5.3Project for the web, Planner & collaboration
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Project for the web is an online, simpler and collaborative version (Grid, Board/Kanban, Timeline views): the team sees and updates tasks.
- Planner is a light team task management tool (Kanban, integrated with Teams), without advanced scheduling (no critical path or costed resources).
- Choosing the right tool avoids using a sledgehammer to crack a nut: desktop for expert scheduling, web for collaborative management, Planner for light tracking.
Running mini-case — Meriem chooses the right tool per site
Meriem, a project manager at an engineering & construction (BTP) company in Algiers, must equip her sites. For the expert schedule of a large site (critical path, resources, costs), she keeps desktop Project. For a medium-sized site tracked by several colleagues remotely, she switches to Project for the web, whose Grid, Kanban and Timeline views let the team update tasks in the browser. For the daily “who does what” of a small field team, she uses Planner, integrated with Teams. She is not looking for a single tool: she qualifies the need, then chooses the right level, without over-tooling.
Standalone case for this section: it comes back in the lesson, the diagram, the script and the 48h challenge of section 5.3.
1. Project for the web
Desktop Project is powerful, but sometimes too much for a light tracking need. Project for the web is an online version, accessible in the browser, simpler, where the team sees and updates tasks, with Grid, Board (Kanban) and Timeline views. It shares some concepts with the desktop (dependencies, scheduling) but in a lighter, real-time collaborative interface. It is the intermediate tool: more collaborative than the desktop, more structured than Planner.
2. Planner and light tracking
Planner is a team task management tool (Kanban type, integrated with Teams): ideal for daily work, without advanced scheduling — no critical path, no costed resources or budget. It is the tool for immediate “who does what”: you create tasks, assign them, track statuses, collaborate in Teams. Meriem uses it for small teams that do not need a truly structured schedule.
3. Choosing the right tool
The challenge is to choose the right tool according to the level of complexity: desktop Project for expert scheduling (dependencies that recalculate, resources, costs, baseline), Project for the web for intermediate collaborative management, Planner for light team tracking. Many organizations use two or all three, as complements. Qualifying the need before choosing avoids using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Concrete example — Planner or Project?
Meriem compares operational tracking and structured tracking:
Planner: daily “who does what”, Kanban in Teams.
Project: dependencies that recalculate, resources, costs, baseline.
→ many organizations use both (complementary).Result: each need in the right tool, without over-tooling.
Reflex: qualify the need before choosing the tool.
Section vocabulary
- Project for the web
- Online version of Project (M365): Grid/Board/Timeline views, collaborative, simpler than the desktop.
Simple example: Meriem uses it to have her team track a medium-sized site.
What it is not: believing it already equals the depth of the desktop.
Reflex: web = intermediate collaboration.
- Planner
- M365 team task management tool (Kanban), integrated with Teams, without advanced scheduling.
Simple example: Meriem uses it to track the “who does what” of a small team.
What it is not: expecting critical path and costs from Planner.
Reflex: Planner = light team tracking.
- Real-time collaboration
- Simultaneous editing and tracking by several members, via the cloud (browser, Teams).
Simple example: Meriem's team updates tasks online.
What it is not: circulating files that each person edits in turn.
Reflex: collaborating = seeing and updating together.
- Microsoft 365
- Cloud suite integrating Project for the web, Planner, Teams, SharePoint, fostering shared work.
Simple example: Meriem combines Planner in Teams and Project for the web.
What it is not: working in silos outside the suite.
Reflex: M365 connects collaborative tools.
- Choosing the tool
- Deciding to use desktop Project (expert), Project web (intermediate) or Planner (light) according to the need.
Simple example: Meriem reserves the desktop for the large expert site.
What it is not: imposing a single tool on all needs.
Reflex: qualify the need before choosing.
In practice — In practice — Choose the right collaboration tool
- Qualify the need: expert scheduling (critical path, resources) or simple team task tracking?
- For intermediate collaborative management, try Project for the web (Grid, Board, Timeline views).
- For light daily tracking, use Planner (Kanban) integrated with Teams to assign and track tasks.
- Reserve desktop Project for structured projects requiring advanced scheduling and analysis.
Step-by-step script — choose the tool like Meriem (8 min)
1) Describe the need in one sentence (expert scheduling or light tracking?). 2) If you need critical path, resources and costs → desktop Project. 3) If you need intermediate collaborative management → Project for the web. 4) If a “who does what” tracking is enough → Planner (Kanban/Teams). 5) Note the bridges between tools (data can coexist). 6) Avoid imposing a single tool: choose by level of complexity.
Planner for team operations, Project for structured management: the two are complementary.
Copy-paste template — choose my tool
Need: ___ (expert scheduling / collaborative / light tracking)
Critical path, resources, costs? → desktop Project
Intermediate collaborative management? → Project for the web
Team “who does what” tracking? → Planner (Kanban/Teams)
Combined tools: ___
Rule: qualify the need before choosing, without over-tooling.Expert site
Meriem keeps desktop Project for a large site with a critical path and costs.
Collaborative site
Meriem moves to Project for the web so the team can update tasks remotely.
Field team
Meriem uses Planner (Kanban/Teams) for the daily tracking of a small team.
Both at once
Meriem has Planner and Project coexist according to the level of complexity.
✓ Best practices
- Qualify the need before choosing the tool.
- Planner for team operations, Project for structured management.
- Have tools coexist according to levels of complexity.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Over-tooling a simple task tracking with desktop Project.
- Expecting Planner to provide the critical path and resources.
- Believing that Project for the web already equals all the depth of the desktop.
Key takeaways
- Project for the web: lighter, collaborative online version (Grid, Kanban, Timeline).
- Planner: team task management (Kanban, integrated with Teams), without advanced scheduling.
- Desktop Project remains the reference for expert scheduling.
- The challenge is to choose the right tool according to the level of complexity of the need.
48h challenge — apply it tomorrow
Like Meriem, qualify three needs (one expert, one collaborative, one light tracking) and match each with the right tool: desktop Project, Project for the web or Planner. Justify each choice in one sentence, and note how the tools can coexist.
- I can place desktop Project, Project for the web and Planner.
- I know what limit Planner has (no advanced scheduling).
- I know how to choose the tool according to the level of complexity of the need.
Frequently asked questions
Does Project for the web replace desktop Project?
Not entirely to date. Project for the web targets collaboration and simplicity: it covers everyday scheduling well (tasks, dependencies, deadlines, Kanban and Timeline views) and lets a whole team contribute via the browser. But it does not yet equal the depth of the desktop on some advanced functions (deep customization, some analyses, VBA macros). The two can coexist.
When should I use Planner rather than Project?
Use Planner when your need is daily team task tracking: organizing “who does what”, tracking statuses on a Kanban, collaborating in Teams — without critical path, linked durations, costed resources or budget. Move to Project (web or desktop) as soon as you need real scheduling: dependencies that recalculate, resource and cost management, milestones, tracking against a baseline.
When should I use Planner rather than Project?