Microsoft Teams Glossary

The following list describes commonly used terms and references in Microsoft Teams:

A

• Applicable policies and Office 365 usage recommendations:
  • IT1 – Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources
  • IT2 – Security of Information Technology Resources
  • G3 – Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy
  • Office 365 Usage Recommendations

C

• Channels: Channels allow team members to have focused conversations about specific topics. Every team has its own set of channels—starting with the General channel—and team members can decide what they want the rest of their channels to focus on. Every channel within a team is fully accessible to all the team members, so everyone can join in a channel conversation.
  
  Some channels are devoted to specific projects, initiatives, and locations. Others focus on different areas of interest, updates, or discussion topics.

G

• Group chat: A private chat with more than two team members involved in the chat.

H

• Help: Located at the bottom of the left‑hand pane, it contains a number of topics, training, and feedback options.

P

• Private chat: A chat that is visible only to the two members involved in the chat.

S

• Skype for Business: Red River College Polytechnic does not currently have Skype for Business licensing. Any Microsoft Teams functionality requiring Skype for Business may not work as expected.
  NOTE: You can make video and audio calls from within your team. See the Microsoft Teams basic user FAQ – How do I make a call? webpage for instructions.

T

• Team owners: Include primary and secondary team owners who have elevated privileges on a team. A team owner’s roles and responsibilities include the following:
  • Ensure that there are always two active owners.
  • Assign and remove team member permissions to the entire team or individual channels.
  • Add content, edit information, and communicate with employees in the team.
  • Review files and information to maintain content.
  • Delete a team or channel when no longer needed. Owners should archive the content and files prior to deleting the team or channel.

• Team types: There are two types of teams: Department and Project.
  • Department use: Ideal for private teams that require central storage, collaboration, and workflow opportunities between employees in one department. Each team has a primary and secondary owner, and a team requires at least one active owner at all times.
  • Project use: Best suited for project teams involved in collaborative projects or committees with employees from different departments. Each team has a primary and secondary owner, and a team requires at least one active owner at all times.

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