Microsoft Project vs Zoho Projects

August 10, 2023 | Author: Adam Levine
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Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project is a project management software program developed and sold by Microsoft which is designed to assist project managers in developing plans, assigning resources to tasks, tracking progress, managing budgets and analyzing workloads. The application creates critical path schedules, and critical chain and event chain methodology third-party add-ons are also available. Schedules can be resource leveled, and chains are visualized in a Gantt chart.
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Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects is an online project management software with collaboration and bug tracking that allows project teams to collaborate and get work done faster. Planning and Tracking helps you keep your project on schedule. Collaboration helps improve the communication within the team. And the Bug Tracking module allows you to track the bugs that software projects are bound to generate and fix all bugs in time.
Microsoft Project and Zoho Projects are both popular project management tools, but they differ in terms of features and user experience. Microsoft Project is a comprehensive project management software that offers advanced features such as project planning, resource management, Gantt charts, and task tracking. It is known for its robust capabilities and integration with other Microsoft Office tools. Microsoft Project is suitable for larger organizations and complex projects that require detailed planning and scheduling. On the other hand, Zoho Projects is a cloud-based project management tool that provides a user-friendly interface and essential features like task management, collaboration, and document sharing. It is designed for small to medium-sized businesses and offers an intuitive and straightforward approach to project management. Zoho Projects focuses on simplicity and ease of use, making it a suitable choice for teams that need a quick setup and efficient task tracking.

See also: Top 10 Project Management software
Microsoft Project vs Zoho Projects in our news:

2020. Zoho Projects gets improved Gantt chart



Zoho has enhanced and revamped the Gantt chart feature within Zoho Projects to offer enhanced capabilities, streamlining the workflow process. Notably, in the updated user interface, unscheduled tasks are conveniently organized under the "unscheduled" tag, preceding the actual timeline. By simply dragging and dropping an unscheduled task onto the timeline, it will be automatically scheduled. Additionally, the new "Full Screen" view enables users to concentrate on crucial yet seemingly minor details by maximizing the utilization of screen space. Moreover, it is now possible to customize the displayed data within the Gantt chart's taskbars, including information such as start/end dates, task owners, overdue status, and task names.


2019. Microsoft Project becomes user-friendly


Microsoft Project may be renowned as the most famous and legendary project management software, but it can hardly be described as simple and user-friendly, especially when compared to many of the new cloud services available, such as Asana, Basecamp, Trello, or Wrike. Recognizing this, Microsoft has undertaken a massive redesign of the system. As you can observe in the presentation video, the focus is on simplicity, aiming for a user experience so intuitive that even a child could navigate it. However, the developers have also successfully incorporated several new features, including a kanban board, resource management, budget analysis, and time and expense tracking. Furthermore, Microsoft Project is now available as a subscription service, with a cost of $10 per month per user.


2019. Zoho brings Zia AI assistant to its project management app



Zoho's AI-based chatbot, Zia, has now been integrated into Zoho Projects, enabling streamlined activities within the platform. With its conversational interface, Zia provides immediate responses to inquiries regarding tasks, issues, and events modules in Zoho Projects. Additionally, Zia can offer suggestions and recommendations based on your project-related activities. For instance, if you're pressed for time and need to quickly access your upcoming events, you can simply chat with Zia and request, "Zia, list my upcoming events." In response, Zia will promptly provide a list of all your upcoming events. Furthermore, you can ask Zia for task and issue details, such as information on active tasks, task status, task due dates, unassigned tasks, overdue tasks, user details, tasks within a task list, and similar issue-related information. Zia aims to enhance user productivity and efficiency within Zoho Projects by delivering instant and relevant assistance.


2018. Zoho Projects gets enhanced Gantt chart


Zoho has introduced several enhancements to its project management application, Zoho Projects. These upgrades include an advanced Gantt chart that supports all four types of task dependencies, the ability to create custom views for tasks, and much more. The integration with Zoho People allows for the seamless incorporation of vacation or time-off details of team members into Projects, ensuring that tasks or bugs are not delayed when they are unavailable. Additionally, task and bug timers can now be paused and resumed, eliminating the need to restart from the beginning. The integration with Zoho Meeting enables users to conveniently initiate online team meetings by simply clicking "Meet Now" on the Task Details page, facilitating effective communication for clarification, problem-solving, or decision-making. It's worth noting that Zoho had previously launched another project management tool, Zoho Sprints, in October of the previous year.


2017. Zoho Projects 6 brings new customization opportinities


Zoho has introduced an updated version of its project management tool, Zoho Projects 6, designed to provide greater flexibility in meeting various project needs. This release incorporates several new features, including the ability to create custom fields and custom statuses for tasks, the availability of layouts as project templates, options to set custom logos and domain names, advanced task reporting capabilities, a revamped task details page, a consistent design across all modules, an improved and searchable setup page, reports based on custom fields, a Kanban view organized by task status, and enhanced task filtering functionality. These updates enable users to tailor Zoho Projects 6 to their specific project requirements while improving the overall project management experience.


2016. Zoho Projects adds staff-based billing



Project management service Zoho Projects has offered billing based on project hours since its inception, and it has now expanded its capabilities to include billing based on staff hours as well. You now have the ability to assign a specific rate to each of your employees, and this rate will be reflected in your invoices. For instance, in a project like organizing a concert where multiple users with different skill levels are involved in various tasks, it is essential to bill the client based on the staff hours. You can set different rates for each employee based on their skills and the nature of their work, ensuring that you accurately bill your clients for the services provided.


2016. Zoho Projects adds gamification layer



Zoho is introducing Gamescope, a gamification layer integrated across various products, starting with Zoho Projects. This exciting addition aims to transform mundane tasks into an engaging game for users. By completing tasks, closing tickets and deals, and resolving bugs, users can earn points, which are tracked in a scorecard. Similar to a basketball game, each game has a specific time frame. At the end of the game, individuals who accumulate the highest points are awarded trophies. Additionally, users can earn badges by achieving specific targets. The winners have the opportunity to proudly showcase their badges and trophies on their scorecard or individual profile pages, enabling them to share their accomplishments with others.


2016. Microsoft unveiles Project Server 2016, inpired by Cloud



Microsoft has made an announcement regarding the general availability of Project Server 2016, a solution that brings significant project and portfolio management (PPM) benefits to our on-premises customers. According to Microsoft, Project Server is engineered to perform and scale just like their cloud service, as it is built using the same underlying code. In terms of functionality, the release of Project Server 2016 shares many similarities with its 2013 predecessor. However, it introduces enhancements in resource management, such as the inclusion of resource engagements with heat map displays, and improves the transparency between project planning and line planning. Additionally, the Resource Plan feature has been removed from the Project Web App interface, as it is now integrated into Microsoft Project 2016. Microsoft has also introduced a content pack for Power BI Dashboards, which seamlessly integrates with their cloud-based Project Online offering.


2015. Zoho Projects gets the power of Zoho Docs



The Documents module within the project management application, Zoho Projects, has received a significant enhancement. Users can now create and collaborate on rich documents, spreadsheets, and presentations directly within the platform. This update, powered by Zoho Docs, brings several benefits to users. One notable advantage is the ability to co-create documents, allowing multiple team members to work on them simultaneously. Additionally, users can engage in real-time chat with collaborators directly within the document window. Obtaining feedback is made easy, as comments can be added to individual letters in text documents and cells in spreadsheets. Moreover, an integrated versioning system enables users to track the changes made to a document over time and, if necessary, revert to a previous version. These enhancements empower teams to collaborate efficiently and streamline their document management processes within Zoho Projects.


2015. Zoho Projects 5 brings new faster interface and useful features



Zoho has released a new version of its popular project management app, Zoho Projects 5, featuring a revamped user interface (UI) that offers enhanced speed, visual appeal, and a full-screen design optimized for your display. Among the new features introduced in this version is the addition of Work Hours for tasks. Users can now set the specific number of hours for a resource, independent of the task's duration, with the flexibility to define it in various ways such as work hours per day, percentage of hours per day, or total work hours. Another notable addition is the SLA Automation feature, which ensures compliance with customer contracts by setting up automated escalations based on defined criteria. Additionally, Zoho Projects 5 integrates with the accounting system Zoho Books, enabling users to allocate budgets, record expenses, make edits, and view expense reports seamlessly within the Projects platform without the need to switch applications.

Author: Adam Levine
Adam is an expert in project management, collaboration and productivity technologies, team management, and motivation. With an extensive background working at prestigious companies such as Microsoft and Accenture, Adam's in-depth knowledge and experience in the field make him a sought-after professional. Currently, he has ventured into entrepreneurship, owning a thriving consulting and training agency where he imparts invaluable insights and practical strategies to individuals and organizations, empowering them to achieve their goals and maximize their potential. You can contact Adam via email adam@liventerprise.com