This article will explore two of Microsoft 365’s applications for task management, Planner and Project, to see which one is a better option for Project Managers.
What is Microsoft Planner?
Microsoft Planner is a task-management tool designed to help manage a variety of project-related endeavors, such as planning, delegating tasks, sharing files, and managing progress. Planner uses a Kanban board interface and task cards for task management. Charts provide Project Managers with a visual measure of progress on the project, and the chat option provides team members with a tool for real-time collaboration. Plans created with this app each get their own board. Within a board, tasks are organized into a bucket to indicate their completion status, as well as who has been delegated with the responsibility of completing it.
Using Planner for Project Management
Planner is a useful tool for helping Project Managers and team leaders manage various project-related tasks in an efficient and effective manner. Here are some of this application’s main uses for project management:
- Planning & Scheduling: Microsoft Planner helps Project Managers prioritize tasks so that the most pressing concerns can be dealt with, as well as to anticipate any challenges that may occur down the line. This app’s shared team calendar provides a centralized location that team where all team members can see the work their colleagues have been assigned, as well as if/when it has been completed. In addition, a notification is sent to team members to remind them of upcoming meetings. Work schedules can also be synchronized with this tool.
- Managing resources: Resources of all types, such as money, physical space, workforce, and raw materials, all must be managed to successfully complete a project. Project streamlines this process by allowing Project Managers to easily monitor which resources are available at a given time. Tasks can then be ordered depending on resource availability. Resources can also be assigned corresponding costs, which help determine those that are being under or over-utilized.
- Collaborating: Planner’s team dashboard provides team members with an overview of the most relevant and urgent project-related information and statistics. These dashboards use graphs and charts to display how tasks are being delegated and resources are managed. Not only does Planner facilitate exchanges between internal team members, but it also provides a way for external parties, such as vendors, contractors, or partners, to provide feedback. Guest users can be granted access so that they can be involved with project planning, create or erase tasks and buckets, and make changes to plan names and task fields.
- Reporting: It’s vital to a project’s ongoing success that a Project Manager be ready to periodically report on progress. While the structure of the report will vary depending on the project at hand, Project makes it possible to customize reports to best reflect specific project demands and specifications. Some options for reporting in Project include burn-down reports, one-page project overviews, cost overviews, and pending task lists, among others.
- Juggling multiple projects: While some Project Managers focus all their efforts on one project, others must simultaneously work on multiple projects. When multiple projects are being managed, a Project Manager can rely on Planner’s master project plan to keep track of multiple projects from the same team or company. Each aspect of a project can be tailored with the help of a master project plan, from planning to tracking to allocating resources. In addition, these dashboards help Project Managers help streamline the reporting process.
What is Microsoft Project?
Microsoft Project is a project management application that was created to help Project Managers handle various components and stages of a larger project. The Project Guide helps Project Managers with all areas of the project, from conception to completion. This tool allows them to create new projects, monitor various tasks, and report on results. It can also assign resources to tasks and allocate monetary support when needed to ensure a project stays on budget. In addition, Project offers a variety of views that are designed to help Project Managers oversee schedules. Project has been around for almost forty years and continues to be a popular tool across industries for project management.
Using Project for Project Management
There are many benefits to using Microsoft Project to help plan, execute, and report on projects:
- Automated scheduling: Project Managers can automate tasks based on resource availability, as well as effort and duration. This helps them to ensure that the project is set to be completed on schedule.
- Collaborative tools: Microsoft Project integrates seamlessly with Teams, which helps those working on a project easily collaborate with one another. Each team member who’s working on a project can use Teams to meet, chat, and exchange files, even when working remotely. Real-time task updates ensure that Project Managers stay informed about which tasks have been completed, and by whom.
- Customizable options: Because not all projects are the same, Microsoft Project allows users to select which tools and options are most suited to their project’s needs.
- Visualization capabilities: Project Managers can easily create graphs, charts, and other data visualizations using Project.
- Flexibility: Not only can Microsoft Project be used to manage tasks, but it also has applications for financial management as well.
Which One Comes Out Ahead?
Both Microsoft Project and Planner are helpful tools for scheduling and managing projects. However, there are a few important differences in their uses that set these applications apart. Planner’s Kanban board is designed to handle simpler projects on an as-needed basis, providing a way for team members to all stay updated on task completion with the help of one centralized board. Project, however, provides users with a more complicated integration in which Project Managers can monitor detailed and time-sensitive project information.
Project Managers deciding between these two platforms should ask themselves how much control they wish to have over the project’s plans. For example, is it important to have the team directly and regularly involved with creating and updating tasks with the application, or is this something you wish to do largely by yourself? Project Online provides an overview of how various resources interact. It also can track time against tasks to evaluate progress. When using Planner, Project Managers willingly give up a bit of control. They are able to invite team members as well as external stakeholders into the process, and give them the freedom to manage project tasks as necessary.
Ultimately, deciding between these two applications comes down to project scope. When working on a relatively small or simple team project, Planner is a better option. However, for projects that require tracking costs or dependencies, or anything complicated, Project comes out ahead.
Start Learning Microsoft Project with Hands-on Classes
For Project Managers and others who are interested in learning the skills to better manage large projects, look no further than Noble Desktop’s Microsoft Project classes. If you are in the Manhattan area, there are several in-person Project courses available from Noble Desktop and its affiliate schools. Courses are available for those who are new to Microsoft Project, as well as more advanced Project users.
In addition, if you want to learn more about which of these courses are available near where you live, Noble’s Microsoft Project Classes Near Me Tool is designed to help prospective students explore all nearby Project courses. Currently, there are over 40 class listings available, running between three hours and three days in duration.
For those who are interested in working with the entire Microsoft 365 suite, you can also browse approximately 400 in-person and live online Microsoft Office classes in a city near you to find local and remote study options.