Item: Microsoft Project
Rating: 8
Author: Quratulain Habib, PMP

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We typically use MS Project for any projects that require project scheduling, task management/work breakdown, managing resource availability, and reporting on project delivery/schedule. As a project management consulting company, any time we have projects that need to be planned properly with a close eye on timelines and need reporting on to senior management, MS Project is our go-to software.

There are many Project Management software, tools, and services available. However, none can beat the planning or measurement against project baselines like Microsoft Project.

Pros and Cons

Project planning
Baseline measurement
Resource allocation
Useful report templates

Geared towards waterfall projects
Complicated to use/learn.
Clunky interface for report creation & modification.
Difficult to integrate with email and/or Sharepoint to send team alerts.

Return on Investment

Improved risk mitigation.
Better task management with teams.

Alternatives Considered

Smartsheet and Wrike

Initially, I tried using Smartsheet and then Wrike, all for Gantt Chart availability and task management. They don't come close to the flexibility or depth of features that Microsoft Project provides.

Wrike does have better collaboration amongst team members and provides an easy-to-use interface for sharing files and ideas. Unfortunately, this doesn't translate well into the Enterprise project world where team members are not inclined to chat or need to see an email/alert for every activity done by others.

Key Insights

Do you think Microsoft Project delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Microsoft Project's feature set?

Yes

Did Microsoft Project live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Microsoft Project go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Microsoft Project again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Microsoft Planner, Microsoft To Do (formerly Wunderlist), Microsoft Teams

Likelihood to Recommend

For large-scale projects that follow the waterfall method, Microsoft Project is possibly the best out there when compared to others in terms of price and functionalities/features. I've used it to manage software development projects, construction, engineering and product research, development, and manufacturing. All were multi-million dollar projects with timelines ranging from 6 months to over 3 years.

On the other hand, if you have a small software development project that is iterative or agile in nature, there are more suitable project management and collaboration tools out there.

Project planning and management at its best

Overall Satisfaction with Microsoft Project