Microsoft Project has been around for years and is the first choice for many seasoned Project Managers. In our Microsoft Project review we uncover that MS Project comes in handy when organizing and keeping tabs of your projects, including scheduled tasks on a daily basis and its general direction. The Microsoft Project platform is deliverable online via Office 365 but it has to connect to the Project Online Professional standalone app.
Microsoft Project basically allows business to effectively start, manage, and successfully deliver project portfolio investments at the planned business value. In other words, Microsoft Project Professional offers users with a visually enhanced yet powerful approach to competently manage a huge array of projects. However is MS Project right for you and your experience.
To create a basic project its fairly straight forward, however once you want to start to collaborate, undertake portfolio management, it's recommended you undertake some sort of training.
The tool composes of three core modules, which include management of project, portfolio, and resources. The software can either be accessed on mobile phones or desktop and includes built-in templates, common tools for scheduling, project planning implements like Gantt charts and drop-down lists aimed at simplifying the planning stage.
On the flip side, the portfolio management component allows users to model different case scenarios and come up with the best working path for the project. Based on urgency and other project principles, this means that you will be able to prioritize on project base activities and tasks. To facilitate consolidation information and result in in-depth analysis, this module amalgamates well with other platforms such as Microsoft’s business intelligence system and Power BI Pro.
The component for managing resources gives users complete visibility of their shared project teams and resources and can relay data in real-time from anywhere. This cuts down on idle resources
Summary of MS Project Benefits
MS Project is one of the very popular management software for projects and is plausibly one of the leading tools in the market for entities that want to get away from hoping to increase their productivity by using traditional methods such as scribbling on whiteboards and papers.
The tool comes with a magnificent set of features ideal for simplifying complex project elements and is relatively very user-friendly.
Brimful visibility
This tool essentially gives users unlimited visibility when it comes to handling several projects simultaneously. Its scheduling features such as the Gantt charts and the prepopulated drop-down lists helps accelerate the project-planning phase. Its layout largely displays multiple timelines that help maintain focus throughout the project.
Each timeline is sharable among various stakeholders in the project and you can assign a specific task or milestone to it. Its ability to be accessed on both mobile and desktop devices enables users to quickly and easily connect to the project database at any time and from anywhere.
Excellent integration
Microsoft Project & Portfolio Management connects to an array of other databases, platforms, and tools mostly made and supplied by Microsoft. This is particularly important as it helps enhance the project’s business intelligence analytics and communication. Some of the products it can integrate to include Skype, Office.com, Office 365, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Power BI Pro.
Instant usage
The software comes with ready-made tools designed to let you hit the ground running. These include things like built-in templates with an optional customization function and sharable out-of-the-box reports for all your stakeholders. These refer to the likes of Gantt, financial, and burndown charts.
Its user interface relies on experience
MS Project is designed mainly for experienced individuals in handling dynamic projects. Knowing that projects can drastically change over time, will quickly help you revise the whole project organization and approach with ease.
Very flexible
This tool was made with the core purpose of being extremely user-friendly when handling complex projects. This makes it very adaptable and is therefore used in many different industries such as construction, financial services, manufacturing, and health care.
Microsoft Project Review on Pricing
There is the local install or sometime call the on premise installation which starts at $620 or the Cloud version which is a subscription based option:
Local Install
1 Users
$
620
Project Plan 1
Per User
$
10
/mo
Project Plan 3
Per User
$
30
/mo
Project Plan 5
Per User
$
55
/mo
Alternatives to Consider
If you would prefer a SaaS option then its worth considering GanttPro and we even have a 50% off for you.
If you prefer having an agile view on your project then consider Monday.com, and we also have a discount on this for you.
Supported Devices
Supported Devices | TeamGantt |
|---|---|
Windows | |
Mac | |
Android | |
iPhone/iPad | |
Browser |
Our Microsoft Project review identified that as a project management tool is is an extremely powerful piece of software. It's more focused at Project Managers in medium to large corporations or PM's with signification experience due to the learning curve.