Every day, organisations worldwide rely on Microsoft PPM solutions to keep their projects running smoothly.
Based on the Microsoft Cloud platform, they provide the insight, collaboration, integration, and automation that drives modern project portfolio management (PPM). From remote working tools that allow your delivery teams to function effectively from anywhere to dynamic data dashboards that keep leadership in the loop – every stakeholder group benefits when you take a smarter approach to PPM.
Microsoft PPM solutions: key features
Microsoft PPM solutions encompass a range of services and digital tools, including Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365. And crucially for project managers and PMOs, it includes the Power Platform.
The Microsoft Power Platform is a suite of connected, low-code tools for creating flexible cloud solutions. Think custom applications and workflows. As a central repository for all your data, the Power Platform lets you access, analyse, manipulate, and share data so you can manage projects with ease.
Four essential products form the foundation of the Power Platform:
- Power Apps. A suite of products that enable you to develop apps rapidly and cost-effectively, using a 'low-code' approach that doesn't require skilled developers.
- Power BI. A scalable, self-service data analytics and visualisation platform that connects your teams to powerful business insights, supporting strategic decision-making.
- Power Automate. An intuitive SaaS platform that allows users to automate workflows, alerts, and repetitive tasks, saving time and reducing human error.
- Power Virtual Agents. A no-code, self-service tool that lets you create intelligent chatbots and virtual assistants to support your teams and customers.
The Power Platform also contains Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities you can combine with applications to increase productivity and unlock new insights.
How Microsoft PPM solutions benefit different stakeholder groups
Different stakeholder groups require different functionality from a Microsoft PPM software. Your IT teams need a solution that slots seamlessly into your tech stack, while project managers require something that reduces admin and leadership need organisation-wide visibility.
Designed with flexibility and scalability in mind, it’s easy to adapt Microsoft's PPM solutions to meet these differing requirements. There are no feature limits – you simply add new capabilities and create custom solutions to address needs as your organisation grows.
Here are just a few of the benefits you'll unlock when you embrace Microsoft PPM solutions in your organisation.
PMOs
PMOs have the most to gain from Microsoft PPM solutions day-to-day. They face diverse challenges that can impede PMO governance – from static spreadsheets and inefficient manual reporting processes to disconnected data.
Microsoft PPM software help PMOs overcome these problems by consolidating all project data in one place. It offers unrivalled visibility across the entire portfolio, facilitating ad hoc reporting and detailed data analytics. PMOs can also harness the platform’s extensive suite of productivity tools to automate repetitive tasks and win back time.
Crucially, there are no barriers to entry. Unlike complex enterprise applications, PMOs can access various tools, services, and features directly through Microsoft's PPM suite. There are no extra steps, which helps to simplify onboarding and maximise user adoption.
By consolidating all your project data in one place, Microsoft PPM solutions offer unrivalled visibility across the entire portfolio.
Project managers
Project managers experience many of the same challenges as PMOs. They need clear oversight of their projects and frontline teams to keep things running smoothly.
With Microsoft, you can store all project data in Dataverse – Microsoft’s intuitive and secure data management platform. Dataverse serves as a single source of truth for project data, with intuitive apps that use custom filtering and search functions to present information more intuitively.
In addition, Microsoft's PPM suite boasts a range of work management, task scheduling, collaboration, and productivity tools that help project managers:
- Save time and work more efficiently
- Collaborate effectively across departments and teams
- Enhance resource and finance tracking
- Improve organisation-wide compliance
- Reduce risks
- Increase project success
Leadership
Leadership needs easy access to project data and reports from its Microsoft PPM software. This helps them monitor budgets, timelines, and progress to ensure projects meet their goals.
The Microsoft Cloud acts as the central repository for business and project data, delivering the visibility leadership requires. Interactive, self-service dashboards and reports allow them to monitor an entire portfolio from a high level or drill deeper into specific projects and tasks.
With greater visibility, leadership can make more informed decisions and closely monitor projects to adapt to changing conditions and ensure projects align with organisational strategy.
In practical terms, this turns leadership from passive financial backers into informed project sponsors. They know exactly what’s happening at any given time, fostering trust between leadership and delivery teams.
Interactive, self-service dashboards and reports allow leadership to monitor an entire portfolio from a high level or drill deeper into specific projects and tasks.
Delivery teams
Front line delivery teams need transparent processes and reliable tools to execute the tasks that facilitate successful project delivery.
A key benefit of Microsoft PPM solutions is that they harness the tools your end users are already familiar with. There’s no steep learning curve or protracted onboarding process typical of third-party, enterprise PPM solutions.
Delivery teams can access the tools and data they need remotely, enabling them to work and collaborate effectively from anywhere. And thanks to Microsoft’s extensive PPM product suite, users can always find the right tool for the job without investing in additional third-party software.
IT
IT teams play an integral role in implementing new technology. Getting them to buy into a standalone enterprise PPM solution that's hosted in another 3rd party cloud and adds another layer of complexity to the organisation’s tech stack can be difficult. But as an extension of the tools they already use, a Microsoft-first solution allays these fears.
Microsoft's PPM solutions offer a simple, cost-effective alternative to dedicated project management tools. IT teams use Microsoft services and products every day. So, they don’t have to familiarise themselves with different toolsets or perform complex integrations, minimising onboarding time and overheads.
The Microsoft Cloud also boasts built-in security and compliance features, giving IT teams additional peace of mind. Everything’s concentrated in a single platform, so they don’t have to worry about shadow IT introducing blind spots, vulnerabilities, or compliance risks.
Microsoft's PPM solutions offer a simple, cost-effective alternative to dedicated project management tools.
A futureproof solution for modern PPM
Microsoft's PPM solutions are the obvious choice if you're one of the millions of organisations that use Microsoft products every day.
They offer a degree of flexibility dedicated enterprise PPM solutions simply can’t match, allowing you to customise and scale your technology to meet your requirements as they evolve.
If you're looking to get more from your Microsoft investment, consider our Microsoft PPM software. It delivers enterprise-level portfolio management capabilities, built with the Microsoft tools and services you know and love so you can unlock the benefits of the Microsoft platform right out-of-the-box. Watch this short video to find out how.
