Tech giant Microsoft developed the earliest versions of its own project management software program called Microsoft Project in the 1980s. Today’s software is designed to help project managers develop schedules, assign the right resources to corresponding tasks, monitor project progress, study workloads, and stay on top of budgets.
In September 2015, Microsoft announced the availability of Project 2016 and gave businesses a peek into the exciting improvements and additional capabilities that this new version has to offer.
Project 2016 offers relevant updates to Microsoft’s Project Online (PWA), Project Pro for Office 365, and Project Professional.
Eager to discover what’s new with Project 2016? Here’s a quick rundown of a few key features and changes:
Views – Resource Manager
Project Online introduces new resource views for Resource Managers to be able to collaborate with Project Managers without using the full MS Project.
Resource Engagement – A Tool to Prevent Overallocation
With Project 2016, users now have an efficient way of requesting a resource – Resource Engagements. This replaces Resource Plans from Project 2013. With resource engagements, Resource Managers (RM) and Project Managers (PM) work to make sure key resources aren’t over-allocated. For more information on how resource engagements work, read this article.
NOTE: Resource Engagements are not available in Project 2016 Standard.
Resource Capacity Heat Maps
Heat maps are another new feature in Project 2016 designed to help with resource management. Heat maps are color-coded graphics that enable users to see how resources are utilized at a glance.
Expanded Timeline Features
A timeline is a great way of providing a “bird’s eye” view of a project. With Project 2016, users can create multiple visual timelines for different work categories and stages. In addition, they can also set separate start and end dates for each of these timelines, allowing for a clearer picture of all the work involved. As in previous versions of Project, timelines can be copied to other Office 2016 apps.
Tell Me What You Want to Do
Project 2016 users will quickly find a text box on the ribbon that says “Tell me what you want to do.” With it, you will be able to type words or phrases into the text field that can help you quickly find the actions or features you need to use. The Tell Me feature is included in all Office 2016 apps.
Free! – The Best MS Project Keyboard Shortcuts
Contact us for your free list of handy MS Project keyboard shortcuts.
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About the Author of this MS Project Tip.
Since 2001, Jackie Kiadii has taught employees of some of the largest employers in the Southeastern United States how to use MS Project. For more information, visit ProjectTrainingAtlanta.com.
