If simplicity has always been the essence of success, why work, live, or invest in anything that’s clunky, quirky, and downright complicated? That goes for everyday examples such as an SUV to complicated online project management or collaboration tools such as Microsoft Project.
This is an era of simplicity. We thrive because we have tools and resources today that we didn’t have yesterday. We can start businesses, create communities, and make an impact – almost with nothing. Anything that has a “________ for Dummies” book already justifies complication.
Microsoft Project For Dummies does exist, by the way.
Seradex– an ERP Vendor – reveals a few problems associated with Microsoft Project:
- Hierarchical task Architecture (seriously? Given the way we work today?)
- Too much noise
- Maintenance Intensive
- Needs a lot of clerical work, especially if a task date is missed.
Lifehacker suggests a Microsoft Project replacement or alternative going by the huge $1000 price tag associated with it. Michael Dubakov of Target Process has a detailed take on Microsoft Project (although he talks about Software Development):
- Microsoft Project sticks to the “waterfall model” throughout. Everything centers on this model. Project managers set up projects upfront and everyone has to follow. It’s not to say that you can’t use other methods, you can. It’s just that it involves a learning curve you’d be happy to do without.
- The Microsoft Project Desktop application is like an invisible fortress: the team doesn’t see the “big picture”; they only see assigned tasks. It’s like digging for gold in a mine but you have no idea what you are really digging for. It’s hard to track progress in MS Project.
- Microsoft Project is an isolated tool and it doesn’t integrate with anything else such as other product management or service centered tools.
The best way get a project done is to break the project down into smaller parts. With Microsoft Project, there’s virtually no way you can actually break a bigger project down into smaller tasks to get some meaningful work done.
WorkZone is simple yet loaded with just the features you need. Microsoft Project is loaded with features too, but with rarely used and that slows progress instead of enhancing it. With WorkZone, you get a project dashboard, status alerts, secure file sharing, task dependencies, Gantt Charts, time tracking, file versioning, top-notch security, and anytime support.
Workzone is built almost as if it’s an afterthought looking at the projects are completed. Project templates let you launch projects faster, status alerts help you stay on top of every project, task, and progress of work. If you are visual, you’ll appreciate the Gantt Charts, which will show you work progress snapshots. File versioning takes the pain of keeping track of file updates, and much more. Group calendars make sure everyone else in the team is on the same page. You also get custom branding and security with each plan with WorkZone.
Microsoft Project 2013 is certainly improved as of this writing but you don’t get most of the features other online collaboration software provides. For the Microsoft Project standard version, all you’ll get is Project templates, tracking projects, basic reporting, and access to the office store. If you stretch to Project Professional 2013, you’ll gain access to calls and instant messages with the team, virtual collaboration, and unified project management in addition to the standard features.
Most importantly, Microsoft Project is priced on a per user/per month basis (except for the standard version which you can buy for $589.99 which will quickly add up depending on how many users you have to collaborate with.
Microsoft Project has a lot of competition. What do you think some of the better alternatives are?