Microsoft Project Reviews

We primarily use the solution for portfolio management, project management, and program management. It is also used for reporting to leadership on a portfolio level.

It gives the enterprise and leadership the visibility of what's going on with their enterprise. It provides visibility to all the projects that are going on within the company.

The integration between SharePoint and Power BI has been great.

The stability is good.

You can scale the solution as needed. 

We need more integration with Microsoft Teams and other collaboration tools.

The product could be more user-friendly in some areas. 

I've used the solution for a while. I've used it over the last 12 months at least. 

The stability is pretty good. It's easy to use and reliable. 

The solution can scale. It can scale for a company that's dealing with a medium-size company dealing with 10 to 20 projects, all the way to the large companies dealing with hundreds of projects it's very scalable.

We've got the technology department using the product. We also have businesses using it as well. We have a total of 100 plus people that are using it today in our company.

The solution is being used extensively. We do have plans on working with a third party to potentially make the solution even more user-friendly.

I haven't used their technical support, however, I've partnered up with Microsoft Partners to come up with potential future solutions.

Before Microsoft Project Online, we just used Microsoft Project Desktop and we utilized Microsoft SharePoint to create lists in order to create portfolio trackers and project trackers that way. We needed a more robust solution that can track risk management, budgetary prioritization, et cetera. Microsoft Project does that for us.

The setup can be both complex and easy. I'd rate it 3.5 out of five, with five being an easy setup.

Deployment involves usually implementing the new tools and then adopting and having people use it. Implementation took about three months and then the adoption took another six to eight to nine months of training and making sure people use the tool.

We have admins and that's one or two folks that can handle any maintenance requirements. It's not a high-maintenance product.

We had a consultant assist us with the implementation.

We've seen an ROI from the aspect of efficiencies and having information in one central location. We've cut time in reporting. We've cut time in the administration portion as well, of setting up projects so there's been efficiency. We hope the ROI might expand as we use it more.

I'm not aware of what the licensing costs are. There might be extra costs associated with maintenance. 

While it is my understanding that we did look at other solutions, I was not part of that tendering process. I don't know which ones were vetted.

We're a customer and end-user.

I'd advise potential new users to make sure they select a tool that will be useful to the end-user. This tool is really catered to project managers, while the majority of the folks who are executing projects are not what I call professional project managers.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Whenever we have a client with a complicated situation, we create a project plan. And we use Microsoft Project (MS Project) for administrating, monitoring, and tracking the project.  For most small projects, MS Project is satisfactory.

We can input information and then share it with the project team and stakeholders. That helps a little, but if somebody changes their mind, it could change how we manage the project. There are some new features in MS Project 2024. However, more features aren't necessarily useful because now you must train people to use them. They may say, "Why do I need this new feature?" Newer versions of MS Project display a warning when a task runs behind schedule. However, it is necessary to input a date change for that warning manually, and administrative action takes precious time.

It's possible to get input from other programs, such as Outlook, but we don't use Outlook for anything other than email, even though it could do other things. Time is a critical resource. We don't have time to learn about these features and use them productively, so they are of no value to us.

MS Project's resource leveling capability is beneficial. We like this feature. We want to be able to expand tasks and look at different resources and task usage. It is good at assigning tasks to teams.

It's generally compliant with the Project Management Institute approach to project management, which means MS Project helps us be more uniform and consistent in conducting each project.

MS Project can insert objects, like a drawing or an Excel worksheet, but cannot handle business rules. Also, I would like to see better integration with graphics applications such as MS Visio. The graphics are primitive and need some major work. I would like to have the ability to insert some small macros within the project for Monte Carlo risk analysis. For example, if you're unsure how much time a task may require, you can generate a reasonable guess.

MS Project is very time and labor-intensive to keep current. You need to update it continually. You may find that you are spending more time maintaining the MS Project file than working on your project. I don't want to devote a person to do that.

MS Project should have the capability to link it to other applications to make the program dynamic when a real-time resource or schedule changes, but it is not dynamic. It would be helpful to insert real-time input data for each project, subproject, or task. If something is going on, I want to see the impact in real-time, if possible.

I want to be able to specify globally what weekend we want or what we want to call a weekend. Also, we might have a project underway seven days a week.

External data sources, like third-party manufacturing processes, impact some tasks. Embedding external processes within MS Project is almost impossible because we don't have programming resources here in a practical sense. Also, the interface of Microsoft Project is proprietary. We want to link different tasks to external sources of inputs and outputs and integrate them automatically with our master project plan, e.g., specific third-party CNC machine data. The supplier's system does not interface with ours'. We have to get the outputs from their system serially and manually update the MS Project file to determine the schedule impact. That takes time. There is a risk of data entry errors at both ends. On tight projects, every minute counts.

I would like to see a control system interface with Microsoft Project. Real-time system data helps predict cost and schedule variances. For example, if you had to finish a day ahead of schedule, you could "talk" to the systems' software and determine if a given machine works for another four hours, then you could meet the accelerated schedule. MS Project requires manual data entry with a risk of mistakes. Presently, there is no automated data entry capability in MS Project. It just doesn't exist. That's why I say it is only suitable for small-sized to medium-sized companies and small projects. Most companies don't have the same problems we have with MS Project.

When you're working on a project that has to get done, you will spend most of the time wrestling with Microsoft Project, whereas you should be using these hours to manage the project.

Thinking on a slightly bigger scale, I would like better integration with Office, Visio, and Access. If you make a change in one application, it should cascade to others and vice versa. It doesn't do that, at least not easily. It is not a dynamic program. I would like to see an active program or at least the capability to be dynamic, even if it is close to real-time where it outputs to a module, and the module then talks to real-time systems. The real-time data goes back into the module, and the module updates the project plan. Such dynamic capability would be superior to what exists now. It may not be genuinely real-time, but it is at least closer to it.

I want to link directly to the data in an Excel spreadsheet so that I don't have to keep going back and forth updating it. I don't want to have to create a dynamic link library or write a macro. Whenever I change the data in an Excel file for a given project or task, it should update the corresponding Visio or PowerPoint file. If I'm doing a pie chart or any graphic, I don't want to manually update my graphics. I want to link them together, and I want them updated automatically. I know it is a wishful thing. Microsoft doesn't make significant changes every time they come out with a new version. However, they don't appear to fix the issue. Instead, they add a few features.

I have been using Microsoft Project since it was released in the mid-1980s. Although MS Project can be helpful, it does not teach project management.

It's relatively stable. I've never had a crash. I can't remember it ever crashing. If I  entered some information that it can't resolve, it usually comes up with an error message.

I think it is limited to around 400,000 tasks. I am not sure. I never had to go that far. We have five consultants who are remote users.

I've never really needed any support. When Microsoft has a seminar or a meeting locally, I might go to it and give my feedback.

Neutral

Installation is automatic and simple, we had no issues.

The implementation was done in-house.

MS Project pays for itself by helping me keep my thinking straight.  The purchase price of the application is insignificant when compared with the time involved in trying to do project management manually on paper attached to large poster boards. We did it that way before the advent of PCs.  There is some benefit to seeing an entire project plan on paper to provide a visual idea of project scope and progress, but intelligent use of MS Project can generate the same information.  It takes a lot of time to become so proficient with MS Project that these key bits of information are generated automatically through accurate and complete task definitions, WBS, and project schedule updates.

Make sure you have a good business reason for purchasing MS Project. It isn't cheap and there are free alternatives, with simple capabilities, available.

MS Project was sufficient for our requirements, so we did not evaluate any other options.

Make sure you understand what MS Project can do and what it cannot do. It cannot read your mind. Just like any other program, it only does what you tell it to do. If you give it the wrong information, it will provide you with incorrect output. It is very labor-intensive. There are minimal capabilities to help you write routines. So, you have to change dates and task names. If you don't understand project management concepts well, you're just going to delude yourself into thinking MS Project helps you. You have to understand the process of project management to use the application effectively. Otherwise, you are wasting your time. It will not teach you how to do project management.

I would rate MS Project a five out of ten because it hasn't evolved that much. Microsoft added lots of bells and whistles, but they don't add much new value. They don't save me much time. I want MS Project to be a dynamic program, but it remains a passive program after more than 30 years. I've made comments about it at some seminars hosted by Microsoft. We've told them to make it a dynamic program or at least have an option to make it active. We would be willing to pay more for this capability. It's worth it, but they don't do it. I guess they don't see enough business potential in doing it that way, and I don't have the resources to create an internal application to make it that way. I am not in that business.

Our company uses Microsoft Project primarily for project planning and milestone tracking.

The tool helps us to check milestones. After doing tasks, our team updates them. Regarding functionalities in Microsoft Project, the number one feature is reminders. With so many projects, sometimes you forget; some projects might slip up or disappear. This feature is very useful.

Additionally, we can track the tasks we can do within a particular project, which is another feature we use. Lastly, we use the tracking function to set deadlines and see what is being accomplished and what remains. The design team uses these features. 

The tool's integration was easy and seamless. We also use it to get a summary of the entire business.

I would like to see a direct integration of Microsoft Project with AutoCAD. It will make client presentations easy. 

I have been working with the product since 2015. 

I rate the tool's stability a nine out of ten. 

I rate the solution's scalability a six out of ten. It's a bit complex to ask some new users. In terms of scalability, for example, if you have two projects or departments you want to merge, you might face challenges. You might have to type them in manually and do manual merging. So, if something could be done to simplify this, it would be great. My company has around 15 users. 

The tool's deployment is easy. 

I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten.                        

I rate the overall product a seven out of ten.

We use Microsoft Project for its timeline and task management capabilities. The primary advantage is the easy application of tasks in sequence, confirming dependencies, and establishing relationships between tasks. It simplifies handling conditions, significant dates, and dependencies between various tasks.

The tool's most valuable feature is scheduling. 

Microsoft Project's reporting is very complex and not user-friendly. 

I have been working with the product for ten years. 

I rate the tool's stability a nine out of ten. 

The tool's deployment is very straightforward. 

I rate Microsoft Project's pricing a five out of ten. 

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

We use Microsoft Project for application lifecycle management (ALM), use case definition, follow-up, and project management activity.

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Project is status reporting. Microsoft Project is easy to use and has a user-friendly UI.

Microsoft Project should include more visualization, queries to filter out data, and more reporting structures.

I have been using Microsoft Project for two years.

Microsoft Project is a stable solution.

I rate Microsoft Project a nine out of ten for stability.

Microsoft Project is a scalable solution. Around 50 to 60 users use the solution extensively in our organization.

We implemented the solution through an in-house team.

Microsoft Project is an expensive solution.

Microsoft Project is deployed on the cloud in our organization. I would recommend Microsoft Project to other users.

Overall, I rate Microsoft Project a nine out of ten.

I use the solution for scheduling and planning.

The solution helps us stay on track with our project and insures we meet our deliverables and requirements.

The reporting and national resource capacity planning are the most valuable features.

The collaboration has room for improvement.

I would like to request the addition of risk management and financial management to the solution.

The cost has room for improvement.

The initial setup has room for improvement.

I have been using the solution for ten years.

I give the scalability an eight.

The initial setup is complex.

The solution is expensive.

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

I recommend the solution.

I primarily use the solution for project planning. 

The product is very easy to use. It makes it easy to present projects as well. 

It's an easy solution to set up.

The solution can scale.

It is stable.

We'd like the solution to have better integration with other third-party and open-source solutions. We have trouble importing and exporting to other tools. 

I've been using the solution for two to five years. 

It's a stable solution. It's reliable. We haven't had any problems with it. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze.

The solution scales well. It is very easy to extend it. 

We have about five to ten users on the solution. At this point, we do not have plans to increase usage. We might in the future. 

I have not used technical support. I've never needed assistance. 

I have used a different solution previously.

The initial setup is very simple and straightforward. 

It is quick to set up. It took about an hour to deploy.

We have five people that are able to handle deployment and maintenance tasks. Typically, we have two or three available. 

We handled the deployment in-house. We did not need any outside assistance. 

We pay a monthly licensing fee for the solution. I'm not sure of the exact cost of the product.

I am not sure if we are using the latest version of the solution. 

I'd recommend the solution to others. 

I would rate it eight out of ten. 

Our company has a project department that is responsible for project deployment. When a new client comes up, they will have a lot of PMPS packs which have a list of activities. We use the tool to plan projects.

The tool has a simple and excellent approach.

The solution is a basic tool that does not give you analytical insights. It does not have any AI capabilities which can also help to plan.

The solution is stable. I would rate the solution’s stability a seven out of ten.

The tool is scalable. You just need to send a requirement for more licenses. There are around five users for the solution in our company.

We do not use any paid support services from Microsoft since our requirements are not high.

The solution’s setup is very easy.

I would rate the solution a seven out of ten.