List Of The Best Paid & Free Microsoft Project Alternatives Of 2020
On the hunt for a Microsoft Project 2019 alternative? You’ve come to the right place. In this review, I’ll go over some great new MS Project alternatives and a downloadable how-to guide for choosing a Microsoft Project alternative for your projects.
What Is Microsoft Project?
Microsoft Project is a project management tool used by different types of users, with varying levels of access. The software provides tables, views, filters, fields, calendars, and a database for doing things like:
- Developing project plans
- Assigning resources
- Tracking time & progress
- Creating Gantt charts
- Creating & managing budgets
- Balancing workloads
- Scheduling tasks & resources
- Creating graphical reports
- Storing project data in a shared database
You can learn more about Microsoft Project features, benefits, cost, and use cases in my overview of Microsoft project management software.
Is Microsoft Project Useful?
For a lot of agencies, yes. In many cases, the default project management tool for creating project plans is still Microsoft Project, and it provides a lot of useful tools.
For starters, Microsoft Project is not just a fuzzy old tool that Microsoft doesn’t really care about — they’re introducing some really smart integrations with Power BI, Internet of Things, bots, and machine learning that are awesome. In fact, your best choice might be to buy MS Project.
You can learn more about MS Project and MS Teams features in my overview of Microsoft project management software.
Just realized that you need a different type of tool? Check out these other reviews:
- Time tracking software to help track time and easily manage timesheets and invoices.
- Resource scheduling software to help you allocate equipment, rooms, staff, and other resources.
List Of The Best Microsoft Project Alternatives 2020
Here’s my list of the best MS Project Alternatives for 2020:
Below you’ll find an overview of these tools with screenshots, features, and pricing.
Quickly Compare & Evaluate The 10 Best Microsoft Project Alternatives
If your company is feeling the pinch, your request to purchase a shiny new copy of Microsoft Project might elicit a response that goes something like,
“Surely there is a free Microsoft Project alternative that can do the job, isn’t there?”
Yes — there are dozens of paid and free MS Project alternatives out there. Below, you’ll find the ones that made my shortlist, followed by details and screenshots, to help you choose the right one.
Criteria For Microsoft Project Alternative Software
There are loads of project scheduling software out there that does all kinds of things that we, as digital project managers will never make use of. In a tool that replaces MS Project, what exactly are we looking for? Here are the criteria I used to evaluate Microsoft Project alternative project scheduling tools:
- User Interface (UI): How well-designed is it? How clear are the displays and navigation?
2. Usability: Is it intuitive? Are there tutorials and training? Does the tool offer quick and responsive customer support when your team members have questions? Does it have an Android and iOS app so you can access it from any device?
3. Features & Functionality: How many of the key resource management software features and functions does it provide, and how powerful are they? Specifically, I looked for these functionalities:
- Create a Gantt chart: demonstrate in detail the work breakdown structure (WBS) with tasks, sub-tasks, and to-do lists. This should show duration, start and end dates, task dependencies, and assigned resources to facilitate task management.
- Create a project exec summary chart: provide a high-level view of the project plan to provide a project snapshot that anyone can understand
- Import and export .mpp files: be able to open MS Project files, seamlessly import someone else’s project plan, make edits, and send it back to them without giving anyone a headache. All project files should be able to be stored within the project management solution, rather than in Dropbox or Google drive.
- Export PDF’s or shareable project plans: be able to share something that looks presentable. Bonus points if you can switch views to easily see your plans as task lists, kanban boards, calendars, etc.
- Collaboration tools: be able to use built-in functionalities to encourage team collaboration and receive real-time notifications for updates.
- Issue tracking: be able to note and keep track of ongoing issues and problems with certain projects or project types.
4. Integrations: Is it easy to connect with other tools? What are the pre-built integrations?
5. Value for $: How appropriate is the price for its features, capabilities, and use cases? Is pricing clear, transparent, and flexible?
I know, I know: There are loads of other things that MS Project does, like resource management and project portfolio management with business intelligence integrations, which is great. But generally speaking, all we’re really doing is scheduling our projects. Yes, there are lots of other great functionalities, but be honest — you don’t use them very much!
Keep reading to see the full article of The Best Paid & Free Microsoft Project Alternatives Of 2020
Originally published at https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com on June 20, 2020.
