It is easy to define timelines with Microsoft Project. You can get a clear picture of the model, you want to create. You can create inside an agile or waterfall model. Microsoft Project is easy to delegate tasks to different members where you want to put the task and who you want to work on it so that you have a clear path.
Associate Manager at HCL Technologies
Definable timelines, stable environment, with simple delegation of tasks for members
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to define timelines with Microsoft Project."
- "I would like to see an entire baseline, like in JIRA."
What is our primary use case?
What needs improvement?
Right now you can create a timeline with the major up tasks, but there's no real way to mark it. When you are planning, you usually have resources on board for a single task. Microsoft Project has no way to mark it because it is based more on agile methodology. Many times you want to take it by the resource count and that is where it becomes tricky.
I would like to see an entire baseline, like in JIRA. It is like project planning in JIRA, but there's a whole story building that you can do. Microsoft Project needs to incorporate some points of story-building and epic building, which are currently missing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Microsoft Project for the past month.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Project is a stable solution.
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Microsoft Project
June 2025

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There is no problem with Microsoft Project's scalability.
How are customer service and support?
I do not use Microsoft technical support because our company has its own technical support team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I only use a login feature for Microsoft Project.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Microsoft Project an eight and a half out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner

Engineer at BNP Paribas
Stable, and scalable, but is complex to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of the solution is planning."
- "The licensing cost is expensive and has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of the solution is for in-house IT projects such as network projects, and system projects.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Project is planning.
What needs improvement?
The licensing cost for Microsoft Project is expensive and has room for improvement.
The initial setup is complex and has room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for several years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft Project is complex.
The deployment took one day.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license for Microsoft Project is a one-time payment but it is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution a six out of ten.
We have 20 people using the solution in our organization.
Two people are required for the maintenance of the solution including one manager and one engineer.
I recommend the solution to other users.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Project
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Project. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Student at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Good for project management, easy to work with, and straightforward to implement
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable."
- "It has a bit of a learning curve since there are a lot of features in it, and we haven't really gotten a chance to train through the whole product."
What is our primary use case?
I'm using it to prepare a project schedule, budget the project, and handle resource allocation. I'm checking on if the resources or the tasks are completed and if they're on time and to see if I have any backlogs with tasks.
What is most valuable?
I'm using it just for my academics, and it does the job as far as I'm concerned for this use case. We are just using what is relevant to the course, and that's it.
The setup is straightforward.
Once you understand the solution a bit, it becomes easy to work with.
The solution is stable.
It can scale.
What needs improvement?
It has a bit of a learning curve since there are a lot of features in it, and we haven't really gotten a chance to train through the whole product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for just two months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is quite stable. There's no huge amount of data that is being used on it and even the simplest of computers can use it. It doesn't consume much data. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability isn't a problem with Microsoft Project. It's just a scheduling tool and the only people who will be using this tool will be the managers, and there are not many managers. There's not much data processing on it.
You can share the dashboard too, so the number of users doesn't really matter. You create a project and you schedule it. You can share it with others and scalability is not an issue.
How are customer service and support?
I've never dealt with technical support. My college provided me with the solution, and I haven't had to troubleshoot anything.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. You download, install, and use the product, and you get set up your projects. That's it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm using the solution for free via my college. I can't speak to the pricing or aspects of the licensing.
What other advice do I have?
I haven't used it extensively. If I had used it in the environment where I was working, and I was responsible for the task I was doing, I would've experimented more on it and figured out something. However, that's not the case.
We are aware of how to install certain processes exactly and how to use those processes in Microsoft Project. However, you'll have to spend at least a week or two days at minimum to see how everything works and what kind of allocation works best. There are a few things that you need to be specific about. With Microsoft Project, it becomes easy to use when you know what you're doing.
Using the product will not be a big challenge if you are comfortable with project management.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten as it was easy to learn and a very useful tool in general.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Server Platform Manager at IBM
Reliable with good performance and the capability to expand as needed
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable."
- "It's hard to reach technical people to get the help you need."
What is our primary use case?
When I was still in the pre-sales team, I used MS Project to manage the projects that we engage with the client. We use it and are not selling it.
What is most valuable?
The solution is stable.
We can scale the solution as needed.
What needs improvement?
Technical support needs improvement. It's hard to reach technical people to get the help you need.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for two to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. there are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable, and I find the performance to be good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I was able to scale on my project and never had any issues with scaling.
We had four people on the sales and pre-sales team using it.
How are customer service and support?
I've dealt with Microsoft's technical support a lot. Often, there were delays. It was very hard to get someone technical involved when we had issues. I have to say that I was not particularly satisfied with the level of service they provided to us.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did not previously use a different product. This was the only solution provided to me by my company. I had no other choice for using other products.
How was the initial setup?
I'm not sure how the setup was. I just used it. It was already on my laptop, and I just started using it for my work, so I can't speak to how it was implemented or how long it took to do so. My understanding is that you don't need a lot of people to handle the installation process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm not sure what the licensing costs were. I never handled that aspect of the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I was an end-user of the product.
Overall, I would recommend the solution to others to use.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Independent Consultant at perspektis
Reliable with the ability to link sub-tasks but can be expensive
Pros and Cons
- "The setup is pretty simple."
- "What could have been better is the integration with Office 365 so that if you're discussing a project on Teams or there's an email related to the project, it can be tagged to the project in Microsoft Project. That functionality is currently not there."
What is most valuable?
The most useful feature is to link sub-tasks to the main group.
The setup is pretty simple.
It is stable, and the performance is good.
It can scale well.
What needs improvement?
What could have been better is the integration with Office 365 so that if you're discussing a project on Teams or there's an email related to the project, it can be tagged to the project in Microsoft Project. That functionality is currently not there.
The solution is pretty expensive. However, you pay for what you get, and it is worth the cost.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with the solution for more than ten years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. The performance is good. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is absolutely scalable. It's not a problem to expand the product.
We are a small consulting firm. We have only four users at the moment.
How are customer service and support?
I've had no issues with the level of service provided by support. They are helpful and responsive. We always get an immediate response.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have worked with Jira.
We always knew that Microsoft Project is the most comprehensive option. Although our clients are using multiple different platforms, we tend to integrate all those outputs into our Microsoft Project installation.
How was the initial setup?
The product has a simple, straightforward implementation process. It's not overly complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is pretty high. I'd rate it two out of five in terms of affordability.
What other advice do I have?
We are customers and end-users.
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.
I would recommend it for companies that have a large number of projects and diversified teams. When I say diversified teams, I mean geographically spread and working on multiple projects. Those are the kind of people who could make use of Microsoft Project very well.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Global sales head at MEPCSA
Great cloud version with excellent functionality but needs better Gantt features
Pros and Cons
- "I especially like the reporting tools, which are visual tools and offer visual reports."
- "The Gantt set needs to be improved. The grid lines needs to be more interactive."
What is our primary use case?
It's my day-to-day software.
I use it for my projects. I handle the portfolio. I have multiple projects and I need to monitor those projects and generate reports and consolidate everything.
What is most valuable?
The functionality is great.
Microsoft Project is good overall. However, I especially like the reporting tools, which are visual tools and offer visual reports. The visual reports is what I like about Microsoft Projects.
The initial setup is straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The Gantt set needs to be improved. The grid lines needs to be more interactive.
The Cloud version has far more advanced features in it. I haven't hands on it yet, however, I have seen the product, and it has all the enhancements that are required.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for 15 years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable, reliable solution. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have about 100 people on the solution.
The company is now starting to use the cloud version. They stopped implementing any other versions. Once we migrate to the Cloud version, then we have to see how it's going to compliment us in terms of scaling.
How are customer service and support?
I've not contacted the call center or the support center for any support. I go on the community website and try to find it to see if I can find any kind of troubleshooting steps there, and I manage issues on my own.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used Primavera previously.
Primavera is not user friendly, and has no support on the database types. It requires certain a format to be implemented. There are many differences between these two solutions. For a billing or for operational use, Primavera definitely doesn't really suffice.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was straightforward and not as complex as Primavera or any other project management tool.
When it comes to the on-prem deployment of the older versions, you don't usually get the results, you don't find it online. They are not readily available. We need to get into the third party applications and download the third party results. From there on, it's a marathon to install. The cloud version is easier.
There's not really any maintenance needed.
What about the implementation team?
I used my administrator during the implementation. I asked him to assist me.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't have very much information in terms of pricing. However, it is a necessary tool for us and therefore whether it's cheap or expensive for us.
I'm not sure as to if we need to pay for any extras or deal with ancillary fees.
What other advice do I have?
We are partners with Microsoft.
I'm working with the 2019 version at this point.
I'd advise users to go for the cloud version. It's easier to deploy and share.
I would rate the solution seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Senior Global PMO Manager, Project & Portfolio Management Office Manager at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Improves visibility, offers good integration, and is robust
Pros and Cons
- "The integration between SharePoint and Power BI has been great."
- "We need more integration with Microsoft Teams and other collaboration tools."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for portfolio management, project management, and program management. It is also used for reporting to leadership on a portfolio level.
How has it helped my organization?
It gives the enterprise and leadership the visibility of what's going on with their enterprise. It provides visibility to all the projects that are going on within the company.
What is most valuable?
The integration between SharePoint and Power BI has been great.
The stability is good.
You can scale the solution as needed.
What needs improvement?
We need more integration with Microsoft Teams and other collaboration tools.
The product could be more user-friendly in some areas.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for a while. I've used it over the last 12 months at least.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is pretty good. It's easy to use and reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution can scale. It can scale for a company that's dealing with a medium-size company dealing with 10 to 20 projects, all the way to the large companies dealing with hundreds of projects it's very scalable.
We've got the technology department using the product. We also have businesses using it as well. We have a total of 100 plus people that are using it today in our company.
The solution is being used extensively. We do have plans on working with a third party to potentially make the solution even more user-friendly.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't used their technical support, however, I've partnered up with Microsoft Partners to come up with potential future solutions.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Microsoft Project Online, we just used Microsoft Project Desktop and we utilized Microsoft SharePoint to create lists in order to create portfolio trackers and project trackers that way. We needed a more robust solution that can track risk management, budgetary prioritization, et cetera. Microsoft Project does that for us.
How was the initial setup?
The setup can be both complex and easy. I'd rate it 3.5 out of five, with five being an easy setup.
Deployment involves usually implementing the new tools and then adopting and having people use it. Implementation took about three months and then the adoption took another six to eight to nine months of training and making sure people use the tool.
We have admins and that's one or two folks that can handle any maintenance requirements. It's not a high-maintenance product.
What about the implementation team?
We had a consultant assist us with the implementation.
What was our ROI?
We've seen an ROI from the aspect of efficiencies and having information in one central location. We've cut time in reporting. We've cut time in the administration portion as well, of setting up projects so there's been efficiency. We hope the ROI might expand as we use it more.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm not aware of what the licensing costs are. There might be extra costs associated with maintenance.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
While it is my understanding that we did look at other solutions, I was not part of that tendering process. I don't know which ones were vetted.
What other advice do I have?
We're a customer and end-user.
I'd advise potential new users to make sure they select a tool that will be useful to the end-user. This tool is really catered to project managers, while the majority of the folks who are executing projects are not what I call professional project managers.
I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Sr Project Manager at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Powerful, useful critical path creations, and scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Microsoft Project are you can create critical paths pretty easily, and you can import from an Excel spreadsheet to your task list as you create it during your working sessions with your team."
- "Microsoft Project could improve the interface, it should be more intuitive. It could be adjusted a little bit to make it a little easier to use and more user-friendly. It is a very powerful tool and it takes people a while to get used to it."
What is our primary use case?
We use Microsoft Project for creating the implementation projects for IT, such as anything from infrastructure through application deployments. In the current project, we are using it for the cybersecurity measures that we're implementing.
How has it helped my organization?
Microsoft Project has helped our organization by tracking the capabilities of when we can deliver a solution.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Microsoft Project are you can create critical paths pretty easily, and you can import from an Excel spreadsheet to your task list as you create it during your working sessions with your team.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft Project could improve the interface, it should be more intuitive. It could be adjusted a little bit to make it a little easier to use and more user-friendly. It is a very powerful tool and it takes people a while to get used to it.
I have found that when you're saving your project plans to a SharePoint site it does not work well. I am not able to check it out and check it in as I would on the Microsoft Project's server. If you have multiple people trying to edit tasks in the project plan for the completion or status, it doesn't give you abilities to check the project in and out. It limits who makes changes to a project plan if multiple people are trying to do it at the same time. You can potentially overwrite someone else saved changes. There is not a lock on changes to the project plan. If I'm trying to change something, it's whoever saves first, then the changes go in. If you're working and extensively updating a lot of things in the project plan, then somebody else comes in and updates one line, they could potentially override everything that you've changed.
There are some accessibility issues that could be fixed.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Project for approximately 15 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Microsoft Project is scalable. I've used it in the server mode where I ran multiple projects under a program, which were very large project plans with up to 1,000 lines, and I didn't have any problems with performance or managing projects.
We have approximately 1,000 users using this solution in my organization. They are typically project managers.
We are using Microsoft Project extensively on some projects. However, it depends on the type of project, it doesn't lend itself well to non Waterfall type activities.
How are customer service and support?
I have not contacted the technical support.
How was the initial setup?
Our IT department handles the deployment of the solution. I can tweak it on a per-project basis. However, the implementation or installation of the software is done quickly.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
My organization is pushing to move to the Jira platform or to use Scrum instead of Waterfall.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend others to buy a Microsoft Project book that has tips, and a lot of them have templates for different types of projects.
I rate Microsoft Project a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

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