Microsoft Project
Microsoft's general-purpose scheduling and project management tool built around Gantt charts.
Quick Answer
Microsoft Project is project management and scheduling software made by Microsoft. It builds Gantt-chart schedules, tracks tasks, dependencies, resources, and timelines, and reports on progress against a baseline. Using the Critical Path Method, it's a general-purpose planning tool used across many industries, including construction, where it suits smaller or less complex schedules than enterprise tools like Primavera P6.
The Full Picture
Microsoft Project exists to give project managers a structured way to plan and track work over time without building schedules by hand in a spreadsheet. It organizes a project into tasks with durations and dependencies, calculates a timeline, and shows it as a Gantt chart, then tracks actual progress against the plan. It's a general-purpose tool, not construction-specific.
Mechanically, Project uses the Critical Path Method to compute start and finish dates, float, and the critical path from task durations and links. It supports resource assignment and leveling, baselines, progress tracking, and reporting, and integrates with the wider Microsoft ecosystem. It's available as a desktop application, and Microsoft directs cloud users to Microsoft Planner after retiring the Project Online service on September 30, 2026.
In AEC practice Microsoft Project is used by contractors, project managers, and owners for scheduling — often on smaller or mid-size jobs, or where a full enterprise scheduling deployment isn't warranted. On the largest, most schedule-sensitive programs, teams tend to use Primavera P6 instead, sometimes because a contract requires it.
Project sits in the planning and controls layer, like P6, distinct from document, model, and field platforms. It manages time, tasks, and resources rather than drawings or design, so it's used alongside document and project management tools, not as a substitute for them.
Real Examples
Common Misconceptions
People assume: Microsoft Project and Primavera P6 are interchangeable.
Actually: Both schedule with CPM, but P6 is built for very large, resource-loaded, multi-project programs and is often contractually mandated on major work. Microsoft Project is a lighter, more general tool better suited to smaller or simpler schedules. The difference is scale and depth of control.
People assume: Microsoft Project is a full construction management platform.
Actually: Project is a scheduling and project-planning tool. It doesn't manage drawings, RFIs, submittals, or field work like Procore or ACC. It handles the timeline and resources; document and field management come from separate construction platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who makes Microsoft Project?
Microsoft makes Microsoft Project. It has been part of Microsoft's software portfolio since the mid-1980s and is available today as a desktop application, with Microsoft Planner as its cloud planning service after Project Online was retired on September 30, 2026; both tie into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
What is Microsoft Project used for?
It's used to plan and manage projects — building Gantt-chart schedules, defining tasks and dependencies, calculating the critical path, assigning and leveling resources, setting baselines, and tracking progress and cost against the plan across many industries.
Is Microsoft Project free?
No. Microsoft Project is paid, offered as subscription plans (Planner Plan 1 and the Planner and Project Plans 3 and 5) or, historically, one-time desktop licenses. Microsoft provides trials, but there is no permanently free full version.
What's the difference between Microsoft Project and Primavera P6?
Both use CPM scheduling. Microsoft Project is a more accessible, general-purpose tool suited to smaller or mid-size schedules, while Primavera P6 is enterprise software built for very large, resource-loaded, multi-project programs and is frequently required on major infrastructure work.