Microsoft Project
Description
Managing a project on a spreadsheet works until the project grows past a certain size – when dependencies between tasks multiply, when resources get allocated across multiple work streams, when the schedule needs to reflect what happens to the end date when a single milestone slips two weeks. There is a Microsoft Project for just that threshold. It deals with the complexity spreadsheets don’t: task dependencies that automatically reschedule the work ahead when work is shifted upstream, resource allocation that keeps track of who is overloaded and who has capacity, and Gantt chart views that visualize the entire project timeline in a format that project managers, executives, and stakeholders can read at a glance.
Microsoft has sold Project since 1984, which makes it one of the oldest continuously developed products in Microsoft’s portfolio. It is still the market-defining desktop project management application, with a widespread user base in construction, engineering, IT, consulting and any application that requires structured multi-task planning over months or years.
KEY FEATURES
Gantt Chart and Timeline View
The Gantt chart is the main view in Microsoft Project. Each task is represented as a row with a corresponding horizontal bar on the timeline whose length is duration and whose position is when the task occurs. Dependencies between tasks are shown as connecting arrows — a Finish-to-Start dependency indicates that one task cannot start until another task is completed. When a task has a change in its duration or start date, Project automatically recalculates all the dependent tasks down the project hierarchy, preserving the logical flow of the schedule without manually updating each affected row. The Timeline view above the Gantt chart gives a condensed summary strip of selected milestones and phases, useful for presentations and status reports.
Task Dependencies & Critical Path
Project calculates the critical path — the sequence of dependent tasks that determines the earliest possible completion date for the project. Tasks on the critical path appear in a different colour on the Gantt chart, as this indicates that any delay to these tasks directly increases the project end date. Tasks off the critical path have float — time by which they can slip without affecting the end date. Critical path visibility helps project managers concentrate attention and resources on the tasks that really constrain delivery.
Resource Management
Resources — people, equipment, and materials — are attached to tasks with assigned work hours or units. The Resource Sheet is a list of all the resources and their standard and overtime rates, maximum units, and availability calendars. The Resource Usage view displays the number of hours assigned to each resource per day throughout the project timeline, and flags overallocation in red where a resource has more work assigned than the number of hours they have available. Resource leveling tools redistribute work to solve overallocation either automatically or by manual adjustments.
Baseline and Variance Tracking
A project baseline captures the original planned schedule — task start dates, finish dates, durations, and costs — at the point when the plan is approved. As the project executes, actual progress records against the baseline, and Project calculates variance: How many days ahead or behind each task runs compared to the original plan, and how actual costs compare to budgeted costs. Baseline comparison provides project managers and stakeholders with a true picture of schedule and budget health throughout execution.
Budget and Cost Tracking
Cost fields on resources and tasks roll up to summaries of budgets at the project level. Fixed costs are attached to tasks directly for costs that are not related to a resource rate. Earned value calculations — including Cost Performance Index and Schedule Performance Index — quantify the efficiency of the project in converting budget into completed work, providing standard metrics used in formal project reporting frameworks including PMBOK and PRINCE2.
Multiple Views
Beyond the Gantt chart, Project offers a Task Usage view which displays hours by task and resource, a Network Diagram view which displays task dependencies in a flowchart format, a Calendar view which displays tasks on a monthly calendar, and a Resource Graph which displays resource allocation visually over time. Each view is a different way of presenting the same underlying project data.
Microsoft 365 Integration
Project Online and Project for the web are integrated with Microsoft 365 and store project data in SharePoint and Dataverse respectively. Team members who do not have full Project licenses can view assigned tasks and report progress through Project Online or through integrations with Microsoft Teams. Power BI connectivity enables the creation of custom project dashboards based on Project data.
Reporting
Built-in reports are Burndown charts, Cost Overview, Work Overview, Project Overview, and Milestone reports. The Report tab offers a visual report builder in which project managers create custom charts and tables from project data fields. Reports are exportable as PDF or PowerPoint for distribution to stakeholders.
