Planner vs Project Online vs Project for the Web

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About this lesson

Understand the differences between Planner, Project Online, and Project for the Web.

Quick reference

Planner vs Project Online vs Project for the Web

Understand the differences between Planner, Project for the Web, and Project Online. 

When to use

It's good to compare the three main project offerings prior to purchasing so we know we have selected the most appropriate and cost-effective application for our team. 

Instructions

Let's compare the three main project offerings in more detail. We don't want to select an application that is too limited for our needs but at the same time, we don't want to select an application that is too complex, too advanced for our needs, and too costly. 

Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Planner is an application that is part of our Microsoft 365 subscription. It allows us to organize and manage individual and team tasks on an intuitive and collaborative interface. It's a great tool if you are a team leader and want to keep on top of your team's tasks as well as your own. 

Project for the Web

If you find that Planner is a bit too limited for your needs and you require more functionality, the next step up would be Project for the Web. Project for the Web is a subscription application that isn't included in Microsoft 365. 

In Project for the Web, we can schedule using timeline view, create summaries and subtasks, add dependencies and create roadmaps. 

We need to purchase either Plan 1, Plan 3, or Plan 5 to access Project for the Web. Plan 1 is the cheapest option as it only comes with Project for the Web and doesn't include Project Online. 

Another advantage of Project for the Web is that it is built on the Power Platform so it easily integrates with Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI. It's also fully integrated with Microsoft 365. 

Project Online Desktop/Project Professional

The most complex option is Project Online. This is the 'full fat Coke' of project management applications. A complex product that requires training to use, it's perfect for the dedicated PMO that manages multiple, large complex projects. 

Project Online contains everything in Planner and Project for the Web with additional functionality like resource management, cost management, portfolio management, baselines, critical paths, complex scheduling and reporting and so much more.

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  • 00:04 So we've compared the different tools we have to manage tasks and
  • 00:09 projects already in this course.
  • 00:11 But I would just like to spend this lesson going over this in
  • 00:16 a little bit more detail.
  • 00:18 The reason being, it's so important to select the correct tool for
  • 00:23 the job we need to do.
  • 00:24 We don't want to select a product that's too limited for our needs, but
  • 00:29 at the same time, we don't want to select a tool that is too complex,
  • 00:33 more expensive, and exceeds the tasks we need to accomplish.
  • 00:37 So in this lesson, we're going to focus on three applications.
  • 00:42 Microsoft Planner, Project for the Web, and Project Online Desktop Client.
  • 00:49 So let's start with Microsoft Planner.
  • 00:51 Now, Microsoft Planner is an application that's available through Microsoft 365.
  • 00:56 It allows us to organize teamwork with an intuitive, collaborative,
  • 01:01 visual task management system.
  • 01:03 It's a great tool if you are a team leader and
  • 01:06 you want to keep on top of the progress of a project.
  • 01:10 And because it comes with your Microsoft 365 subscription,
  • 01:14 there is no additional expense.
  • 01:16 Now, if you find that you need more complex project management tools,
  • 01:20 such as grid and Gantt view, dependencies, scheduling, and roadmaps.
  • 01:24 Then you might need to think about upgrading from planner to its new big
  • 01:29 sister application Project for the Web.
  • 01:32 Project for the Web is perfect for anyone who has been managing individual and team
  • 01:37 tasks in Microsoft Planner but is finding the functionality a little bit limited.
  • 01:43 Along with everything you love about planner, like task management,
  • 01:48 board view, teams, and assignments, we get additional functionality like grid view,
  • 01:55 dependencies, scheduling, Gantt view, and milestones.
  • 01:59 It's the perfect middle-of-the-road option.
  • 02:02 And Project for the Web is also built on the power platform, so
  • 02:07 we can harness the functionality of power apps,
  • 02:11 like Power BI for more complex reporting and visualizations.
  • 02:15 It's also fully integrated with Microsoft 365 and
  • 02:20 Microsoft Teams giving an overall better user experience.
  • 02:24 So Project for the Web does a great job of delivering the core experience of
  • 02:29 modern project management.
  • 02:31 Power BI provides dashboards and reporting and Power Apps enables partners and
  • 02:36 organizations to extend Project for the Web with additional features.
  • 02:41 However, if you manage lots of large complex projects and
  • 02:45 require advanced project management features,
  • 02:47 then Project Online Desktop Client would be the most appropriate option.
  • 02:52 Project Online Desktop is the full-fat coke of the project family.
  • 02:57 It has traditionally been the go-to tool for project managers and
  • 03:01 PMOs that need to manage large complex projects, and
  • 03:05 coordinate a portfolio of projects and resources.
  • 03:09 It includes everything we love about Microsoft Planner and Project for
  • 03:13 the Web and then some.
  • 03:15 We can perform advanced project management tasks like creating baselines and
  • 03:19 critical paths, resource management, financial management, program and
  • 03:24 portfolio management.
  • 03:26 Whilst we can do everything in Project Online Desktop that we can do in Project
  • 03:30 for the Web, Project Online is not built on the power platform.

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