What Is Microsoft Project Used For?

If you’re looking to optimize your team’s efficiency in project management and completion, Microsoft Office Project is the software you need. Microsoft Office Project (also referred to as ‘Microsoft Project’ and ‘MS Project’) is a suite of tools for streamlined portfolio and project management.

This software is designed to help your team set realistic goals for projects and customers–its main modules include project work, project teams, schedules, and finances. These modules allow users to create schedules, manage budgets, distribute resources, and more. Because this robust software offers a holistic approach to project management, it’s critical that your team takes Microsoft Project courses to maximize its capabilities.

Essentially, Microsoft Project makes managing projects more streamlined from A to Z–creating projects, tracking tasks, and reporting results has never been easier. Before you get started and learn how to use Microsoft Project, let’s dive into the benefits and specific uses for this software.

Five Benefits of Using Microsoft Project

It’s no secret that project management is one of the most challenging aspects of any work environment across industries. Microsoft Project takes all of the headache out of managing your projects–but how? There are five key benefits to adopting Microsoft Project into your workplace.

Staying on Track

Even with a designated project manager, keeping track of tasks, progress, and deadlines can be overwhelming due to the many moving parts and inevitable hiccups that occur along the way. For years, the solution was to have a person or a team manage a spreadsheet with all of this information manually. Not anymore.

Microsoft Project is far more than a spreadsheet–it translates text, data, and progress into a visual tool that lets everyone on the project see what needs to happen and how far along they are.

With Microsoft Project, you can:

• Establish task dependencies
• Assign team members to tasks
• Set start and finish dates and durations

For the visual learners on your team, Microsoft Project offers an array of viewing tools: task grid, Kanban board, and timeline. By consolidating all of this information in a powerful viewing format, your team can stay on track and in the know.

Seamless Organization

You don’t need to be an expert in information technology to use Microsoft Project. If your workplace already implements other Microsoft Office products, Microsoft Project can be easy to adapt to. 

If not, no worries–ONLC offers both online and in-person comprehensive training for all Microsoft products, including Project. Your employees will have access to a live, expert instructor who can walk them through any questions and empower them to use this robust software program.

All it takes is a few clicks and keystrokes to get your projects and tasks created. With Microsoft Project’s simple interface, users can easily set and update deadlines and team member assignments, as well as edit them quickly. 

Analyzing Insights

Because Microsoft Project offers multiple views, analytics tools, and clear project updates, you can increase the visibility of what is working efficiently and what isn’t. With easy-to-use tools to map project and task efficiency, you can make more informed long-term decisions and churn out optimal long-term results.

With training from ONLC, you can learn how to take these details and translate them into Microsoft Power BI visualization tools. This combination of software will allow you to identify bottlenecks, redundancies, and inefficiencies.

Customizing Your Experience

It’s easier to use software that works with your team’s natural flow and project management methodology, rather than the other way around. Many other project management programs out there are more restrictive, causing your employees to spend more time learning how to use the software and its tools rather than complete the task at hand.

Microsoft Project allows users to customize their experience so that it is intuitive for them. Users can build both desktop and mobile experiences and even automate aspects of their workflows. With multiple viewing options, you can intake information in a way that simply clicks for you (via the Gantt chart, timeline, or task grid).

Effortless Integration With Existing Tools

If you already have Microsoft products integrated into your workspaces, this is one of the biggest benefits to having Project. Microsoft operates under the philosophy that all of its products should work together in harmony. Because of this, Microsoft Project can be seamlessly integrated into your existing software solutions.

This makes your project workflows much more streamlined. Teams can operate on a more communicative basis, staying organized through existing channels or chats, and easily discuss projects or hold meetings. This software also works well with SharePoint, Azure, and others.

Ready to get started? Get your team on the same page today with expert training from ONLC!