Microsoft Project is one of the most popular project management software since the year 1984.
Its company’s third window based project management application and is readily available in two editions that are Standard and Professional. The software is solely produced, developed, and sold by Microsoft Corporation.
The project attained massive popularity due to its excellent features such as assisting the project manager in planning and execution of core tasks, schedule programming, resource allocation, management of budget, tracking work progress and analyzing active workloads.
Do I really need to search for an alternative to Microsoft Project?
You might be wondering why I need to search for an alternative when I have one of the best management suites. The answer is because more often, businesses need to pay more attention to one specific function over the others as per their work requirements.
There exist many alternatives to Microsoft Project such as Wrike, Asana, Monday, and Proofhub, which hold more significant expertise than Microsoft Project in many functions such as managing workflow, task scheduling and so on.
Which Microsoft Project alternatives are best suited for my enterprise?
You might be searching for a project management tool best suited to the requirements of your enterprise. The purpose of this article is to provide you the rightful assistance to select the best project management software for your enterprise.
Script All DNA introduces you to some of the best and trusted alternatives to Microsoft Project that may work just fine for your project management objectives and exercises.
1. Monday.com
Monday adopts a very innovative approach to perform project management tasks. You can plan, organize, and track all your workflow under one visual and collaborative space.
Working with Monday.com, you can build and customize your work dashboards to gain profitable insights along with a clear overview of your high priority work projects.
Why should you adopt Monday.com?
Monday.com has many useful features that make it an obvious choice for a suitable alternative to Microsoft Project.
- Simplicity and Intuitiveness
- Easy onboarding and quick adoption
- Flexibility and Versatility
- Dynamism and customizable workflow
- Progression tracking through easily digestible overviews
- Integration of simple to use tools
- Centralization of all your valuable data
Monday.com can satisfy your project management goals. You can join the list of its esteemed client base with well-known names such as Discovery, Carlsberg, We Work, Wix.com and Philips.
2. Asana
Asana is one of the most sought after alternative of Microsoft Project and usually known as an excellent work management platform. You can use Asana to stay focused on your daily goals, projects, and regular tasks. In simple words, accelerate your business growth by partnering with Asana.
Why should you partner with Asana?
The many reasons to partner with Asana include
- Better organization through performing planning from one place
- The instant setting of priorities and deadlines along with the assignment of tasks
- Simple follow-through of projects and tasks at every stage
- Keep everyone aligned towards goal through workflow charts
- Creation of visual project plans for mapping out every step
- Pinpointing of possible risks and elimination of all the roadblocks
- Innovative solutions such as workload along with immediate snapshots of work details
- Reassignment and rescheduling of tasks to maintain the balance of work
Connect with Asana and become one of the elite members of client base having names such as AirFrance-KLM, Sony Music, Sophos, and many more.
3. Wrike
Wrike is considered to be a leader of work management solution and offers unique visualization and prioritization techniques which makes it a good alternative of Microsoft Project.
You can easily keep track of whatever that needs to be worked upon along with keeping your priorities straight. Wrike will help you keep all your daily goals and objectives in sight.
Why should you purchase Wrike?
The advantages and benefits of deploying Wrike into your enterprise project management system include
- Highly Interactive Gantt Charts to keep your staff on track
- Set project timelines in real-time along with keeping tabs on your project
- Specialized online work and project calendars
- Get reflection of most up to date schedules and plans
- Customized dashboards with simple drag and drop options
Wrike claims to have a list of elite partners such as Google, Hootsuite, Fitbit, LoReal and welcomes you avail the benefits of its advanced work management solution.
4. Clarizen
Clarizen is known for offering impactful and collaborative work management solutions for enterprises and is considered one of the best alternatives to Microsoft Project.
You can simplify your management tasks and accomplish the daily objectives using project management solutions offered by Clarizen.
How can Clarizen benefit my enterprise?
The many benefits of work management solutions offered by Clarizen include
- Creation of a line of sight across the enterprise, thus driving focus
- Substantial reduction of time for compliance and auditing, reaching up to 75%
- Increase the effectiveness by supporting different work styles
- Hybrid methodologies across the enterprise for provision of autonomy leading to empowerment
- Faster response system through purposeful collaboration
- Proactively re-align and take appropriate action using real-time information.
- Immediate formation of budgets and project schedules through flexibility and visibility
- Power your fast, agile business from strategy to planning to fruitful execution
- Provision of configurable enterprise solution which supports your entire work lifecycle
Clarizen has been voted as Gartner Peer Insight Customer Choice and has elite solution partners such as Sodexho, DeBeers, and Newell.
5. Basecamp
Basecamp is one of the fastest-growing names in project management solution providers. Basecamp can be a perfect fit for your enterprise due to its accountability, efficient communication, and its ability to keep all your employees on a single page.
Why should you trust Basecamp?
Some good reasons for trusting Basecamp as your project management partner:
- Customizable tools for every type of projects
- Embedment of videos and tweets especially in the messages or comments
- Assignment of all the tasks for every project from one single place
- Adjustable themes and scheduling of notifications along with daily schedules
- Advance tools like hill charts for observing progress over time
- Real-time communication channels with clients as well as employees
- Powerful search tools and report generation facilities
- Centralized message board and unique data storage facilities
Basecamp has witnessed an exponential growth curve with more than 3 million active and satisfied users. Join basecamp to add strength to your digital business architecture.
6. Celoxis
Celoxis is an all in one project management software and has all the potential to become your project management partner due to its cost-effective solution. Celoxis offers enterprise-class features, insightful reporting, actionable dashboards, and tons of customizations. Read more about 7 Best Free and Open Source Project Management Software Solutions on GoodFirms blog.
Why should you invest in Celoxis?
Some unique reasons to invest in Celoxis:
- Visual monitoring of project execution along with adaption to real-world conditions
- Real-time tracking of costs, budgets, and profits
- Generation of revenue and cost estimates of your projects automatically
- Powerful custom application along with the customization options
- Powerful resource management through the easy allocation of resources.
- Proactive staffing decisions purely based on future demand and capacity
- Customizable client portal through easy collaboration with clients
- Create and share insightful reports through visualization of data using dashboards
Celoxis is trusted by many reputed global brands such as LG, Adobe, Rolex, and Deloitte. You have the opportunity to collaborate with Celoxis to improve your enterprise project management.
7. Trello
Trello is a collaborative and intuition-based work management software that stands tall when considering an alternative to Microsoft Project.
Trello offers unique lists, boards, and cards allowing you to organize and prioritize your projects in a very rewarding and flexible manner.
Why should you incorporate Trello?
The many reasons for incorporating Trello into your work management schedules.
- Helps you to organize your teams for multipurpose activities such as work, side projects or vacations.
- Collaborate on projects from both ends by diving into details using Trello cards
- Convert ideas into actions in no time using intuitive simple board, list and cards
- Collection of all the boards and tools through a single handy resource team playbook
- Power up your workflow through the productivity platform offered by Trello
- Stay in sync across all your working devices and avail easy collaboration
Trello offered by Atlassian is utilized by all sizes of enterprises such as Adobe, Google and National Geographic. You are recommended to use Trello due to its increasing popularity. You can read about Trello Vs Asana here.
8. Hive
Hive is known for providing powerful project and process management software to thousands of enterprises. Hive stands as a good alternative to Microsoft Project due to its high level of productivity and great integration options. It’s also one of the best collaboration software available.
Why should you put your money in Hive?
Investing money in Hive is a very profitable decision because of these many reasons:
- Monitors all your projects in real-time and spots the existent risks proactively
- Easy scheduling of your current and upcoming projects
- Quicker collaboration by sending messages directly to individuals and in groups
- Faster sharing of files through project task manager or messaging applications
- Collection of all the necessary information through inbuilt forms
Hive provides brilliant project management solutions to leading companies such as Starbucks, Uber, IBM, and Harvard University.
You can connect with Hive to improve your project management structure.
9. Mavenlink
Mavenlink is known for powering the economy of new services and acts as a perfect alternative of Microsoft Project. Mavenlink is talked as a modern collaboration platform that specializes in elevating your operational and financial performance.
What are the proven benefits of Mavenlink?
Some of the unique benefits of Mavenlink include
- Easy collaboration and total transparency unify teams leading to faster delivery of projects
- Quick and flexible management of resources and projects adds agility and momentum
- Richer business insights leading to informed decisions and higher financial performance
- Pioneer in innovation-based management solutions and automation software grids
- High level of intuitiveness and easy to use
- Smooth running of all projects leading to higher clarity and profits
Mavenlink is preferred by reputed firms such as Salesforce and Anywise due to its high return on investment value. You can bank upon Mavenlink for your project management needs.
10. Proofhub
Proofhub is a single place for all your teams, project, and communications and is voted as one of the best alternatives for Microsoft Project. Proofhub is known for bringing down the delivery time and provides greater control over communication procedures.
Why should you choose Proofhub as my partner?
The many reasons for choosing Proofhub as an excellent project management solution provider:
- Gain greater control by setting unique custom roles and defining diverse access levels
- Transparency in visualizing task stages and defining workflows
- Provision of more than a dozen languages such as English, French, and Spanish.
- Smart time tracking and task management options
- Direct messaging and quick conversations with teams and clients
- Make announcements to appreciate all types of achievements
- Get quicker support queries, tickets, and all kinds of requests for work.
Proofhub powers many small and large global enterprises across the globe such as Google, KTM and UBISOFT. You are requested to consider Proofhub as a fit partner for your project management requirements.
11. GanttPro
GanttPro provides excellent online project management solution based on Gantt charts. GanttPro is the best alternative to Microsoft Project when it comes to the formulation of Gantt charts. Ganttpro believes in following a simple three-tier working model, that is, simple planning engaged team members and clients always in the business loop.
Why GanttPro may be the most suitable tool for your business?
Why GanttPro may be the best software for your enterprise.
- Interactive online Gantt chart software for easy planning and multiple project management.
- Progress tracker and task manager along with easy sharing options
- Easy management of resources and accurate estimation of project costs
- Perform a range of tasks such as simple Gantt Chart to complex project management tasks
- Outstanding tools and responsive interfaces
- Automation in project scheduling along with simple drag and drop options
Gantt Pro is very popular among project managers worldwide and used by reputed organizations such as Salesforce, Sony, NASA, and Hubspot. You can surely invest upon GanttPro if your requirements are suitable for the services offered by the highly valued firm.
Zoho Projects provides collaborative project management solutions to more than a million enterprises and stands out to be a great alternative to Microsoft Project. Zoho Projects helps you to conduct planning of your project activities, easy work assignment, efficient management of resources and reduction in delivery time.
How can Zoho Project help you in project management?
The different ways by which Zoho Project can help you in managing your workflows:
- Organize complex projects into smaller manageable tasks through milestones and task lists.
- Creation of blueprints in order to automate your task workflow
- Provision of in-depth insights with the Gantt Charts
- Collaborate seamlessly with clients, employees, and vendors using social media tools
- Keeping track of time through log tables and timesheets
- Quickly track issues and get them fixed and tested
- Easily track changes in code made in GitHub and Bitbucket.
- Direct access to the latest version of all project documents
Zoho Projects has served many satisfied clients such as Google, Slack, Zapier, and Github. You can join hands with Zoho Project to become self-sufficient in your project management requirements.
Tom’s Planner help you create professional projects with simplicity especially the live Gantt Charts. Tom’s Planner is a very good alternative to Microsoft Project due to its ability to deliver complex projects with great ease.
Why Tom’s Planner would be the best choice for you?
Script All DNA provides you with valid reasons for the selection of Tom’s Planner as your project management partner.
- Using simple Gantt Chart for resource planning
- Drag and drop time blocks with great ease
- Dynamic involvement of whole team adding to accountability
- Instant tracking of progress using percentages, traffic lights and icons
- Avail dynamic overview of the project to handle deadlines
- Faster importing of project schedule and Gantt Charts
- Keeping large project up to date with dependencies
Tom’s Planner has large names associated with it such as Dell, Amazon, Google and BBC. You can avail benefits of its highly recommended project management tools.
Jira offered by Atlassian provides workflow centered smart project management software and is known to be the best alternative to Microsoft Project.
Jira encourages project managers to practice heart philosophy which consists of five basic and important phases such as hear, encourage, alert, record and transition. The company is already listed on GoodFirms as one of the leading project management software.
How can Jira help you achieve your project management objectives?
Several reasons on why you should bet on Jira as your enterprise management tool.
- Extraordinary workflow management with perfectly defined workflows
- Transparency through tracking of all the task information and feedbacks
- Centralization of information resulting in enhanced reporting of all the projects
- Integration with platforms such as confluence which is adding to collaborative capabilities
- Unique workflow execution cycle and tracking methodology
- Complete linking of all the files and assets for providing benefits to the future teams
Atlassian Jira has a legacy of clients with big names such as NASA, Cisco, Airbnb, and Cisco. You can accelerate your business growth by collaborating with Atlassian Jira project management software.
15. ProjectLibre
ProjectLibre is one of the leading alternatives of Microsoft Project and provides cloud-based project management software. ProjectLibre is known for its multi-project management capabilities and best suitable for team solution.
What are the advantages of buying ProjectLibre?
- Downloaded more than 4,000,000 times over in 200 countries
- High level of compatibility with Microsoft Project
- Easy to use Gantt Charts, Network Diagrams, WBS/RBS Charts
- Fully functional in more than 20 languages
- Earned Value costing and resourceful histograms
- Management of the entire portfolio in a cloud-based collaborative platform
- Collaborative desktop with multi-projecting, global resource pools, and team features.
- Remote management of projects through enterprise cloud project dashboard
ProjectLibre has been downloaded more than 2,700,000 times in 200 countries and is trusted by leading enterprises of the world such as IBM, Abbott, Cisco, and Accenture. ProjectLibre can work as the best replacement of Microsoft Project for your enterprise especially due to its cloud project management solution.
Summary
The rise of digitization has led to the creation of a much necessary digital business architecture for every enterprise. The businesses are highly recommended to evolve their management and accounting system by investing upon right project management tools suitable to the requirements of their enterprise.
You have the opportunity to avail the benefits of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data analytics and internet of things by trusting and partnering with a known project management solution provider.
You need to explore all the available alternative options because all the above-mentioned project management tool has unique and specialized functions which are lacking in Microsoft Project.
You are required to introduce advanced tools and technologies into your workflow to make the processes more transparent to sustain in the highly competitive world.
In short, choose the right project management technology which could add to your performance and strengthen the basic structure of your organization.
What’s your take on project management tools? Or have you been using one? We would love to know about your experiences on our review page.
