Many project managers know how valuable a piece of software like Microsoft Project can be for their work. With that said, quite a few project managers believe there are better alternatives than Microsoft Project. Here are a few ideas for some alternatives to this Microsoft product.
Some of the Reasons People Look for Alternatives to Microsoft Project
While Microsoft Project offers quite a few great features, they’re also quite a few reasons people look for alternatives to Microsoft Project. To start out with Microsoft Project is not something a beginner can jump into quickly. The software itself is quite technical in nature, and because of that, it is not the most user-friendly piece of software.
Good communication between team members is at the heart of any good project management system. Many project managers feel that Microsoft Project does a poor job of allowing members to communicate within the program, but rather, they need to go outside the program to use another messaging app.
Microsoft Project works quite well with other Microsoft products, but if you want to do something outside of the Microsoft family of software apps, it could be hard to integrate that program with Microsoft Project.
Beyond those problems, Microsoft Project costs quite a bit to obtain and use, plus it is also challenging to share data from Microsoft Project outside of the app. Once people discover all these issues and problems, they begin to look for alternatives for product management.
Some Great Alternatives for Microsoft Project
One of the best alternatives you can use instead of Microsoft Project is a product called Workzone. One of the best features of this software for product managers is the dashboard with a portfolio view of all the projects in process with a team, so every team member is always on the same page.
The program also offers features such as a personalized to-do list, unlimited support, and the ability to store, share, and associate documents within each project. You can also do things such as create charts and calendars to track projects visually, set permission levels so every team member sees what is appropriate for them, plus you can easily import Microsoft project files into Workzone.
ProjectManager is another cloud-based software system that even offers compatibility for Mac users. The program provides a free trial to let users work with the program to see if it suits their needs.
Some of the software’s features include scheduling projects and getting real-time updates on a live dashboard regarding project progress. At the heart of the software is a very collaborative system that can connect hybrid teams no matter where they work or their role within an organization.
The software offers five different project views that allow individual users to customize the look based on how they work. Anytime an update gets loaded to the software, every team member sees this update in real-time.
While many people consider Microsoft Project a fine product, there are alternatives on the marketplace that offer better features at a lower price. When you add in things like Mac compatibility and a more customizable user interface, there are plenty of reasons to find an alternative to Microsoft Project.
