Microsoft Planner versus monday.com

What is Monday.com?

Monday.com is a cloud-based platform that allows users to create and manage projects.

I’m sure you’ll have seen some of their ads. They tend to play before my Microsoft Project and Planner videos on YouTube, so you probably think they sponsor us (they don’t). However, I see why the ads lure users in; it looks so shiny! I wouldn’t be surprised to get home and find my goldfish had signed up to use it.

Jokes aside, why am I talking about monday.com? We often come across organizations using Microsoft 365, as well as redundant, third-party solutions like monday.com. Before we explore the advantages of a single platform and the drawbacks of mixing, let’s zoom out and examine the broader context.

Over the past five years, Microsoft 365 has seen significant adoption across various industries and sectors globally. As of May 2024, approximately 3.7 million companies worldwide rely on Microsoft 365 for everyday productivity. It’s the world’s most popular productivity platform, with millions of users globally depending on it to collaborate. If you’re reading this article, you probably use M365 in your organization.

The benefits of a single platform, Microsoft 365, over Monday.com

IT departments work hard to ensure that the platform and the related apps are deployed correctly because they want everyone to use the same platform and apps and be in the same cloud. This provides several benefits, including:

1. A cohesive unified experience
2. Integrated apps that enable collaboration
3. Streamlined IT Management
4. Cost efficiency via Enterprise/CSP licensing agreements
5. Enhanced security and compliance

You could consider an organization that has widely adopted Microsoft 365 to a well-manicured lawn. However, having mowed my lawn earlier today, I can tell you one thing for sure: I wouldn’t say I like weeds–I hate them. From experience, this is typically how IT departments feel when they’ve chosen to standardize on a particular platform such as M365, only to discover that the PMO, marketing, or product development team(s) have signed up to monday.com, Asana, or Smartsheet, etc.

For IT, this means multiple ‘clouds’ to consider that can create technical, security, and cost issues—and more.

What are the disadvantages of adopting monday.com in a Microsoft 365 Organization?

Choosing to deploy monday.com as a project management tool in a company that widely uses Microsoft 365 presents several disadvantages:

1. Learning Curve: for those mostly familiar with the Microsoft platform, monday.com will take some getting used to.
2. Integration challenges: Integrating monday.com with existing systems and tools can be complex, especially for organizations already using Microsoft 365. Ensuring seamless data flow and avoiding silos can require significant effort and resources.
3. Cost Concerns and Redundancy: The cost of licensing monday.com can be a concern, This is especially so, again, if the organization is already paying for the equivalent Microsoft apps. Justifying this additional expense can be difficult, and if the perceived benefits don’t outweigh the costs, this becomes a redundant expenditure.
4. Security Compliance and Privacy: Before adopting Microsoft 365, IT departments often undertake rigorous due diligence to satisfy their concerns. While monday.com may also offer robust security features, some IT departments might have concerns about compliance with specific industry standards or regulations and perhaps even find it challenging to ensure that monday.com meets all their security protocols.
5. Data Management and Control: Managing and controlling data across both Microsoft 365 and monday.com can lead to governance issues. IT departments must prioritize centralized control over data for efficient governance, backup, and disaster recovery. Using an external tool can complicate these processes and reduce IT’s ability to ensure data integrity and security.

Is it worth getting monday.com when you already use Microsoft 365?

In my opinion, no, but I get why you’d consider it. You’re on YouTube searching for videos on project management apps, and the first thing you see is a Monday.com ad. Naturally, this raises questions like, what’s better: Monday.com or Microsoft Planner for the web? Where do I get a feature comparison? But when you’re already invested in Microsoft 365, I’d argue that Monday.com is not the project and task management solution you’re looking for.

Opting for a non-Microsoft solution when you’ve invested in M365 would be akin to buying into the Xbox ecosystem and then buying PlayStation controllers. Yes, it’ll still work to some extent (I Googled), but you won’t get the same seamless experience. It’s just an illogical choice.

Therefore, if you can access M365, follow Spock’s example and be logical. Ask your IT department what apps are already available to you. Chances are you already have access to Microsoft Project for the web and Planner, mainly if you belong to a larger organization, as the Project and Planner licenses are typically bundled into your agreement.

Final thoughts: Microsoft Planner

If you’re worried about which solution better fits your use case, you can rest assured that the two solutions offer similar features. In short, monday.com and Microsoft Project / Planner aren’t that different in their ability to serve you. The Microsoft apps have an advantage because of their overall integrated platform story and the fact that they keep all your data in one unified cloud.

So, whether you’re exploring project and portfolio management solutions or have implemented monday.com by stealth or mistake, consider migrating to the Microsoft alternative. Get in touch to see how we can help you migrate today.