MS Project Reflection

My expectations of Microsoft Project Professional were very high as I downloaded to program.  I was expecting a program included all the necessary components necessary to complete a project accompanied by lots of accessories that make the completion easier and more efficient.  Although I did not have a sufficient amount of time to really dive into the whole program, I did notice that it did include components that can be used to plan out the time of a project, how resources should be allocated in the project, duration estimate of each task, and many other aspects that I have never seen offered in a software application.  Being that I have never seen anything like this before, I was impressed to see a software application that performed tasks that assisted project managers in developing plans, assigning resources to tasks, managing budgets, and many other components that take place in a “project.”  I feel that if I was to be put in a position where I was responsible for a project from start to finish, I would love to have a resource such as Microsoft Project to guide me along the way because I feel it has the ability to order my thought process and organize these thoughts in a manner that can be executed with efficiency.  I appreciate the fact that it is a Microsoft product because it can easily be integrated into all the other Microsoft products that are available, such as Powerpoint and Excel, so that people feel more comfortable with using Microsoft Project.  The interface is similar to all the Microsoft Office products, which makes learning it a little easier for someone who is already exposed to MS Office.

But let’s get realistic here.  Being that one of the main tasks of Project is to make project management easier.  I know Microsoft does not make crappy or irrelevant products, so I know that Microsoft Project will do all the things necessary to manage a project in a user-friendly manner.  But the question that I was asking during my trial was does it create value to the people that are actually going to use it?  I looked up some comments on what people had to say that was a disadvantage to Microsoft Project and here’s what I got:

-there’s a steep learning curve.

-there’s a generic focus.

-there’s no collaboration.

-it’s a desktop/ offline application.

-it has some compatibility issues.

Of those five main concerns, I think the one that catches my eye is the fact that there is no collaboration.  I say this because when I think of Project Management, I think of constant and ongoing communication between the parties involved in the project.  Being that there is no outlet for this offered in MS Project, it would require a collaboration platform (an added expense) to act as a complement.  We all know that a single license for Microsoft Developer programs run about $500/license, which is rather steep for something that may serve as something that replaces the planner in your briefcase.  So why not add another expense because our new software does not perform EVERYTHING we need it to. I would imagine that any successful project manager would almost be insulted to have someone tell them to use a new software application to be able to complete a project from start to finish.  One thing that I have learned from many of my case studies this semester is that people are very resistant to change, especially if they believe that there is nothing wrong with what they are doing currently.  For a new software application to be successful, it needs to be flawless.

So who do I believe are the people that would benefit mostly from something like MS Project?  My current answer would be companies that include a small amount of employees, or simply a start-up company.  If everyone is on the same page and all parties understand their duties, I think MS Project would work wonders for them.  But then again, small companies and start-ups might not have the funds to make the investment in MS Project.  Maybe a group of business consultants can use it to plan out all their research or their next presentation and execute it in a more timely fashion so money is not lost there. 

Overall, I think that MS Project is something that can eventually catch on, but I believe it still needs some time to really gain momentum.  Cloud computing is still at a young age, once interconnectivity gains more respect, I see MS Project including a way to have everyone in a large company collaborating in a way that breeds productivity.