Microsoft Project is the industry-standard desktop scheduling tool for creating and managing project plans using Gantt charts, resource leveling, and earned value analysis. It comes in Desktop (Project Standard/Professional/2024), subscription (Project Plan 1/3/5 via Microsoft 365), and server editions (Project Server Subscription Edition). In 2025–2026 the cloud landscape shifted significantly: Project for the web was folded into Microsoft Planner (August 2025), and Project Online is retiring September 30, 2026 — organizations should evaluate Planner Premium or Project Server Subscription Edition as replacements. The core desktop application remains unchanged and is the focus of most entries here.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 20 focused tables and 159 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Task Scheduling Modes
Project offers two scheduling modes for each task — Auto Scheduled (engine-driven) and Manually Scheduled (user-driven). Understanding when to use each prevents the most common planning mistakes and unexpected date shifts.
| Mode | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
Task bar shifts when predecessor finishes | • Project calculates start/finish from dependencies, constraints, and resources • default mode for most projects | |
Task stays fixed even if predecessor slips | • Dates are locked exactly as typed; useful for placeholder tasks with unknown durations. • Duration, Start, Finish can be text (e.g., "TBD") • No warning when predecessors would logically push it | |
Task tab → Schedule group → Auto Schedule / Manually Schedule | • Toggle individual tasks • default for new tasks set in File → Options → Schedule |