Where Microsoft Project Management Tools Stand Today

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Microsoft project management products come and go, change names, and introduce or retire features, which can be confusing and a bit nerve-wracking. In this article, Cindy M. Lewis and I clarify the current state of Microsoft’s PM tools (with an Ask Me Anything Office Hours to follow on Dec. 11, 2024).

What about all the tools I love? Are those going away?

They are not going away any time soon. Microsoft has been clear in many public meetings: for some time to come, if you use an existing project management tool like Project Online or Project Professional, those tools will continue with their current names and methods to access them.

Microsoft understands that organizations need time to adjust to and test new solutions. For example, many users around the world use Microsoft’s enterprise scheduling tool, Project Online, which includes both desktop and web browser components. Project Online will still exist. Customers with Project Online licenses will get a perk — they will also have licenses for the “new” Planner with expanded (Premium) features.

OK, what’s with the “new” Planner? I thought it already existed.

Planner classic, a simple task management app, has been around for quite some time. In fact, it was the most popular app added in Teams. In the past, it went by other names such as Tasks by Planner. Part of the confusion arises because Microsoft also introduced a 100% web-based collaborative project scheduling tool, “Project for the web”.

Due to customer feature requests for both solutions, Microsoft decided to merge the two products into one. According to Howard Crow, Project/Planner Product Manager at Microsoft, because “Everything starts with a plan,” the merged product is called Planner (“new” Planner to differentiate from Planner classic.)

Another reason for the Planner name is that many people manage projects without even realizing it. A more commonly understood and more informal name helps people adopt the product quickly.

Going forward, Planner will represent the collaborative web-based solution, the app in Teams) and the tool you see when you access Planner plans in other ways.

My Planner looks different than a colleague’s version of it. What’s up with that?

Either you don’t have access to the newest version of Planner or your licensing is different from your colleague’s. Microsoft regularly updates the features available in the classic versus premium versions.

I still see both Planner and Project for the web in Microsoft 365 and Teams.

During this transition period, it will look like there are two independent solutions (Planner and Project for the web). Don’t get hung up on the name. The Project option might actually take you to the new Planner. Instead, use your favorite method to access the tool you normally use (or try the other one if you don’t see the features you want.)

What Microsoft PM tool do I really need?

It depends on your requirements. For complex scheduling or more security around scheduling, Microsoft Project desktop client is the way to go. For a real-time collaborative scheduling app that fully integrates with Teams, go with Planner. As announced at Microsoft Ignite, if you are using Teams for meetings, project collaboration, and Copilot as your AI tool, more integration with Planner is coming. Also, if you are already using “Project for the web”, your plans show up in Planner in Teams automatically.

The last word (for now)

The new Planner doesn’t eliminate Microsoft Project desktop or Project Online. The new Planner represents a new way of working and collaborating on projects.

Cindy and I both have LinkedIn Learning courses to help you. Here’s a link to Cindy M. Lewis’ main course page: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/cindy-m-lewis

And here’s Bonnie’s: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/bonnie-biafore

If you have more questions join us on December 11, 2024 at 11am MT.

Coming Up

Survival Tips for Managing a Difficult Boss

We’ve all had at least one – a boss that makes our jobs challenging if not impossible. They come in several forms, each with their unique challenges, such as the clueless chameleon, the MIA boss, the meddlesome micromanager, the wishful thinker, and more. In this Office Hours, Dana Brownlee joins me on December 4, 2024 at 9AM MT/11AM ET to talk about the different types of difficult bosses and what we can do to work with them successfully.

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This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 81,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Gathering project perspectives

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Effective project managers work to understand the diverse perspectives stakeholders have about a project, so they can manage conflicts and keep everyone engaged. Interviews and polling are two standard approaches. Here are other effective methods to gather different viewpoints of a project.

  • Interactive workshops. To identify project perspectives that are otherwise hard to uncover, consider brainstorming, mind-mapping, or other approaches involving rich interaction between stakeholders. The benefit of interactive workshops is that you can connect ideas to the outcomes stakeholders expect from the project. Free-flowing discussions can also generate new ideas, which might expand the value the project brings to the organization.

  • Focus groups. These meetings allow for in-depth discussions and can reveal nuanced opinions that might not come up in larger settings. Focus groups aim to gather insights, while the goal of an interactive workshop is to solve problems, generate ideas, or provide training actively. A consensus is often the target of interactive workshops, which is not the case for focus groups. For example, an interactive workshop would be appropriate to develop potential new processes for billing customers and then select the best option by consensus. A focus group would be held to collect features that various customers would want from a new version of a product. In the focus group, consensus isn’t the goal. It’s collecting a broad set of ideas for new product features.

  • Establish a sponsorship committee. A sponsorship committee can provide ongoing insights and guidance throughout the project’s lifecycle. The committee doesn’t reduce the sponsor’s decision-making power. It enables people to present other perspectives to assist the sponsor in setting project direction.

  • Job shadowing. Shadowing is a powerful approach to gathering project perspectives. Observing stakeholders at work provides unique insights into how people perform their work and the potential improvements the project can deliver. Stakeholders often don’t know the potential of new tools or have difficulty articulating business challenges.

  • Town hall meetings. Town hall meetings can reveal perspectives for projects with a broad impact on communities within and outside the organization. These events capture a wide range of viewpoints and concerns. Pro tip: Have an experienced facilitator run town hall meetings, because managing meetings with widely disparate stakeholders can be challenging.

  • Cross-functional team rotations. Implement short-term rotations where team members work in different project areas or departments. This cross-pollination of ideas can bring fresh perspectives to the project.

Think about your current project or a recent one. How did you uncover stakeholders’ perspectives about the project? Would any of these methods help identify perspectives?

For more about stakeholders, check out Natasha Kasimtseva’s Managing Project Stakeholders course or Dana Brownlee’s Managing Up for Project Managers: Working with Challenging Senior Stakeholders.

Coming Up

Office Hours Live Survival Tips for Managing a Difficult Boss, Wednesday Dec 4, 2024, 9:00 AM MT

We’ve all had at least one – a boss that makes our jobs challenging if not impossible. They come in several forms,each with their unique challenges, such as the clueless chameleon, the MIA boss, the meddlesome micromanager, the wishful thinker, and more. In this Office Hours, Dana Brownlee joins me to talk about the different types of difficult bosses, how to identify which one we’re dealing with and what we can do to work with them successfully. To sign up, click here.

_______________________________________

This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 81,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

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Integration is a people first process

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Project integration can be tricky when you combine multiple technical components, processes, or both. Most people focus on the technical side of an integration. Yet, the problems in integrations are often technical errors caused by communication and human elements. Here are some actions that help prevent technical issues with integrations.  

  • Specifically assign ownership. Two or more teams serving as owners on an integration exercise is asking for trouble. Like with project tasks, assign one owner to coordinate integration efforts and guide the teams. That way, decisions are made on time and you avoid the “left hand thinking the right hand was working on this” type of issue.  
  • Create a communication plan specific to each integration. Communication between all teams is critical for success in integrations. Create a communication plan so all parties know how, when, and who will direct integration teams. It doesn’t have to be overly detailed. Make sure that team communication is managed and kept in a version-controlled central location. Assign primary and backup points of contact. Share issues related to people or technical issues between teams with critical project personnel even if they aren’t a member of an integration team (think project manager). 
  • Create cultural alignment. Teams from different companies or geographies will have different cultural norms. As a result, decision-making, problem-solving approaches, and engagement with different companies can vary dramatically. Creating cultural alignment around how the teams operate is important for integration success, but often overlooked. Work with the people assigned as integration owners to create cultural alignment between teams in an integration exercise. 
  • Don’t skimp on travel. Integration teams must work together smoothly, and technical integrations must work perfectly to achieve project success. Allow the teams to work in the same space and examine the same technical tools and components together. This makes a huge difference when it comes to working efficiently. You can avoid expensive technical misinterpretations by co-locating integration team members at various times during their work. The efficiencies gained and the technical errors avoided will more than make up for the travel expense.
  • Assemble the best possible change management review team. Integrations are complicated. Effective change management is crucial. A review team with knowledgeable team members and management is essential. Experienced integration project managers will often have a different review team for integration changes because of the depth of knowledge required to make appropriate decisions. This often means two change reviews, one with the integration review team and the second with the standard project review team. The extra time is worthwhile to ensure the best minds review integration-related changes.

For more about project integration, check out Oliver Yarbrough’s Project Management Foundations: Integration course.

Coming Up

Office Hours Live – Survival Tips for Managing a Difficult Boss Wed, Dec 4, 2024, 9:00 AM MT

We’ve all had at least one – a boss that makes our jobs challenging if not impossible. They come in several forms, each with their unique challenges, such as the clueless chameleon, the MIA boss, the meddlesome micromanager, the wishful thinker, and more. In this Office Hours, Dana Brownlee joins me to talk about the different types of difficult bosses and what we can do to work with them successfully. To sign up, click here.

_______________________________________

This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 80,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

_______________________________________

When should the sponsor address the project team?

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The project manager is the primary communicator with the project team. Sometimes, the sponsor’s presence makes a significant impact on the project team. Here are times to leverage the sponsor’s influence.

  • The Kickoff meeting. This meeting sets the project’s direction and confirms the responsibilities of the project manager and the team. Also, the sponsor can talk about the project’s purpose. It’s powerful to hear this from the manager who will benefit the most from project outcomes. That way, team members can ask business-related questions to clarify project benefits and approaches to deliver those benefits.
  • Recognizing project milestones. The sponsor is the best person to acknowledge progress. The sponsor’s recognition validates the relevance of the project and management’s interest in project success. This pep talk also confirms that the team is on the right track and boosts their motivation. 
  • When significant changes occur. Business, staff, and project conditions often change, sometimes drastically. When that happens, the sponsor must reassert the project’s business value. As a critical member of the management team, the sponsor’s reassurance helps the project team stay focused during turmoil. 
  • When a major issue occurs. Significant issues can derail a project. When a major issue occurs, the sponsor can act as an engaged participant in crisis management. This shows their dedication to the project’s success despite the challenges. The sponsor can also validate and reinforce issue response actions. The project team’s morale and dedication is boosted when they see the sponsor participate in recovering the project, rather than assign blame.
  • Recognizing outstanding performance.  Attention from a senior leader  accentuates recognition. If the sponsor is part of a recognition event, it will be memorable and powerful for the project team.
  • Town Hall meetings. Things change in the business and discoveries during a project may raise questions in stakeholders minds . Town Hall meetings are an effective way to keep everyone up to speed. Have the sponsor present status at these meetings to remind everyone of the project’s importance.
  • Project closure. The sponsor being present at closure is the ultimate form of recognition. This acknowledges the project and the team member’s contribution to the business.

Think about whether there is an opportunity to leverage your project sponsor in your current project. If so, great! Next step, discuss with them how they can help the project by communicating with the team. It’s always good to give them some hints (or direct requests) for points to make.

For more about  project sponsors, check out Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez’course, How to Be an Effective Project Sponsor.

Coming Up

Office Hours Live Survival Tips for Managing a Difficult Boss,  Wed, Dec 4, 2024, 9:00 AM MT

We’ve all had at least one – a boss that makes our jobs challenging if not impossible. They come in several forms, each with their unique challenges, such as the clueless chameleon, the MIA boss, the meddlesome micromanager, the wishful thinker, and more. In this Office Hours, Dana Brownlee joins me to talk about the different types of difficult bosses and what we can do to work with them successfully.

_______________________________________

This article belongs to the Bonnie’s Project Pointers newsletter series, which has more than 80,000 subscribers. This newsletter is 100% written by a human (no aliens or AIs involved). If you like this article, you can subscribe to receive notifications when a new article posts.

Want to learn more about the topics I talk about in these newsletters? Watch my courses in the LinkedIn Learning Library and tune into my LinkedIn Office Hours live broadcasts.

_______________________________________