> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.msportal.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ask Planner AI about planned work

> Ask about overdue work, statuses, dates and estimates, then check the scope and completeness of the answer.

**Audience:** MSP staff with **Manage Planner**, when AI is enabled for the MSP. Company users can [read the planned work shared with them](/user-guides/planner/read-item-details); Company administrator status does not automatically grant this Planner AI workflow.

Use Planner AI to investigate a planning question before deciding what to change. An analysis answer does not save an item, approve work or book a technician.

## Start a planning question

1. Open **Planner > List View**.
2. Select the intended companies using the company selector. For a question about one company, select that company first.
3. Open the floating **Planner AI** assistant.
4. Choose **Find overdue items**, **Status breakdown** or **High-value work**, or write your own question.
5. Review the message and send it. A shortcut fills the composer; it does not send the question. **Enter** sends and **Shift+Enter** starts another line.
6. Check the companies, dates, statuses and completeness of the response before using its figures.

<Frame caption="Choose Find overdue items to fill the composer, then review and send the question.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/msportal/CuJu_16D8ZGdquKW/images/product/planner-ai-analysis-prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=CuJu_16D8ZGdquKW&q=85&s=ad5b1495716d7787f6083a4984439da6" alt="Planner AI Find overdue items shortcut." width="294" height="64" data-path="images/product/planner-ai-analysis-prompt.png" />
</Frame>

<Note>
  State the filters you need in the message. A table search, timeline year, Analytics filter or selected row is not a substitute for the question's company scope, dates and statuses. Selecting a company controls which companies the list analysis searches; naming an item should also include its company when titles are similar.
</Note>

## Questions to try

Replace the dates and companies with your intended scope.

| Task                     | Example question                                                                                                  |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Find late work           | “Which active Planner items are overdue? Give the full overdue count and a short list of examples.”               |
| Review statuses          | “How many active items are in each status? Use the complete matched results, not just the displayed examples.”    |
| Review a due period      | “What is due from 1 October through 31 December 2026 for the selected company?”                                   |
| Find recently added work | “Which items were created from 1 September through 6 September 2026?”                                             |
| Review business value    | “Show High business value items. Tell me if the returned list is incomplete.”                                     |
| Review effort            | “How many estimated hours are planned in this due-date period, broken down by company?”                           |
| Review costs             | “Show planned costs by company, with one-time, monthly and annual amounts separately. Do not combine currencies.” |
| Inspect an item          | “For the selected company's server refresh item, summarize its status, due date, estimated hours and notes.”      |
| Include past work        | “Include archived items when reviewing work created in this period.”                                              |

A request to move a status, shift a date or create work is an editing request. If it produces a proposal, review that proposal separately; an ordinary analysis answer is not an applied change. See [Draft a Planner item with AI](/user-guides/planner/draft-item-with-ai) for the review and Apply boundary.

## Check what the answer covers

### Company scope and filters

The selected companies are the starting scope. With no specific company selected, the list analysis can cover the companies your account can access. Select one company before asking for a complete company-specific result; do not infer that naming it in a broad conversation changes the company selector.

Archived items are excluded from the normal list analysis unless requested. This differs from List View's **Archived** switch, which shows archived-only work. Ask explicitly whether you need active work, archived work or both.

The chat may retain earlier answers while you work. Ask a fresh question after changing the company selection, saving an item or changing the requested period. An earlier answer does not prove the underlying records are unchanged.

### Due dates and creation dates

Use **due** for the planned completion period and **created** or **added** for when items entered Planner. A due-date range excludes items without a due date; check **Unscheduled** on the timeline for those items.

For financial-year questions, select the company and confirm the year-end and actual date range. Companies can have different year-ends. An explicit start and end date is clearer than “this quarter” across several companies.

Planner AI's overdue analysis looks for a due date before today and excludes **Completed** and **Cancelled** items. **On Hold** and **Pending Approval** can still be overdue. A due date today is not yet overdue. If another view differs, compare its date and status filters; do not assume every “past due” view uses the same status exclusions.

### Examples versus complete results

An answer can include a short list even when more records match. The normal list response is capped at 50 items and can be requested up to 200; a long list is still not proof that every matching item is present.

Ask for the full matched count, whether the list is incomplete, and totals for the requested scope. Hours and overdue totals are available across the full matched result, beyond the examples shown. Do not count displayed examples to infer the portfolio total.

For a High business value or other comparison, check that the assistant has enough records to answer the specific question. A subset of examples cannot establish that no other matching work exists. Narrow the company, status or date range and compare with [List View](/user-guides/planner/find-planner-items) when completeness matters.

### Estimates, costs and linked records

Hours are planning estimates, not booked calendar capacity or actual time worked. Costs are estimates, not invoices or proof of actual spending.

Keep **one-time**, **monthly** and **annual** amounts separate and check each company's currency. Do not add recurring amounts directly to one-time amounts or treat a combined cross-company figure as converted currency. For a dated recurring-cost projection, use [Planner Analytics](/user-guides/planner/read-analytics) and [cost and hour guidance](/user-guides/planner/plan-costs-and-hours).

Use the [item editor](/user-guides/planner/read-item-details) to verify the detailed cost rows, attachments and [linked supporting records](/user-guides/planner/read-linked-records). A brief AI summary is not evidence that it inspected every attachment, ticket, project or opportunity linked to the item. An opportunity or estimate is also separate from a [quote document](/user-guides/quotes/download-quotes).

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                                   | Next step                                                                                                                                       |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Planner AI is missing                                     | Ask the MSP to check Manage Planner and AI availability.                                                                                        |
| The shortcut did not answer                               | It fills the message box; review and send it.                                                                                                   |
| The answer uses the wrong company                         | Select the company and ask again with a clear scope.                                                                                            |
| AI and the table show different counts                    | Compare company selection, archived inclusion, statuses, dates and result completeness.                                                         |
| An expected item is absent                                | Check its company, permissions, archived state and due date. Narrow the query or open it in List View.                                          |
| A total combines different cost frequencies or currencies | Ask for a separated breakdown and verify it in the item editor or Analytics before using it.                                                    |
| The assistant cannot retrieve records or shows an error   | Treat the answer as unavailable, not a zero result. Retry after checking access, or use the normal Planner views and report the failed request. |
| You only wanted an answer but received a proposal         | Do not apply it. Discard the proposal and restate the request as read-only analysis.                                                            |

## FAQs

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Where can I ask AI about planned work?">
    MSP staff with Manage Planner and enabled AI can open Planner AI from Planner. Choose a starter or send a question with the intended company scope and dates.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can a Company administrator automatically use Planner AI?">
    No. Company administrator status does not grant this management workflow. Company users can read the Planner items their MSP shares within their access.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does asking an analysis question change Planner items?">
    No. Reading an answer does not apply a change. Review any separate editing proposal and use its save control only when you intend to make that change.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do the starter buttons send a question immediately?">
    No. Find overdue items, Status breakdown and High-value work fill the composer. Review the text, then send it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does Planner AI automatically use every table or Analytics filter?">
    Do not assume it does. Check the company selector and state the required statuses, dates and archived inclusion in your question.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does naming a company change the selected company scope?">
    No. Select the intended company first for a complete company-specific analysis, and include the company when item titles could be ambiguous.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are archived items included automatically?">
    The normal list analysis excludes archived items. Ask to include them when needed. List View's Archived switch is a different, archived-only view.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What does overdue mean in Planner AI analysis?">
    A due date before today with a status other than Completed or Cancelled. On Hold and Pending Approval can still be overdue; items due today are not yet overdue.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does a due-date query miss an unscheduled item?">
    An item without a due date cannot fall inside that range. Check Unscheduled on the timeline or find the item directly in List View.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I ask about items added recently instead of items due soon?">
    Say created or added and give the date range. Use due when you mean the planned completion period.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why are fewer items listed than the matched total?">
    The answer may show examples, and the list response is capped. Ask for the full matched count and whether it is incomplete; do not count displayed examples as the portfolio total.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can a short list prove there are no other High business value items?">
    No. Check completeness and narrow the scope or verify in List View. Filtering a returned sample does not establish an exhaustive result.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are estimated hours a technician's booked workload?">
    No. Planner hours are estimates. They do not by themselves show calendar availability, assignments or actual time worked.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I combine all returned costs into one total?">
    Keep currencies and one-time, monthly and annual amounts separate. Use the item details and Analytics for the appropriate period and cost breakdown.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Has an AI item summary checked all its linked records and files?">
    Do not assume so. Open the item to inspect detailed costs, attachments and linked records, subject to access to those records.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does a retrieval error mean there is no planned work?">
    No. An error is not an empty result. Check access, retry the request or use the normal Planner views and report the failure.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>