MS Project 2021 Standard ? the current version of the project management software as a perpetual license

Project 2021 Standard is the latest version of Microsoft's versatile project management software, designed primarily for SMEs and the self-employed to conceive, control and finally document business projects. The application offers comprehensive functions necessary for the differentiated control of all phases and components. Many typical templates are available that map all essential processes that play an important role in managing the tasks and phases involved, complemented by many practical features that enable efficient work on one or multiple projects.

The MS Project 2021 Standard Edition therefore meets all requirements for successful portfolio, risk and document management, including central resource administration and time tracking. Clarity, especially in more complex projects, is provided by the preinstalled Gantt charts with several integrated timelines, among others for a quicker understanding of the various task relationships; integrated reports are available for status reporting and post-completion, which present essential insights and information clearly in communication with other participants.

For which target group was MS Project 2021 Standard developed?

The Standard Edition of Microsoft Project 2021 was developed especially for users who typically design and manage various projects alone across all phases and details, which is often the case for the self-employed and small to medium-sized companies. This Standard Edition of MS Project, like earlier versions, does not include integrated synchronization with Microsoft SharePoint or Project Server, but it does have all required functions ? including business intelligence tools ? to control the typical areas of project planning and management: creating project timelines, cost planning, detailed administration of tasks and ongoing and final reporting.

Softwarekaufen already offers the Microsoft Project 2021 Standard Edition now as used software in the form of a single-license perpetual purchase ? and at a significantly lower price ? contact our team and find out immediately when it will be available for you.

Also inform yourself about all other Microsoft applications available in the Softwarekaufen online shop, which are also offered as discounted used software, as well as Microsoft programs compatible with Project 2021 Standard, such as Windows 10. The following overview informs you about the most important improvements and features of the new MS Project 2021 Standard Edition.

What can MS Project 2021 Standard do?

Visually, Project 2021 Standard already offers a clearer, more focused presentation of the desktop interface that sets it apart from older versions. Here you can choose the Office-known themes "Colorful", "Dark Gray" and "White", the latter of which in particular enables a focused working atmosphere.

New projects can be created in MS Project 2021 Standard even by beginners with just a few clicks, as a large selection of typical templates for common project types is available; alternatively, professionals can use a neutral, empty Gantt chart. Data and task lists can be easily imported from Excel, Word, Outlook or PowerPoint into Project while retaining the corresponding formatting and structure.

Simpler project creation in Project 2021 Standard

In addition to the standard templates and an empty Gantt chart (bar view), Project 2021 Standard also offers many other templates such as the network diagram (flowchart) for special projects as well as views like form, sheet (table) or column-based displays depending on use, to present a project. There are also extensive options such as various filters to display individual tasks and resources, including their links and assignments, in a clear way according to the desired aspect.

Outlining and linking of project tasks

Using the task form in Project 2021 Standard, tasks can also be imported into a bar chart; this also supports adding multiple tasks at once, including assigning the respective resources and scheduling relationships. Tasks can be linked to each other, for example via the dropdown menu, and this option is also available via the "Summary Task Name" field in the task table. For each timeline, start and end dates can be set separately, timeline bars labeled and task progress displayed, which provides greater clarity about the associated tasks.

To display hierarchies within a project, individual tasks can be indented with a positive or negative indent using the Tab key; changes are applied automatically to all affected tasks, which is especially important for more complex project schedules. Individual tasks in a project can also be linked arbitrarily to display them in a scheduling relationship. To do this, simply select the corresponding cell in the "Predecessors" column to display all related tasks and activate the appropriate one.

Other important areas in MS Project Standard 2021

MS Project 2021 Standard also includes all proven features for portfolio management as well as resource management and reporting, partly with supplementary optimizations.

Portfolio Management

In portfolio management, one of the most important components of MS Project 2021 Standard, all projects are recorded and their progress is monitored. This allows project managers to always keep an overview of the current status and to react immediately if a project is not proceeding according to plan, for example if certain tasks are not yet completed according to the schedule, costs are exceeding the budget, or resources are unavailable or becoming scarce. Because of automatic updating, the current status can be displayed with a single click.

Budget management in the MS Project 2021 Standard Edition provides detailed visualization options for analysis through the integration with Power BI, including suggestions for improvements.

Resource Management

Resource management in MS Project 2021 Standard, through the integrated tools and features, allows detailed, clearer and thus more efficient planning and administration of the involved resources. The different types are distinguished as "Work", "Material" and "Cost", which are centrally managed via the resource pool for cross-project planning and assigned precisely to individual tasks; this allows constraints concerning their temporal availability as well as cost limits to be taken into account and risks related to manpower utilization and overloads to be avoided.

Reporting in MS Project Standard 2021

An essential aspect, particularly of agile project management, is the creation of reports to visualize project data for specific purposes ? to illustrate the current status of an ongoing project, or to share important insights with others after completion. Users will find in Project 2021 Standard a selection of typical report templates for the most common project types, which can be further supplemented with graphics, images and charts. Project data can, in addition to formats such as Project 2007, also be provided as .PDF, .XPS, .CSV, .XML and Microsoft Excel workbook.

Hardware requirements for Microsoft Project 2021 Standard

The following minimum requirements are expected to apply for this 2021 version of Microsoft Project 2021 Standard; depending on the use of additional apps or programs, further requirements may need to be considered:

• Operating systems: Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2019/2022
• Processor: min. 1.6 GHz, Dual Core (32 or 64 bit)
• Memory: 2 GB RAM (32 bit) or 4 GB RAM (64 bit)
• Disk space: 4 GB
• Screen resolution: 1,280 x 768 pixels
• Graphics card: DirectX 10
• Special functions for managing cloud files may require OneDrive, OneDrive for Business or SharePoint

If you have questions or need further details about the Microsoft Project 2021 Standard Edition, simply contact a member of the tralion team.