Microsoft Project vs SAP Portfolio and Project Management comparison

Microsoft Project vs. SAP Portfolio and Project Management

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Project

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Project Management Software (3rd)

SAP Portfolio and Project M...

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Project Portfolio Management (9th)

Featured Reviews

Jacob-George

Domain Consultant at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees

Improved project scheduling has maximized resource utilization and has reduced delays

I think the licensing structure presents a significant area for improvement. The full features are not offered on the standard E4 license. This becomes problematic when distributing the project plan. I can export the plan as Excel and CSV files, but then I lose all the rich features, including dependency mapping. To recreate all that functionality without proper licensing is challenging. Microsoft Project offers a light version available for free, but when I try to distribute a project plan, it requires separate licensing. Microsoft Project Central used to be more of an enterprise product. Microsoft Project currently focuses on very low-level task management, and it could do much more. I do not see significant advancement happening because there is confusion about where Microsoft Project is heading. I believe Microsoft should bundle the license with Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This approach would result in more people using Microsoft Project. That is my opinion on how to improve adoption and the product offering.

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Nalin Kumar

Quality Assurance Group Lead at Samsung

End-to-end project management capabilities and offers seamless vendor and client contract alignment

The system is old, so there are several issues that arise when we fetch data from integrated systems. Sometimes the data gets stuck, and there are instances where we need to access multiple pieces of information simultaneously. This creates problems that I have personally experienced. Therefore, these aspects need to be much more free-flowing and seamless. If something gets stuck, it takes time to resolve, and during the contract phase, we have Service Level Agreements (SLAs). If those SLAs are breached, it becomes problematic. Given that there are approximately 3000 projects running concurrently worldwide, utilizing the system with a vast database and numerous activities taking place. It could benefit from decentralization. Currently, it operates as a central system, but if it could be centralized for specific subsidiaries, it would be easier for us to manage.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The user interface is simple and it helps me in planning what needs to be accomplished."

"The resource allocation features, which help allocate resources to tasks, are quite valuable."

"It comes with our Office 365."

"The solution is stable."

"The user interface is very clean."

"Microsoft offers good support."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Project is scheduling. The solution is useful on a daily basis."

"It is a complete and all-rounded enterprise product. From a portfolio management perspective and an individual project management perspective, it is a corporate-wide project management product. It can be used for resource planning, financial planning, task planning, etc."

More Microsoft Project pros

"It improves productivity, cash flow management, and inventory control for clients."

"SAP is gradually introducing more flexibility and customization options to the system, allowing users to adapt it to their specific needs."

"The SAP PPM software is a very complete solution."

"The integration portion with SAP models is valuable."

"With SAP Portfolio and Project Management we were able to have a full track of project progress and get useful insights about our projects."

Cons

"The tool's most valuable feature is scheduling."

"When you start getting into the more advanced features, it can become unstable. The more you use the advanced features, the more exposure you have to an unanticipated result. I think we need to add the Kanban Board capability to the product that would help them advance that board into the project management methodology that's being used in the industry today. Being able to depend on Scrum management is key."

"Microsoft's solution isn't really a collaboration tool, however. If you need a collaboration tool, you can use Slack, which can be integrated with your JIRA."

"Microsoft Project could improve the dates. Sometimes the dates are not aligned. This occurs even when you auto-schedule the dates. We have to go and define the schedule daily this should more easily accessible."

"We need more integration with Microsoft Teams and other collaboration tools."

"Microsoft Project tends to become very unstable on large project plans with more than 400 lines."

"Microsoft Project has much room for improvement. The solution is still stuck where it was in 2013. Not much has changed since then. There is a lot that can be changed in the enterprise segment."

"The packaging of Microsoft Project Professional is pretty simple as a product. But, the end-to-end enterprise is complex."

More Microsoft Project cons

"The product itself could have an advanced analytics layer with an improved user interface that is adapted to the new digital era."

"It would be valuable if SAP integrated seamlessly with some products like Jira and Bitbucket."

"The system is old, so there are several issues that arise when we fetch data from integrated systems. Sometimes the data gets stuck, and there are instances where we need to access multiple pieces of information simultaneously."

"The initial support package of version 5.0 has some setup difficulties."

"The platform's support structure needs improvement."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price could be reduced a little."

"The product is not expensive. My company has opted for an annual subscription."

"It probably was $30 per license on a monthly basis. There is no additional fee."

"It was a three-year license deal that was reconciled on a quarterly basis. It is a reasonably priced product, and I consider that we got good value for money."

"I do not remember the exact cost we paid but usually, they charge per user per month."

"The solution is expensive."

"I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten."

"The solution is expensive."

More Microsoft Project pricing and cost advice

"The product pricing varies based on whether the client is new or existing and the complexity of their business processes."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Government

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	31
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	41

No data available

Questions from the Community

Has anyone moved from Microsoft Project to Smartsheet? How has your experience been with Smartsheet?

Hi @Eire Zimmermann, I helped an organization evaluate both MS-Project and Smartsheet when they were conducting their PM tool RFP. The short of it is this, MS Project is not caught up with the mo...

What do you like most about Microsoft Project?

The product's initial setup phase is easy.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Project?

I would say Microsoft Project is affordable, but the standalone Project license should be included in the Office price to increase adoption.

What needs improvement with SAP Portfolio and Project Management?

The platform's support structure needs improvement.

What advice do you have for others considering SAP Portfolio and Project Management?

The platform integration with SAP finance systems has unified language and criteria, reducing the time for growth periods and ensuring international financial control and management. The resource m...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP Portfolio and Project Management?

The product pricing varies based on whether the client is new or existing and the complexity of their business processes.

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Product Reports

Microsoft Project

Download Microsoft Project product report

Project Portfolio Management

Download SAP Portfolio and Project Management product report

SAP Portfolio and Project Management report

Also Known As

Project Pro, MS Project

Portfolio and Project Management

Overview

Microsoft Project helps you get started quickly and execute projects with ease. Built-in templates and familiar scheduling tools help project managers and teams stay productive.

Microsoft

Portfolio Management integrates information from existing project management, human resources, and financial systems to provide an overview of the project portfolio with easy drilldown to details for portfolio managers, project managers, and resource managers. This enables innovative and collaborative, cross-functional business processes. Project Management covers the entire range of project management activities in development and consultancy projects, from planning to implementation to project completion.

SAP

Sample Customers

Aston Martin, ABANCA, Airbus Group, Capita, Cardiff University, City of Saskatoon, Intel, Pegasus Airlines, South Australia Power Network (SAPN), Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing

Joy Global Inc., Citrix, EMC Corporation, Concho Resources, Concho Resources, RZD Russian Railways, Family Dollar Stores Inc., Lenovo

Microsoft Project vs. SAP Portfolio and Project Management