Microsoft Project has long been the gold standard in project management. However, many people find it overwhelming and too complex when starting to use the tool. It is true that the software may seem intimidating at first. But it is also true that it becomes much easier to navigate once you explore it and understand its features and purposes.
To help you get started, let’s walk through the key capabilities of Microsoft Project and see what it offers and how it can benefit your project.
Must-have capabilities
Gantt view that help to map out your projects
Did you know that Microsoft Project was the first one to introduce Gantt charts in digital format within the project management functionality? Its Gantt charts remain a powerful instrument for mapping project schedules with horizontal bar charts on a timeline. Its power lies in the possibility to see each task with its duration, connections and scale in general.
Even though Microsoft Project is not the most intuitive software on the market, its Gantt view still allows you to drag task bars to reschedule tasks and see how they affect your overall timeline.
When deadlines shift or priorities change (and they usually do), Project’s Gantt view can recalculate all related tasks automatically. Seeing this on a chart helps you identify potential overlaps or blockages and solve the problem before it materializes.
One of the problems that project managers frequently mention is how limited MS Project is in sharing the chart with the stakeholders. Apart from the fact that it’s offline and you cannot share it through the web, there is no decent way to export the chart in a presentable way. So, if this is a problem for you as well, and you want to find a worthy alternative to Microsoft Project, go to this article and explore more modern and easy-to-use options.
Task control features that help you build a structure
Projects usually reflect how well you manage its constituent tasks. Microsoft Project has features that go far beyond basic to-do lists. You can decompose projects into key stages, then list tasks and subtasks for each of these stages and create with this a detailed project structure.
If you want to indicate tasks’ completion order, you have 4 types of dependencies: Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, and Start-to-Finish. This is the most complete range of dependencies that not all the project apps offer nowadays. This helps to embrace different real-life situations where tasks can depend on each other in myriad forms.
When you add or remove resources from tasks, Project’s scheduling automatically adjusts durations. Plus, if you add constraints like “must start on” or “as late as possible,” you will get even more precise control over time.
To see the tasks that can compromise your project end date, you can switch on the critical path feature. This way, you will automatically see the chain of key tasks and know which activities require special attention.
Resource features that help you stay efficient
Ever run into resource problems while managing a project? Oftentimes, it happens because resources are allocated on a very late project stage or in a wrong way. The optimal solution is to integrate it into the planning process. Microsoft Project’s resource management features can help with that.
There is a resource pool option where you can define all available resources like people, equipment, or materials and indicate their working capacities. It also allows you to specify working hours, vacation time, and skill sets to ensure assignments match capabilities.
While distributing resources between tasks, you will get alerted if a particular resource is scheduled for more work than it can handle based on a personal working calendar. Many experienced managers appreciate Project’s resource leveling feature, as it takes care of the automatic adjustment of the schedule to prevent those conflicts.
In the resource usage view, you can check who’s working on what and when, and detect additional capacities or, on the contrary, overload. Finally, the cost tracking section assists with budget management activities by calculating labor costs based on established rates and labor hours.
Timelines that can be adjusted to any audience
Gantt charts offer a detailed view of a project, but let’s admit that’s not all you need. Sometimes you just need a higher-level overview to present the star of affairs for executives or brief internal team catch-ups. In such cases, you can use Microsoft Project’s timeline.
This view narrows down its functionality to highlighting key points or specific deliverables on a horizontal bar. You can regulate the level of details that are shown and drive everyone’s attention to the elements that you consider relevant.
You can actually create different timelines depending on their objectives and recipients. For example, a more detailed version with task statuses for a technical team, and a general one with major achievements for external stakeholders.
And don’t forget that you can switch between date ranges by zooming in on specific aspects of a particular stage, and going back to overall project context to discuss strategic aspects.
Budgeting tools that keep you track finances
There’s no need to say that money matters in each project. Microsoft Project covers this aspect with its tools for budgeting and financial control. For starters, you can assign fixed costs to tasks or choose variable costs through resource rates.
Then, when actual work starts, the system will keep comparing actual costs against planned ones, and warn you when a project starts to exceed its limits. Earned Value Management metrics further help you assess whether you’re getting appropriate value for the money spent.
By adding resources’ costs, you can also track expenses that aren’t related to work in itself (e.g. travel, materials, side fees). It’s also nice that the cost tracking features are tightly connected to the resource assignments and task completion. This will provide you financial updates automatically as the project moves forward.
Roadmapping that consolidates projects
Microsoft Project’s roadmapping helps to see where the project is in the larger organizational context. How? Easy! It brings several projects into a single timeline and shows how different activities interact with each other. That way you can see possible conflicts or opportunities for optimization.
Roadmaps are truly great for portfolio-level reviews. Add to this that they can also incorporate projects from outside of Microsoft Project, for a comprehensive assessment.
Connectivity within Microsoft ecosystem
If users were to choose one undisputed advantage of Microsoft Project, that would be its integration with other tools offered by Microsoft. On a corporate level, this connectivity lets you increase productivity many times if compared to tools from different companies.
Teams integration, for example, combines project data with collaboration by allowing your team to view and update tasks in the same place. SharePoint integration helps connect documents and project tasks.
Another popular integration is Power BI. It adds professional data visualization and reporting to your projects. Dynamics 365 ensures that project information can be integrated into business processes and financial systems.
You can also link your Outlook account to convert emails into tasks or see tasks from Project in your personal calendar. The main benefit of this consolidation is a creation of a common digital workplace that combines everything your team needs.
Cloud-powered improvements with the online version
Starting easier with templates
Starting new projects from scratch can sometimes take you a lot of time. Microsoft Project comes with templates for basic projects applicable to different industries. There you will already get a list of typical tasks with corresponding dependencies, and resources.
Construction, dev and product teams, will find templates aligned with the best practices in their industries. And once you create your own projects, you can save them as templates of best practices as well. Templates not only reduce setup time, but also help standardize project management in your company.
Generating customizable reports
While sharing project information, you can use the PDF and XPS export. With just a few clicks, you can create a report with the current project. These exports will have the formatting and all the visual elements like Gantt charts and timelines.
You also have the possibility to choose what you share depending on who is going to get this information and what kind of details they need. There is also an option to schedule automatic export generation, where documents will be updated and distributed regularly.
Visualizing project relationships
Some links in a project are better understood when you use network diagrams. It’s nor something that you can find in any project management tool, but Microsoft Project does have it.
Its network diagram assists in visualizing the logical flow of work and detecting potential parallel paths in a project. This view is particularly relevant for complex projects with many interdependencies, as it shows structural insights. For teams using PERT charts or similar methodologies in their process, it will become a comfortable and intuitive planning tool.
Tracking specific project data
Microsoft Project’s custom fields let you capture matters that are specifically relevant for your business. Vendor information, license requirements, scores – anything can be recorded and tracked through text, numbers, dates, and formulas.
Formula fields is the most sophisticated one, as it can automatically calculate values using other project data. You will also like the graphical indicators that turn the cells red when costs exceed limits or show checkmarks when some requirements you set are met.
Implementing the tool
Microsoft Project’s Click-to-Run installation allows you to implement it with minimal IT overhead. Plus, it’s not set once and forever. You will also get automatic updates for the latest features and improvements.
It is true that Microsoft Project is not the easiest and most intuitive tool out there. But it is also true that when you discover its capabilities, it can become a strategic asset that will become an indispensable part of your company’s success. The returns you’ll get with each project are really worth the time invested in learning the tool’s potential and peculiarities. Hopefully, this article will serve as an inspiration to do that.
