Is your project management getting out of hand? Missed deadlines, misplaced documents, long threads of emails, etc. are common when trying to manage many moving parts while staying organized, especially with a team. Projects can easily go off when communication and the documents relied upon are not easily available.
More teams are choosing SharePoint project management tools. It is Microsoft’s software product designed to keep everything (and everyone) on the same page. While originally designed for document storage, SharePoint has matured into a fully functioning collaboration, task tracking, file sharing, and workflow automation platform. Using SharePoint for project management improves the way teams work together and allows project information to be reconsidered.
Regardless of size, being successful in any organization needs capable project management. Multiple stakeholders, various tasks, deadlines, etc. are all part of managing a project. In a situation like this, project management in SharePoint can be beneficial. We will discuss the features, benefits, and best practices of SharePoint for project management in this blog post.
Key Features of SharePoint for Project Management
SharePoint is more than a file-sharing application. It’s a powerful platform that allows you to bring everything your team needs to access and to work more productively on projects. With Microsoft SharePoint project management, you are able to combine file organization, task tracking, and workflow automation to help ensure everyone on your team is on the same page. Let’s break down some of the important features of SharePoint that make it a chosen tool to work with in the project management.
Document Management
SharePoint has one of the strongest document management capabilities. Teams get the ability to upload, share, and save every document relative to the project in one location.
- Version Control: SharePoint project tracking automatically tracks every level of changes made to your documents. Gone are the days of guessing which document is the latest one; thanks to SharePoint!
- Co-authoring and Permissions: Multiple members of the team can simultaneously edit a document at the same time. Document editing also offers you the ability to set permission rights to who can view, edit, or manage particular files. Project management on SharePoint allows you to manage sensitive information in a secure and organized manner.
Task Management
SharePoint can help you manage tasks and turn your task list into a checklist to help ensure everyone gets the job done.
- Task Lists and Action Items: SharePoint task lists provide the basics of due date, priority, and a team assignment. This way everyone can be accountable for the task at hand and have a constant reminder of what they are responsible for.
- Task Lists or Planner Board: For very simple task list needs, the task lists will be enough. However, if you want a more visual approach, you could integrate Microsoft Planner, which provides a set of Kanban boards for teams to get a better assessment of the workload by time, deadline, and dependencies.
Calendars & Scheduling
Calendars and scheduling on SharePoint dashboard are easier to manage when schedules are available so that everyone knows what to expect and when to expect it.
- SharePoint Calendar: The Microsoft SharePoint project management system allows you to take advantage of a built-in calendar. This is a place where you can schedule milestones, meetings, deadlines and the whole team can see them.
- Sync with your Outlook: Members can overlay the SharePoint calendar to their Outlook calendar, which means that project related events can be viewed with personal and other work commitments.
Communication & Collaboration
Smooth collaboration is at the heart of successful SharePoint project management.
- Team Site vs. Communication Site: Create a team site to provide an internal space for collaboration (task lists, documents, calendars, etc.) and create a communication site if you want to update stakeholders or external and mixed audiences.
- Working with Teams and Outlook: Microsoft SharePoint Intranet integrates well with Microsoft Teams and Outlook so that you can chat, meet, and share documents without switching apps.
Workflow Automation
Manual follow-ups and repetitive tasks can slow down your team so SharePoint for project management helps you automate them.
- Using Power Automate with SharePoint: With Power Automate you can build custom workflows to automate processes like approvals, notifications, and routing of files.
- What types of Workflows: Automate reminders for tasks, document approvals, or status updates.
Dashboards and Reporting
The real-time alerts keep you ahead on potential issues and can drive better decisions.
- Using Power BI with SharePoint: Connect Power BI to your SharePoint lists and libraries to create real-time dashboards. It can present visualizations of task progress, risks, and project health.
- Status Update/Visual KPIs: Utilizing charts, graphs, and progress bars to clearly and understandably present a status update for you and your stakeholders. This is also how SharePoint and project management go along together.
Why Use SharePoint for Project Management?
Lately, SharePoint has developed into a widely used internet-based collaboration and documents management tool. It is quite versatile and can be changed to fit the specific needs of different companies. SharePoint project management software has several advantages including:
- Centralized storage: SharePoint project management provides a centralized storage location for all project-related documents and files, like project plans, schedules, tasks, and deliverables. Everyone will easily find the information they need to get their task done.
- Collaboration: When team members are able to communicate, share documents, and give timely feedback it is much easier to get projects completed on time.
- Customization: SharePoint is a very customizable project management tool. You can create custom workflows, templates, and forms for your organization’s needs in the SharePoint dashboard. This will help to ensure the processes of project management run smoothly and seamless.
- Integration: SharePoint project management is integrated with other Microsoft tools like Outlook, Excel, and Word. So, you may be able to use some of the functionality from those programs to import and export data from SharePoint. This will also help to ensure that all related project information is up to date.
- Security: Using SharePoint for project management allows security capabilities that provide you with confidence in securing your projects’ information. You can determine who can see or change information, and only allow certain people to do so.
10 Useful and Up-to-Date Tips for Managing Projects with SharePoint in 2025
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Use Microsoft Lists Instead of Legacy Task Lists
Update from obsolete Task Lists and consider utilizing Microsoft Lists, which has modern listings, conditional formatting, and robotic process automation. Use Microsoft Lists to customize views based on different users and set alerts to remind others of overdue listed items. Microsoft Lists allows for flexibility, visualization, and is also a part of the overall Microsoft 365 relationship/process.
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Build a Custom Project Homepage
You can create a workflow that will serve as a dashboard of your project using SharePoint’s modern web parts. Within the SharePoint dashboard, you can create a quick link to your plans/documents, add a Power BI chart to see your status, and provide a countdown timer for major milestone deadlines. This area can serve as a centralized location for the team and stakeholders to understand what is a priority.
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Organize Files with Metadata, Not Just Folders
Instead of nesting files inside ten folders, categorize the files using metadata tags such as status, owner, or document type, utilize meta data for project management in SharePoint. Metadata, in this case, makes filtering, sorting, and searching content easier. It allows smarter views and automation, which results in a cleaner and more efficient document library.
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Establish Role-Based Permissions Early
To avoid access issues, it is much easier to create permission groups for varying project roles at the start of the project. By assigning permission at the list or library level, we can decide who sees certain visible content or has the ability to edit without having to micromanage individual files. Role-based permissions in SharePoint project management software provides safety and ease-of-use.
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Streamline Workflows with Power Automate
Power Automate can help you streamline workflows by sending task reminders, notifying by team of updates, or routing documents for approval. Automation reduces the stress of having to send out manual follow-ups and ensures accountability from all team members. It also saves time and improves consistency.
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Manage Project Timelines with Calendar Overlays
The calendar overlay feature in SharePoint dashboard allows you to overlay multiple calendars into a visual view with color code. You can overlay project timelines, team resources schedules, and team calendars to ensure you are not overlapping projects or missing important deadlines. Everyone can see what’s happening, all in one spot.
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Link SharePoint with Microsoft Teams Channels
You can link your Microsoft Teams channels to your SharePoint project site. This will ensure all your team members will be using the same project site while you are collaborating. You can now co-edit files, view lists, and stay up to date without switching platforms. This also improves how your teams work and communicate.
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Create Project Dashboards using Power BI
You can create dashboards in Power BI that connect to data in your SharePoint lists. All your KPIs can be visualized such as task status, risk status, budget consumption, and milestone tracking. You can also add the report on your project homepage. This provides clear data-driven insights at a glance. It can be facilitated for SharePoint project tracking.
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Use a Template
To save time, you can build a site template in SharePoint with lists, document libraries, flows, and permissions already created to use for projects that are recurring. This will have the benefits of having consistency and saved time creating your project site. The time-saving benefits could quickly add up to hours and allow you to copy project standards.
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Keep the Site Clean and Review It
To manage your SharePoint site, it is useful to review the site either monthly or quarterly to archive any completed projects, clean up files that are no longer active and audit your permissions. A clean site is easier for users to search and navigate. It supports productivity in your project and stops your site from becoming a struggling clutter as your project grows.
How can SharePoint Help With Project Management?
If you want to make your projects and tasks more efficient, project management in SharePoint is a great option. Here are the best options for SharePoint project management:
| Ways | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Define the project | Specify the scope, objectives, timeline, budget, and resources of the project in detail. You can use SharePoint to store all documents related to the project, including project charters, timelines, and budgets. |
| Create a project site | A project site in SharePoint dashboard is useful because it is where all the information related to a project can be found. Create a project site in SharePoint and share it with the project members. You can collaborate with your team members, track progression on your project, and store all project related documents using that site. |
| Management | To manage tasks, trouble tickets, issues, risks, and other project related items, custom lists and libraries can be set up in SharePoint. Using project management lists and libraries, you can create your own project management solution that meets your specifications. |
| Monitor tasks and objectives | To monitor tasks and objectives, use SharePoint for project management. To manage tasks and milestones, you can either use SharePoint's built-in task list, or create a custom list. Many different views allow you to check on the progress of work and identify problems. |
| Use calendars | Use SharePoint calendars to track project events like milestones, meetings, and deadlines. You can create the calendars for individual team members or a shared calendar for the project team. |
| Use alerts and notifications | Using SharePoint for project management is a great idea. SharePoint can send automatic alerts and notifications to team members who are assigned tasks with impending due dates or changes to project-related items, using alerts and notifications. |
| Team Collaboration | Team members can collaborate in real time on project-related documents and tasks in SharePoint. Co-authoring can be used to share the workload together with other team members. |
| Use workflows | A workflow can be used to automate repetitive tasks, such as task assignments or document approvals, that can make the project management process even easier. Eliminating to-do lists linked with project management tasks can simplify the project. Moreover, using workflows can minimize the amount of work that needs to be completed manually. |
You can use SharePoint to keep documents organized and provide version control. Use SharePoint to save all project documents, plans, reports and documents that provide updates on the project’s progress. Microsoft SharePoint project management has metrics to measure project usage, milestone task completion rates, percentage of milestones completed on-time etc. These metrics identify improvements in project management process and effectiveness.
Why Is SharePoint The Best Platform for Project Management?
SharePoint can be used for project management for many reasons. First, the main advantage of using SharePoint is the ability to store all project-related information in one central place for team members. Project management on SharePoint allows us to easily collaborate, keep track of progress, and manage documents.
Second, SharePoint can be easily customized for your needs. You can create lists, libraries, and workflows that are unique to your project management needs. This means you can adjust SharePoint to meet your project’s requirements. To utilize this advantage of SharePoint, it is vital to trust a reliable provider for SharePoint development.
Third, SharePoint can expand as necessary. You may start with a simple project site, and with the growth of your project, you can expand it when necessary. Microsoft SharePoint project management systems make it possible to run the project you want, regardless of size or complexity.
Fourth, SharePoint works with other Microsoft tools such as Teams, Word, and Excel. Collaborate using these tools to leverage their ability to enhance your project management practice.
Finally, SharePoint is secure. There are enterprise-level security features, such as encryption, authentication, and authorization, in SharePoint. This makes SharePoint for project management a secure and desirable platform for managing sensitive project information.
SharePoint Best Practices for Project Management
When using SharePoint for project management, it’s important to use best practices that help you improve efficiency, usability, and security. Read below for helpful ideas to support your team in creating a project system with SharePoint for consistent and scalable project success.
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Keep Navigation Intuitive and Simple
Have a clear site structure, using appropriate systems for pages, lists, and libraries. Use quick links, hub navigation, and web parts to help guide users to the information they need. If you have too much clutter, this won’t help. Remember that the fewer clicks in SharePoint dashboard takes to find something, so the better off your users will be.
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Create, Define, and Sustain Metadata and Tags
As an alternative to folders relying on deep nesting, consider metadata fields. Metadata fields such as project phase, status, owner, or priority allow you to associate certain limitations with a piece of content to facilitate sorting, filtering, and finding things across larger libraries. Review and refine metadata regularly to ensure that it meets evolving project needs.
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Use Templates for Repeatable Projects
If your organization works on the same or similar projects repeatedly, consider creating SharePoint site templates. SharePoint site templates allow you to create a reference site that includes document libraries, task lists, permissions, workflows, etc. This can save significant time on creating SharePoint for similar types of projects as well as save on training, and you will be able to ensure consistent results across projects.
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Secure with Permission Groups
Set up role-based permission groups (PMs, team, stakeholders, etc.) and manage permissions at the Site, List, or Library level. Avoid file-level permissions wherever possible because it becomes too complex to manage at scale. Review access on a regular basis to secure data on SharePoint for project management.
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Perform Regular Reviews and Audits
Establish a regular schedule to audit your Project Sites. Archive tasks and documents once completed, review the Site for any broken links or unused lists, and verify that permissions are still correct. A clean and up-to-date Site will help keep a project team on track, and reduce inadvertent confusion and errors.
Common Problems & How to Avoid Them
Even with the best tools, project management on SharePoint can go out of place if some missteps aren’t avoided. Below are the most common mistakes you want to avoid and how to avoid them.
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Over-Customization which increases complexity
Users get overwhelmed with too many custom workflows, custom pages, or third-party add-ins. They will become confused, and sites will slow down. Stick to out-of-the-box features in SharePoint as much as possible and only customize for clear business needs.
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Abuse of Permissions
Providing users with complete control or managing at the file level brings chaos. Reviews of groups and who is in them, not sharing sensitive items, will help with administration and keep your sensitive items secure.
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No Training for Team Members
SharePoint is a complex tool with a lot of flexibility that may overwhelm new users. At a minimum, new team members should have onboarding and training to help them navigate, update tasks, and manage documents in SharePoint project management.
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Mobile Usability Not Considered
Many teams use SharePoint on the go, however, not all pages where they access SharePoint are optimized for mobile. Use responsive web parts, test the site on a number of devices and formats (desktop vs. mobile) to ensure ease of access and user experience. If the experience and lay out are mobile friendly it will increase adoption rates and productivity.
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Not Using Automations and Reporting Capabilities
SharePoint is a useful tool when combined with Microsoft products, such as Power Automate and Power BI. While these items offer automation and reporting functionality, teams at organisations do not typically use them. Consider using Power Automate to automate repetitive manual work and creating dashboards to see what team’s progress is in real time!
Why is Awesome Technologies Inc. the right partner for your project management needs?
When it comes to managing projects, it is important that you have the right tools. SharePoint Project Management is a powerful tool that can help you manage all of your projects. However, using SharePoint for project management can be difficult, so it is best to work with a trusted partner that understands what they are doing.
Awesome Technologies, Inc. (ATI) is a leading provider of SharePoint solutions such as Microsoft SharePoint Intranet, committed to providing businesses of all sizes with the latest and most effective solutions. With their team of experienced SharePoint professionals, you can have peace of mind that your project management solution is in good hands. They know SharePoint, and can help you design, deploy, and manage your SharePoint project management solution.
A strong benefit to working with ATI, is their ability to tailor their solutions to your needs. They understand that not two businesses operate the same way, therefore they ensure that they will work with you to create a solution that meets your needs. Whether you need a low-level project management system, or dynamic and robust project management solution that surrounds advanced features, Awesome Technologies Inc. has the expertise to deliver a SharePoint project tracking solution that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations!
One more advantage to working with ATI is their commitment to customer service. They are proud of the quick service they provide their clients and are readily available to inform you, address your concerns, and offer ongoing support. They recognize that adopting a new system can be difficult, and they will work side by side with you to guide you through the change.
As the ideal partner, Awesome Technologies Inc also provides a variety of SharePoint services, including document management, collaboration tools, project management, and more. Thus, they can assist you in optimizing the overall efficiency and productivity of your organization, and streamline your business processes. Even for your migration needs, ATI takes the lead and provides the best SharePoint migration services!
Wrapping Up
If you’re looking for a reputable and professional partner to help you to set up SharePoint for project management, you can’t go wrong with Awesome Technologies Inc.. Whether you need a simple project management system or a detailed, advanced project management system, they can provide you with a solution that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations. Don’t wait any longer, and take the first step towards better project management using SharePoint by contacting ATI!
SharePoint is more than just file storage — it can be a really nice project management platform when configured in the right way. With features such as document control, task tracking, real-time collaboration, and integration with Microsoft Teams, Planner, Power Automate, and Power BI, using SharePoint for project management is an intelligent decision! It provides all of the tools for project teams to work in alignment and stay productive.
Managing projects effectively is critical to your organization’s success, and SharePoint is a powerful platform to help you do just that. However, realizing the full potential of SharePoint requires knowledge and experience with customization, integration, and user adoption.
That’s why you should contact Awesome Technologies Inc. and learn about our SharePoint Project Management Services. Whether you’re new to SharePoint or have an established SharePoint environment that needs to be optimized for project management, the team at ATI can meet your objectives with tailored solutions. We will build project sites and automate workflow processes. With our SharePoint integration services, we help you leverage Microsoft 365 tools such as Teams, Power Automate and Power BI to create adaptable, easy-to-use SharePoint solutions that will exceed expectations for collaboration and productivity.
Contact us today and request your free consultation to learn how we can help you realize the full potential of SharePoint to improve your projects and results!
