your behaviour across all Office 365 applications. It finds patterns in your work and then suggests ways that you could be more productive. For example, if it finds that one task, in particular, is consistently slowing you down, it can focus on ways to streamline that task. It can also compare the behaviour of multiple workers in order to find more efficient staff configurations. It can even suggest materials for a meeting based on the people attending.
Isn’t that a violation of privacy?
Some might feel that MyAnalytics has a slightly authoritarian vibe. The idea of Microsoft monitoring everything you do at work feels a bit creepy, and many are concerned that such in-depth analysis of working patterns will serve as ammunition for negative performance reviews. However, Microsoft has been quick to assure users that their data will remain private. “Only you can view your personal data”, says its MyAnalytics website. Whether this is enough to put your mind at ease is up to you…
