Project Management Software

Hi Brooke,
For a strong MS Project replacement with resource management:

• Runn – great for capacity planning and real-time resource visibility.
• GanttPRO – online Gantt + resource allocation, easier than MS Project.
• ClickUp / Asana / Monday.com – team-friendly, good for workload views, less complex than Project.

Hi,
We need something with Resource management & a software integration plan. Ideally it would integrate to Salesforce, MS Teams, Outlook and easy to upload excel files & documents.

Thank you for your help!

I’ve been through this several times, and one thing I’ve learned quickly is that the “right” replacement for MS Project depends heavily on what you’re optimizing for — especially around resource management.

A few questions that usually help narrow it down:

• Are you primarily managing projects, or programs/portfolios?
• How important is resource capacity planning vs. task tracking?
• Do you need strong financials (budgeting/forecasting)?
• How integrated does it need to be with your existing stack (e.g., Jira, ServiceNow, EHR systems, etc.)?

Based on what I’ve seen work well in different environments:

Smartsheet

• Very easy to adopt, flexible, good for visibility and light resource tracking
• Great if you’re moving away from MS Project but don’t want something heavy
• Can get messy at scale without strong governance

Planview (AdaptiveWork / Portfolios)

• Strong for enterprise PMO use cases
• Good resource management, portfolio visibility, and financial tracking
• Heavier lift to implement, but powerful once in place

Clarity (Broadcom)

• Very robust for resource and financial management
• Often used in larger, more structured PMOs
• Can feel rigid and requires discipline to get value

Monday.com / Asana

• More modern UX, easy adoption
• Better for team-level planning than deep resource management
• Resource capabilities are improving but still lighter than enterprise tools

Jira + add-ons (Tempo, Advanced Roadmaps)

• Strong if your teams are already in Jira
• Good for capacity planning within engineering/product orgs
• Not always ideal for broader enterprise PMO without customization

What I’ve found most helpful is not starting with the tool, but with what decisions you want the system to support:

• Do you need to answer “who is available and when?”
• Or “are we overcommitted across the portfolio?”
• Or “which initiatives should we prioritize given capacity?”

The clearer that is, the easier it is to eliminate tools quickly.

If helpful, I’m happy to share a simple evaluation matrix I’ve used to compare options — it makes vendor selection a lot more objective.

Thanks for this comprehensive presentation

I’ve been through this several times, and one thing I’ve learned quickly is that the “right” replacement for MS Project depends heavily on what you’re optimizing for — especially around resource management.

A few questions that usually help narrow it down:

• Are you primarily managing projects, or programs/portfolios?
• How important is resource capacity planning vs. task tracking?
• Do you need strong financials (budgeting/forecasting)?
• How integrated does it need to be with your existing stack (e.g., Jira, ServiceNow, EHR systems, etc.)?

Based on what I’ve seen work well in different environments:

Smartsheet

• Very easy to adopt, flexible, good for visibility and light resource tracking
• Great if you’re moving away from MS Project but don’t want something heavy
• Can get messy at scale without strong governance

Planview (AdaptiveWork / Portfolios)

• Strong for enterprise PMO use cases
• Good resource management, portfolio visibility, and financial tracking
• Heavier lift to implement, but powerful once in place

Clarity (Broadcom)

• Very robust for resource and financial management
• Often used in larger, more structured PMOs
• Can feel rigid and requires discipline to get value

Monday.com / Asana

• More modern UX, easy adoption
• Better for team-level planning than deep resource management
• Resource capabilities are improving but still lighter than enterprise tools

Jira + add-ons (Tempo, Advanced Roadmaps)

• Strong if your teams are already in Jira
• Good for capacity planning within engineering/product orgs
• Not always ideal for broader enterprise PMO without customization

What I’ve found most helpful is not starting with the tool, but with what decisions you want the system to support:

• Do you need to answer “who is available and when?”
• Or “are we overcommitted across the portfolio?”
• Or “which initiatives should we prioritize given capacity?”

The clearer that is, the easier it is to eliminate tools quickly.

If helpful, I’m happy to share a simple evaluation matrix I’ve used to compare options — it makes vendor selection a lot more objective.