IT Project Manager at a media company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A stable and scalable solution
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable."
  • "The solution could have more compact dashboards, such as one finds with Planview."

What is our primary use case?

We are currently using the 2001 version. 

We use the solution for projects, with the goal of it being shared with more users, who can employ it as a single tool. 

What needs improvement?

The solution could have more compact dashboards, such as one finds with Planview. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Microsoft Project Server for 20 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

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April 2024
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

I cannot comment on the technical support as I was not directly aligned with it. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I cannot comment on the price as I was not responsible for purchasing the solution. 

What other advice do I have?

The solution is easy to use. My advice is that one first try it out, guage its look and feel. 

I rate Microsoft Project Server as an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Team Lead , Enterprise Computing Platforms at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 5
A reasonably priced project management solution, but its user interface could be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "We use Microsoft Project Server for project management."
  • "Microsoft Project Server's user interface is pretty average, and sometimes it can have bugs."

What is most valuable?

We use Microsoft Project Server for project management. We have a lot of internal projects running, and we assign licenses to any project manager driving a project.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Project Server's user interface is pretty average, and sometimes it can have bugs.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Project Server for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft Project Server is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Project Server is a scalable solution. Around 50 users are using the solution in our organization.

I rate Microsoft Project Server an eight out of ten for scalability.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used a different solution called Clarity. We switched to Microsoft Project Server because Clarity was an expensive solution.

How was the initial setup?

Since it's a cloud-based application, Microsoft Project Server can be easily configured.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Microsoft Project Server is relatively cheaper than other products. We have to pay a yearly licensing fee for Microsoft Project Server. The solution's pricing is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

We are using the latest version of Microsoft Project Server. I would recommend Microsoft Project Server to other users. Microsoft Project Server gives you value for money.

Overall, I rate Microsoft Project Server a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Microsoft Project Server
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Project Server. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
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Director, Project Management Office at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees
Real User
The ability to look at resource loading is useful, but it needs collaboration features
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to look at the resource loading is most valuable."
  • "Collaboration within the tool is lacking when you compare it to online or cloud-based tools."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it for building Research and Development Project labs.

How has it helped my organization?

It has been helpful for calculating the time of completion of our projects and looking at the critical parts of our projects.

What is most valuable?

The ability to look at resource loading is most valuable.

What needs improvement?

Collaboration within the tool is lacking when you compare it to online or cloud-based tools.

We should be able to notify assignees about the tasks that have been assigned to them. This is something that we don't have, and it could be because of the way it was deployed for us.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It seems scalable to me.

How are customer service and support?

I don't have any experience with them.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

It was our company's decision to switch to this. With my previous employer, I have used different solutions. Smartsheet is one of them.

How was the initial setup?

I did not deploy it myself. I am an end-user. We have an IT organization for its deployment.

What other advice do I have?

You have to define your use case and see if this tool makes sense for your use case or not. 

I would rate it a seven out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Operations Manager at Innolead Consulting
Real User
Effective collaboration, useful scheduling tool, and good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft Project Server helps organizations in collaboration."
  • "The initial setup was complex."

What is our primary use case?

My clients are mostly using Microsoft Project Server for infrastructure-type projects management as a scheduling tool.

How has it helped my organization?

Microsoft Project Server helps organizations in collaboration.

What is most valuable?

The scheduling tool is useful.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Project Server for a number of years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found the scalability of the Microsoft Project Server to be good.

We have approximately 10 to 20 uses using this solution in my organization and we plan to increase usage. We do consult for clients and we are always looking for more business.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Oracle Primavera.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was complex.

What about the implementation team?

We used consultants for the implementation of the solution.

We have approximately two people that do the maintenance and support of the solution.

What was our ROI?

I have seen a return on investment from the use of this solution, it has been good.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of the Microsoft Project Server could improve, it is expensive here in Africa. When comparing Microsoft Project Server to Oracle Primavera for us, Microsoft Project Server is quite cost-effective.

What other advice do I have?

I noticed recently there are lots of new solutions coming out, but I don't know if they offer solutions that are more for agile product management. This would be a benefit if there were.

I rate Microsoft Project Server an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Agile PMO Chief at Claro
Real User
Simple user experience with good usability and accessibility
Pros and Cons
  • "The usability is excellent."
  • "We need to be able to compare milestones, calls, and other variables regarding the projects we are working on. I have to contract developers to make reports, which is where things get complicated. They need to develop personal and custom fields for us."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution based on its mobility. I can use it online or via mobile phones or anywhere I can get internet access.

How has it helped my organization?

I'm able to curate the SPI (Schedule Performance Index) and the CPI (Cost Performance Index) that helps us measure the performance in regards to costs and even taxes that projects have.

I can create metrics about costs either project by project or phase by phase.

What is most valuable?

The permissions are the most valuable aspect of the solution. I can configure groups to access different information. The solution allows us to manage the project baseline very well. I can control the baselines in specific user groups, which is very useful for me.

The solution offers very good availability in that we can access it from anywhere, whenever we need to.

The usability is excellent.

We've found the user experience to be quite simple. The views and filters in particular are very good.

What needs improvement?

The reports need to be improved. It's complicated. The default views are good. However, we need more. We need to be able to compare milestones, calls, and other variables regarding the projects we are working on. I have to contract developers to make reports, which is where things get complicated. They need to develop personal and custom fields for us. We also need to use Power BI, which needs to connect with Project Server, in order to generate reports.

The scalability capabilities could be improved upon.

There should be an interaction between Microsoft's Planner app and this solution. Their Planner is a good solution. I would like them both to connect directly, with the Planner tasks in the Project plans. It would also be helpful if the solution integrated with Microsoft Teams. My company uses Office 365, and therefore it would be great if everything was integrated.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for a long time. It's been longer than a decade. I'd say it's around 15 years at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution's stability is good. Of course, it depends on the cloud provider. This is important. When you have a good cloud provider or infrastructure provider, stability is good. You have to play with the servers and processors and memory about the solution. When you have a good provider, it's no problem. When you have a bad provider, you have problems.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability could be improved upon. Sometimes I want to create some instance or other Project Servers to create, for example, test environments. We need to create a test to do a pilot to sell the idea. However, it's complicated to establish what is the best instance to manage the project. 

We have about 2,000 users online, however, it depends on the cloud environment. How many users we have depends on the infrastructure provider. They ensure the scalability and stability of the environment.

We do plan to increase usage. We still have to configure new project types in the project server to gain more users. We want to achieve 1,000 users this year. Right now, I have 300 active users. The plan for this year is to include more project types in the project server throughout the environment and at the end to achieve 1,000 users, at a minimum.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't really dealt with technical support. The relationship with Microsoft is in the IT area. I am not personally part of that group. I am the portfolio manager, therefore I don't have a direct relationship with Microsoft. That said, I'd say it's good, as I don't have any problems. When we have made a request to IT they answer it quickly. Therefore, I'd say we're pretty satisfied with the level of support on offer.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used to use Clarity for our Agile projects, however, this solution is less expensive.

Clarity is good, however, it is complicated to use as it makes it more challenging for the final users to understand the project plans. Also, the templates to manage the project plans are complicated. I like Microsoft Project better than Clarity. 

How was the initial setup?

At the moment, the initial setup is not overly complex. It's pretty straightforward. that's due to the fact that I know the solution very well. I've worked with the 2010 version as well and have ten years of experience and have used it in my everyday work for so long, the setup is not hard for me.

The deployment depends on the company and its culture. I have implemented Project Server in two months, which is pretty fast. However, it depends on the organization's needs. 

The reports, for example, are a viable gain for executive teams. When the executive teams watch good reports to manage the portfolio projects, it's easier to deploy the solution. 

My strategy is to do a pilot. Over two months, I may do ten projects. I'll generate reports and deliver good information and the executive team of the steering committee can easily see the value for the company. Once the pilot shows the value to the steering committee, I usually have the go-ahead to continue the deployment in our organization. 

We had five people for deployment and maintenance. It's a good number. You need one person, that knows the information in regards to users and other people training the other people. There should be another person working on the cost measures such as the reports. 

What about the implementation team?

I handle the implementation myself. I have a good amount of experience and therefore don't need further experience. I don't need the help of integrators, resellers, or consultants.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

While the solution is less expensive than Broadcomm's Clarity, it more expensive than Planview.

That said, I'm unsure of the exact pricing or how often we pay licensing.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We've also looked at Planview and Jira. We found that the solution has better technical support on offer than other options. That said, I like Planview as it's even less expensive than Project Server.

What other advice do I have?

We are Microsoft Partners.

Currently, I am using Project Online and Project Server. The 2015 versions.

At the moment, I am in the process of deploying, the solution in more areas. I start with IT projects and telecom projects. Currently, I am working to introduce regular projects, marketing projects, product projects, etc. I am working to introduce more areas in the Project Server environment.

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate it at an eight.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Technology Governance Manager at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
A scalable solution that can be used for project planning, capacity management, baselining, progress reporting, and monitoring
Pros and Cons
  • "Capacity management and task baselining are the most valuable features of Microsoft Project Server."
  • "The solution's synchronization with Jira Projects should be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft Project Server for project planning, capacity management, baselining, progress reporting, and monitoring.

What is most valuable?

Capacity management and task baselining are the most valuable features of Microsoft Project Server.

What needs improvement?

The solution's synchronization with Jira Projects should be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Project Server for more than 20 years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Project Server is a scalable solution. Around 100 users are using the solution in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support is good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Microsoft Project Server’s initial setup is easy.

What other advice do I have?

Microsoft Project Server is deployed on-cloud in our organization.

Overall, I rate Microsoft Project Server a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Information Technology Consultant at Kaid
Consultant
Excellent documentation, good technical support, and pretty stable
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support is very responsive - particularly on critical tickets."
  • "The check-in, check-out feature makes Microsoft Project Server pretty slow or cumbersome to use."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution to manage the project lifecycle. Generally the lifestyle starts at demand phase. We design a workflow according to customer's needs. The workflow starts with project ideation and project selection, if the project fits company criteria it will move onto the project management phase.  

Let's say you have 10 projects and you don't know which ones to move into actual project management phase. Customers use the portfolio and analysis feature of Project Server, and decide which project to do according to capacity planning(if they have the resources) and budget. If the company has enough resources then its the projects with most benefit that gets selected. For the selected projects lifecycle will continue. As it moves forward, you will get more project detail pages, more things to work with. This will also produce some reports as well.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very good at helping you pick which project to move forward with.

The stability has been pretty good.

We've found that the solution can scale if we need it to.

The installation is fairly straightforward.

The documentation on offer is excellent.

Technical support is very responsive - particularly on critical tickets.

What needs improvement?

When it comes to integration with other systems Project Server falls short. There used to be out-of-box integration with TFS for example but with Project Server 2016 and forward that integration is deprecated. There is room for improvement here.

When it comes to project management itself, I'd like to see some hybrid solutions right now across the on-premises deployments especially. On-premise only has waterfall style project management. On the other hand Project Online has a lot better integration and hybrid (agile-waterfall) project management abilities. This should also be the case for On-premise customers.

The check-in, check-out feature, makes Microsoft Project Server pretty slow or cumbersome to use. Users mostly forget when to check-in. We have problems with that. If it's a bit faster to use, or easier to use, like your Planner or other programs, it would be better. You should just be able to type in something and it's updated. The ease of use could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for three years at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is okay. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is okay. We don't really have any technical performance problems. If we have it, it's because of infrastructure, not because of Project Server mostly.

We mostly work with governmental agencies. On current projects, there are about 300 people working on the solution. We have ten project managers and five profile managers on our end.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is pretty good. We have seen problems due to the infrastructure and management on the customer's side, which affected some services on Project Server. One ticket I opened as normal severity which took two weeks to resolve. That said, when I opened a ticket with critical severity that is blocking some services, somebody contacted me in less than an hour. We were able to fix the problem in three hours total. I'd say overall, the support side is good. 

There's also excellent documentation, which I would rate at a nine out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is very easy with MinRole helping you along the way. You can do high availability of the SharePoint services fairly easy except for the DB part. For that you have to rely on your DB Admins to give you a listener for a High Availability cluster. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm not just a user, I implement solutions. We are Microsoft partners. I develop the solution from infrastructure to power bi reports. User experience, customization, and reporting.

In Turkey, especially governmental agencies, they don't want to be on the cloud. So all the environments I manage, they're on-prem.

Overall, I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We're mostly happy with the product.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Project Manager at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Accurate project metrics are critical to being able to manage our projects from a central database

What is our primary use case?

  • Project metrics
  • Document management
  • Financial reporting
  • Resource management. 

We use the data collected to manage project data, create and manage assignments and schedule via MS Project connectivity. We also track the current and future assignments for our resource to determine their availability and workload for current and future endeavors.

How has it helped my organization?

One source of truth for project metrics, management, and financial reporting. Through additional dashboards and reports, we have developed a way we can distribute project data and updated it to all of our stakeholders and customers.

What is most valuable?

  • Project management
  • One consistently updated and backup/secured location for all project data
  • Accurate project metrics are critical to being able to manage our projects from a central database.

What needs improvement?

OOB reporting is not very robust. We have utilized SSRS, Excel Services and Qlik Sense to expand the OOB reporting capabilities. We use a hosted on-premise version so that we can have better direct access to the SQL server data. 

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

MS Project standalone version and SharePoint repositories were our previous solutions.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Engage an experienced and highly rated vendor to help in the discovery and planning of the implementation. Project Server is better priced than many of the higher-end project management solutions.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

No.

What other advice do I have?

Training for the userbase is a primary concern. Make sure there is a great training plan in place to ensure the userbase can be productive very early in the process.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Project Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Project Server Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.