What is Microsoft Project? Uses, Features, and Pricing - SrijibDutta/srijiblog GitHub Wiki

Project managers require tools to help them manage their assignments effectively. For many years, professionals have used Microsoft Project for this purpose. It is available as a cloud-based (Project Online, Project for the Web) and on-premises solution (Project Server, Project Professional). If you want to learn more about this product, keep reading this article. It will also help you decide whether Microsoft Project is the best tool for you.

What is Microsoft Project?

Project managers use this software to control their assignments. They can use it for different purposes such as developing work schedules, managing resources, creating work plans, and keeping track of time. Some of its features are Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and calendars.

Microsoft Project Views

This tool offers a variety of views for teams and managers. The first view is the Grid View, which managers can use to plan and manage list-based tasks. The second one, Board View, is a Kanban-based view that is useful for managing status and workflow. The last is Timeline View, which uses conventional Gantt charts to schedule tasks on a timeline.

Microsoft Project Features

This tool has several features that managers require to execute their work more effectively, including: • Planning: Use Kanban boards and Gantt charts to plan work. This solution has much more advanced planning capabilities than Microsoft Planner. • Collaboration and communication: Enables teams to work on assignments together seamlessly. • Co-authoring: Allows team members and stakeholders to edit task lists and schedules jointly. • Roadmap: Allows you to track assignment portfolios and programs. • Timesheets: Gather non-project and project time for billing and payroll. • Resource management: Involves requesting and allocating tasks to manage resources.

Plans and Costs

The tool has evolved from a desktop software to a product line with a subscription model. It is available in three monthly license plans, apart from the desktop version. The Desktop Model is available in two versions: Professional 2021 and Standard 2021 desktop versions. Plan 1 of this software allows you to use only Project Home and Project for the Web. These versions are highly recommended for team members. Plan 3 is adequate for managing assignments. It provides great capabilities for project management but none for portfolio management. You can use Microsoft Project desktop client and Project Online. Plan 5 includes all possible features of the software. You can use Project Online, desktop client, and Project for the Web.

Pros and Cons

Overall, Microsoft Project is a great solution for project portfolio management. Its advantages are numerous: • Compatible with other Microsoft products, including SharePoint, Office 365, and Skype. • Features similar appearance to other products in Microsoft family, making it easy to use. • Financial management capabilities. • Businesses that prefer desktop applications over a cloud solution can use the desktop application. • Cloud-based and on-premises versions are available. • Templates that can help users get started quickly, saving time. Although there are many benefits, the drawbacks must also be considered: • Because it is challenging to understand, teams require extensive training before feeling confident enough to begin utilizing the program. The result is additional financial and time costs. • Each user of the tool must have a subscription, which makes it quite expensive. • It is challenging for users to share files. Unless you are using this particular software, you cannot read the files. It saves them in the proprietary MPP format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MS Project free? No, this tool isn’t free. You will have to subscribe to one of its three plans for a fee. Is Microsoft Professional in Office 365? No. The larger family of Microsoft Office products includes this software. However, other Office programs do not incorporate this software. The product comes in two editions: the professional and standard versions. The two versions share a file format known as MPP. Is Microsoft Project compatible with Mac? No. Currently, Mac computers are incompatible with the desktop version of this software. If you must use MS Project for Mac, there is a solution. You have the option of using MS Project Online or one of the many substitutes. Getting Reliable Protection for Microsoft Project Choosing Microsoft Project for the Web from a wide range of Microsoft subscription models, organizations may face challenges like: • Manual work and routine tasks • Human errors • Accidental deletions • Data loss • Corrupted projects These issues can negatively impact teams’ productivity and cause financial losses. FluentPro Backup can easily mitigate all of the above-mentioned challenges by providing automated continuous backup and recovery for your projects in Microsoft Project for the Web. The software offers: • Reliable data protection • No data loss risks • Fully automated backup • Automated restore of project versions • Security with cloud-based storage Get more information about FluentPro Backup for Microsoft Project for the Web.