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How to Use PowerPoint for Project Management: Detailed Guide

If you manage projects, you know the value of strong project management. Project management is the art and science of steering work from start to finish efficiently. You can use project management PowerPoint slides to guide the process.

With project management, you'll set goals, develop expectations, and form a team. Then, you'll collaborate to track progress and march towards a successful conclusion. And the best tool to use for project management software might be one you already know - Microsoft PowerPoint!

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to build a project management presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint. We’ll work with a template and craft project management slides in moments. This will be a key part of your project toolbox. As you work, think of ways to apply these ideas to present a project of your own. 

Jump to content in this section:

• Introduce the Project with a Project Plan Slide
• The Methodology Slide: Your Charter and Goals
• The Magic Behind a Project Presentation: Introducing the Team
• Staying on Track: Project Management Slides for Timelines
• SWOT Analysis: Mapping the Landscape in a Project Presentation
• Engagement: Gathering Feedback
• Collaboration: Working Together to Present a Project

Why Use PowerPoint for Project Management?

Project management is an essential part of business. Just as important are the tools you use for it. Project management software like PowerPoint is a leading example. By building a project presentation, you'll work together with a team to succeed in a project. 

Why should you build a project management PowerPoint? The advantages are many. We already defined the idea of project management. It’s the task of planning tasks to achieve a goal and tracking them in real time. What better way to do that than with a visual, collaborative app like PowerPoint?

Consider these key advantages for using PowerPoint projections for your projects:

• Stakeholder communication. Project management slides are shareable across the world. That makes it easy to connect with all interested parties.
• Visual tracking. Powerful visuals like charts and tables help you illustrate tough project concepts. Doing in a clear, easy-to-follow way is easy in PowerPoint, and it helps you keep others engaged. 
• Collaboration. PowerPoint is built for working together. You and your team can collaborate on slides in real time.
• Documentation. Project plan slide designs serve as useful documentation during and after any project. 

As you can see, Microsoft PowerPoint is your best friend as you present a project. Let’s dive in and learn how to build project management slides. 

The best way to begin is with a premium project management PowerPoint template from Envato Elements. Here, we’ll use the beautiful and versatile Project Management  template design. Download it today to follow along.

How to Build Project Overview Slide Designs Quickly (Step by Step)

With the template open, let’s get to work. We’ll work through several slide design ideas with new ways to present a project. But keep this in mind. Premium project management slides like these have dozens of layouts inside.

The key is to choose a few that best fit your project needs. We’ll look at several layouts that you should plan to include in your next project presentation. 

1. Introduce the Project with a Project Plan Slide

PowerPoint is powerful project management software! You can use it to build an array of project management slides on any topic. 

The first step is to introduce your project with a project plan slide. Slide #2 in our template is a great choice for this. As you can see below, it’s an About the Project intro slide. 

The text you see is merely a placeholder. All you’ll have to do is swap out this text for your own words. To get started, click into one of the text boxes and select the contents inside. Then, start typing! Fill in your own details.

To present a project well, a strong start is key. Don’t be too wordy here - the details, after all, come later. But be sure to add an eye-catching title. Then, briefly describe what you’ll be doing in the explanatory paragraph below. 

Finally, you might want to add an image. Photos in project management slides are very important. After all, they often are worth a thousand words! To add an image, find the placeholders on the left side of the slide.

Then, browse to an image stored on your computer. Click on it, then drag and drop it onto one of the placeholders.

The image will appear, sized, and scaled to fit perfectly! You can repeat this across your project plan slide to add these all-important visual aids. 

2. The Methodology Slide: Your Charter and Goals

Slide #3 is the place to dive deeper into your project. Think of it as a methodology slide. Here, you’ll specifically state what you want to do. And you’ll map out specific goals to accomplish it.

With a layout broken into sections, it’s easy to outline these key ideas. Be specific, but brief. Projects that become too complex risk going adrift with confused, varying expectations. Set specific metrics, keeping them to a small handful. Once again, you can easily drop them in by selecting the text boxes and adding in your own details.

When you’re finished, your project overview slide clearly informs your audience of your project scope and goals.  

3. The Magic Behind a Project Presentation: Introducing the Team

Projects are only as good as the team behind them. And your project presentation should acknowledge this. Early in your deck, be sure to introduce your key team members.

Also, make sure to always list their titles or main role in the project. After all, without context, a list of names doesn’t mean much by itself.

In our template, slide #5 has a handy organizational chart built in. As you can see, it’s easy to add your own team to the slide. When you do, audiences will instantly grasp the structure of your organization. They’ll understand who is involved in the project, and the roles each person plays. 

4. Staying on Track: Project Management Slides for Timelines

Successful projects have a defined timeline. These timelines help you track milestones and stay on pace to complete projects by a set date. But it’s often challenging to map these out on a project overview slide.

Fortunately, premium templates like this include robust methodology slide layouts like Gantt charts. With a Gantt chart, you can precisely illustrate tasks in each project. You can show off dependencies, and easily sequence tasks in logical order. 

You’ll find this feature on slide #15. As you can see, slides like this can’t be left out of a good project management PowerPoint. At a glance, readers can see the tasks needed to complete the project. They’ll know the key part they play and be able to intuitively grasp if a project is correctly on track. 

5. SWOT Analysis: Mapping the Landscape in a Project Presentation

A SWOT analysis is a hugely valuable asset in any project plan slide deck. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. By examining each of these four aspects, it shows how your project fits into its competitive landscape.

A SWOT is vital in project management because it helps measure your chances for success. It also provides a clear picture of positive and negative externalities that impact the project. It’s an essential first step in PowerPoint projection slides. By clearly understanding your environment, you’re poised to succeed within it.

This template has several SWOT slides, like the one shown above. Perform these PowerPoint projection steps and map out your findings. Be prepared to engage with your audience, and brainstorm in real time. Building a SWOT analysis is an excellent way to develop stronger and more robust project goals to guide your future success. 

6. Engagement: Gathering Feedback

Any successful project presentation answers many questions during its course. But as you present a project, engagement is imperative.

No matter how strong your slide deck is, you must always collect feedback from your audience. Often, this comes in the form of questions at the end of your presentation.

Always offer time for questions and answers. That way, you can ensure that your core project presentation message is understood. You can provide clarity as you present. By engaging, you'll develop stronger ideas and tactics to successfully execute your project.

A slide like this should always go at the end of your project management PowerPoint. Think of it as a Q&A time with your audience. Transition from a narrative delivery to conversation. This way, you’ll truly engage project stakeholders and inspire them to join your journey. 

7. Collaboration: Working Together to Present a Project

You’ve just learned several key ways to present a project in PowerPoint! But here’s a final tip that you can bring to your own work. Don’t build project management presentation slides all by yourself!

After all, you’re working as part of a team. Enlist this team to help you craft even better project management slides. This way, you’ll leverage the very best that your group has to offer. Your slides - and your project - will surely benefit.

Fortunately, PowerPoint makes it very easy to collaborate as a global team. You don’t have to be physically present to contribute and work together in real time! As you build project overview slide designs, these features are your best friend. It’s a sure way to steer any project towards success.

The Best Source for the Top Project Management PowerPoint Templates (With Unlimited Downloads)

You’ve seen the value of sleek project plan slide designs. The best place to find these is Envato Elements. With thousands of PowerPoint themes to choose from , finding the perfect project management slides is a breeze.

The Elements offer is powerful. For a flat monthly rate, you’ll enjoy unlimited downloads of the full library of content. Along with PowerPoint slides, there are millions of stock photos, fonts, music, and more. All are included in the unlimited offer.

Find PowerPoint Templates

When you manage a project, don’t trust free project overview slide designs you might find online. Your project deserves the best, and the best it will get from Envato Elements. Embrace premium project management presentation designs and enjoy:

• Sleek project plan slide designs. You won’t waste time building slide layouts from scratch. Premium Elements templates are hand-crafted by designers with your needs in mind.
• Easy-to-use layouts. Not a PowerPoint expert? Or just pressed for time? Elements project methodology slide templates have you covered. Each one is easy to use, with helpful tutorial guides often included.
• Inspiring slide decks. Any project overview slide should be clear, concise, and to the point. Premium layouts help you with this. You can simply drop your own content into place.

As you can see, Envato Elements is the ultimate value for project management slides (and more) in 2023! Join today and explore the vast library. 

Build Project Management PowerPoint Slides Today!

You’ve seen the value of making a project management presentation in PowerPoint. When you use PowerPoint for a project plan slide, you’ll create deliverable reports that are clear and easy to understand. You can instantly highlight key details and share with project stakeholders.

A PowerPoint projection slide for projects also helps you stay on track. Think of project overview slide layouts as a way to document progress. You can set and track milestones and share this progress with your team and other stakeholders.

You can’t afford to miss out in 2023 and beyond. Use PowerPoint to build a project management presentation of your own today!

• Skip to main content Microsoft Sway Home

Create a Project report

With Project, you can create and customize striking graphical reports of whatever project data you want, without having to rely on any other software. As you work on the project, the reports change to reflect the latest info — no manual updates required. See a list of all reports and how you can use them.

Select the Report tab.

In the View Reports group, select the type of report you want and then pick a specific report.

For example, to open the Project Overview report, select  Report > Dashboards > Project Overview .

The Project Overview report combines graphs and tables to show where each phase of the project stands, upcoming milestones, and tasks that are past their due dates.

Project provides dozens of reports you can use right away, but you don’t have to let that limit your choices. You can customize the content and the look of any of the reports, or build a new one from scratch.

Work with your report

Change the data in a report, change how a report looks, make your own report, share a report, make a new report available for future projects, more ways to report project info.

You can choose the data that Project shows in any part of a report.

Select the table or chart you want to change.

Use the Field list pane on the right of the screen to pick fields to show and filter information.

In the Project Overview report, you could change the % Complete chart to show critical subtasks instead of top-level summary tasks:

Select anywhere in the % Complete chart.

In the Field List pane, go to the Filter box and pick Critical .

In the Outline Level box, pick Level 2 . For this example, this is the first level of the outline that has subtasks instead of summary tasks.

The chart changes as you make your selections.

With Project, you control the look of your reports, from no-nonsense black and white to explosions of colors and effects.

Tip:  You can make a report part of a split view so you can see the report change in real time as you work on project data. To learn more, see Split a view .

Select anywhere in the report and then select  Report Tools Design to see the options for changing the look of the whole report. From this tab, you can change the font, color, or theme of the whole report. You can also add new images (including photos), shapes, charts, or tables here.

When you select individual elements (charts, tables, and so on) of a report, new tabs appear at the top of the screen with options for formatting that part.

Drawing Tools Format tab. Format shapes and text boxes .

Picture Tools Format tab. Add effects to pictures .

Table Tools Design and Table Tools Layout tabs. Configure and tweak tables, like you would in other Office programs .

Chart Tools Design and Chart Tools Format tabs. Configure and tweak charts.

Say you decide that the % Complete chart in the Project Overview report needs a facelift.

Select anywhere in the % Complete chart, and then select  Chart Tools Design .

Pick a new style from the Chart Styles group. This style removes the lines and adds shadows to the columns.

Give the chart some depth. Select  Chart Tools Design > Change Chart Type .

Select  Column > 3-D Stacked Column .

Add a background color. Select  Chart Tools Format > Shape Fill , and then pick a new color.

Change the bar colors. Select the bars to select them, then select  Chart Tools Format > Shape Fill , and pick a new color.

Move the numbers off the bars. Select the numbers to choose them, and then drag them upward.

Just a few clicks make a big difference. And we only scratched the surface of the formatting options.

Select  Report > New Report .

Pick one of the four options, and then choose  Select .

Give your report a name and start adding information to it.

Blank     Creates a blank canvas. Use the Report Tools Design tab to add charts, tables, text, and images.

Chart     Project creates a chart comparing Actual Work, Remaining Work, and Work by default. Use the Field List pane to pick different fields to compare, and then use the controls to change the color and format of the chart.

Table     Use the Field List pane to choose what fields to display in the table (Name, Start, Finish, and % Complete appear by default). The Outline level box lets you select how many levels in the project outline the table should show. You can change the look of the table on the Table Tools Design and Table Tools Layout tabs.

Comparison     Sets two charts side-by-side. The charts have the same data at first. Select one chart and pick the data you want in the Field List pane to begin differentiating them.

Any of the charts you create from scratch are fully customizable. You can add and delete elements and change the data to meet your needs.

Click anywhere in the report.

Select  Report Tools Design > Copy Report .

Paste the report into any program that displays graphics.

Tip:  You might need to resize and line up the report when you paste it into its new home.

You can also print the report to share it the old-fashioned way.

Use the Organizer to copy a new report into the global template for use in future projects.

See a list of all reports and how you can use them.

Compare actual work against your estimates with burndown reports .

Create a timeline of key tasks and milestones.

Set the status date for project reporting.

Project for the web offers two main options for reporting: Excel and Power BI Desktop. Excel reporting comes with Microsoft 365, while Power BI Desktop is licensed separately.

When managing a project in Project for the web, export your project to Excel allows you to:

Create reports and visuals

Send a file containing project details to external stakeholders

Archive copies of your project data for audit and compliance

Print copies of your project

Here's how to export your project:

Go to project.microsoft.com and open the project you want to export to Excel.

In the top right corner, select the three dots ( ... ), then select Export to Excel .

When you see the message " All done! We've exported [your project name]. " at the bottom of the screen, you can look for your new Excel file where you store your downloads.

When you open the Excel file containing your project, you'll see a worksheet named "Project tasks" that contains a summary of project-wide information at the top, including its name, project manager, and the start and finish dates, duration, and percent complete for the whole project. You'll also see what date it was exported. Under that, you'll see a table of all the information for your project.

More about Excel Report options

Import and analyze data

Create a PivotTable to analyze worksheet data

Ideas in Excel

Power BI Desktop

To get started,  connect to Project for the web data through Power BI Desktop , then open the Project Power BI template  and explore the reports it includes. 

Important:  You'll need a Power BI subscription (and a Project subscription in many cases) to use this reporting tool. See the following section for details.

To use Power BI reports on Project for the web data, you need to be a licensed user of Power BI Desktop or Power BI Pro. See Power BI Pricing for more information.

To build or customize Power BI reports on Project for the web data, you'll also need Project Plan 3 (formerly Project Online Professional) or Project Plan 5 (formerly Project Online Premium).

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Find the perfect PowerPoint presentation template

Bring your next presentation to life with customizable powerpoint design templates. whether you're wowing with stats via charts and graphs or putting your latest and greatest ideas on display, you'll find a powerpoint presentation template to make your ideas pop., presentations.

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Keep track of whatever you need to in style. From personal planning to promotional calendars, find templates for every kind of project and aesthetic.

Infographics

Say more with less using helpful and easily customizable infographic templates. Add clarity to business presentations, school projects, and more with these helpful templates.

Start with the best PowerPoint templates

Elevate your storytelling

Tips, tricks, and insider advice from our business and design experts

A quick way to create beautiful, powerful PowerPoint presentations

Create captivating, informative content for PowerPoint in just a few minutes—no graphic design experience needed. Here's how:

1. Find the perfect PowerPoint template

2. Customize your creation

3. Show it off

Let's create a powerpoint design, frequently asked questions, where can i find slide templates and themes that i can customize.

To find customizable slide templates and themes, you can explore the business presentations templates or search by PowerPoint templates . Once you find a template that resonates with you, customize it by changing its color scheme, add in your own photos, and swap out the font.

How do I use pre-made PowerPoint templates?

After you've chosen a PowerPoint template to use, customize it. Explore [design tips] on how to customize a deck that resonates with your brand while putting emphasis on the topic at hand. Play with other design elements, like photo shapes, to make each slide unique.

How can I make or edit my own custom PowerPoint templates?

Start from scratch by creating your own PowerPoint template . Follow tips for designs and business presentations so that your unique template is cohesive and relevant to your brand. Incorporate your brand's color scheme and graphics so that all your slides aren't text only.

What kinds templates can I get online for PowerPoint?

You can get PowerPoint templates that have modern designs, animated ones, or even hand-drawn art in each slide. The color schemes range from bold to subtle. Each template's slides are also organized based on what you may want to include in your presentation . You can use the template as a starting point and customize its specific details from theme.

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15 Best Presentation Software for 2024 (Full Comparison Guide)

Written by: Orana Velarde

In this comparison guide, we’ll analyze each of these tools and many more to understand what the difference is between them so you can  choose the best presentation maker for your business.

So, if you want to stand out from run-of-the-mill PowerPoint presentations and have a reliable presentation software that will help you collaborate with team members and design stunning slide decks in a fraction of the time, you’ll need this guide. 

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• Google Slides
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Beautiful.ai
• Microsoft Sway

What are Presentation Tools

Presentation tools are software applications that enable users to visually present ideas or share knowledge. These presentations are delivered in a slide-show format using a combination of text, images and other graphic elements.

Presentation software is frequently used to pitch an idea to investors , present proposals to clients , introduce new products or services to customers, train staff on new policies or ideas , or teach your students new or complex concepts.

Best Presentation Software: A Visual Comparison

When choosing the right presentation programs for your projects, there are some things to consider:

• Does the price point fit your budget?
• Is it easy to use?
• Who is the program geared at: businesses, educators, bloggers or social media managers?
• Does it have lots of templates to choose from? Are they good quality and helpful?
• Is the built-in graphic asset library extensive and varied?
• Can you embed content, add videos or GIFs?
• Can you add audio to your presentations?
• Can elements be animated?
• Is it desktop or cloud-based ?
• Can you use it to create presentations on any of your devices?
• Can finished presentations be viewed offline?
• Can you have team accounts or business accounts for easy collaboration inside your company?
• Does it include a Brand Kit? Is it easy to use?
• Can the finished presentation be shared online straight from the presentation software?
• Can your presentations be uploaded to the cloud privately with password protection?
• Does the presentation software include analytics to see how your projects perform on social media?
• Can you use the finished presentation as a lead generator straight from the software?

We'll take a look at all these aspects in the following list of best presentation software so you can make your own well-informed decision.

Last updated on May 30, 2024.

Visme is a powerful presentation software and all-in-one content authoring tool. It has a user-friendly interface and an extensive set of tools that make it easy for both beginners and experienced professionals to design and deliver impactful presentations.

Presentations made with Visme go beyond the standard slide deck to incorporate interactive elements and easy, full-featured offline sharing.

Making professional presentation slides with Visme is easy and straightforward. Create slides from scratch using content blocks and the extensive slide libraries categorized by style. Browse the presentation template library to find pre-designed slide decks which you can easily customize to fit your needs.

That's not all that Visme can do, though.

You can also use Visme to create other visual content, such as digital documents, animated infographics, interactive reports and whiteboards. There are tons of customizable templates that come built-in with the app.

You can also use Visme to create other visual content, such as infographics, reports and interactive charts. There are tons of customizable templates that come built-in with the software.

Visme can be used for free to test it out for as long as you want. With a free account, you can create up to three projects.

To access all of Visme's capabilities, you can upgrade to one of the paid plans .

• Starter: $12.25/month paid annually
• Pro: $24.75/month paid annually
• Visme for Teams: Custom – learn more here

If you're a nonprofit organization, you may qualify for a discount. Visme also offers separate Education plans for students and teachers.

Ease of Use

Visme is incredibly easy to use. Switching from slide to slide is a breeze, and you can even save a slide to your content block or slide library to reuse later.

The editor comes with a handy sidebar that lets you browse media, graphics and data tools and drag and drop relevant elements onto your slides. You can also use the /shortcut feature to open a search bar and quickly find what you need.

The dynamic fields feature ensures you don’t miss out on any critical information. With single click, you can easily update content throughout your presentation.

Who Is It For

Visme is perfect for small and large businesses, enterprises, marketing teams, project managers, educators, content creators and so much more. The resources and tools available in Visme reach far beyond the ability to create presentations.

• Social media teams can create content for their company’s social channels.
• Sales agents can create branded and personalized proposals in minutes.
• Professionals can build visual CVs to find the next ideal job.
• Project managers can conduct team meetings with a collaborative whiteboard.

Template Options

The template options in Visme are extensive and varied in style. From minimalistic to photographic, there are many presentation styles to pick from.

Presentation Templates

Ecommerce Webinar Presentation

Buyer Presentation

PixelGo Marketing Plan Presentation

Technology Presentation

Product Training Interactive Presentation

Work+Biz Pitch Deck - Presentation

Create your presentation View more templates

You can choose from dozens of fully designed presentations tailor-made for specific industries and topics or mix and match hundreds of slide layouts by choosing a presentation theme.

You can also start with a blank canvas, add new blank slides to existing presentation templates, and save custom slides to use later as your own templates.

Graphic Assets Library

When selecting the best tools for presentations, the visual capabilities and creative design elements should be a top consideration. Visme’s graphic library includes thousands of free icons, illustrations, stock photos, videos , 3D graphics , audio clips, charts and graphs to include in your presentations.

The best part is that every graphic asset that comes built-in with the Visme editor is fully customizable. Resize, rotate or change colors to fit your brand, content and theme.

AI-Powered Tools

Visme comes with a wide variety of useful AI-powered tools, making it one of the best presentation software.

Let's start with the AI presentation maker . This advanced tool is engineered to make your presentation creation process as quick and efficient as possible.

To create a presentation using this tool, you only need to provide a text prompt outlining your requirements. The tool will then generate the slides, complete with text, images, illustrations and any other content you specify.

After that, you can use Visme's presentation tools to personalize the AI-generated slides and add the final touches.

Next up is the AI writer . This user-friendly tool is your key to overcoming writer's block and crafting engaging copy for your presentation. It can help you create layouts, edit and proofread text, summarize the content and much more. Explain to the AI writer what you want to generate, and it will take care of the rest.

Visme offers several AI image editing tools , including erase and replace, background remover, unblur, and upscaler. These tools can be used to edit the image content or enhance its quality. For example, you can use the Image Upscaler to resize your image without sacrificing quality, ensuring your visuals always look high-quality.

And as always, you just need to provide the right text prompts. Feel free to tweak the prompts as many times as you want until you achieve the perfect outcome.

Videos and GIFs

It's easy to insert or embed videos and GIFs inside a Visme presentation. This is another that makes Visme a powerful video presentation software .

To insert a video, upload a video from your computer or cloud storage and place it on a slide of your choosing. Once you’ve uploaded it, it’ll be in your Media library for future use.

If you don’t have videos of your own, Visme has hundreds of stock videos to choose from in lots of categories. Browse them by clicking the / shortcut on your keyboard and opening the videos tab.

Edit your videos with the integrated timeline feature. Trim video clips and customize playback settings. Resize the video on your slide easily by dragging the corner. Or you can resize any video into another shape for more flexibility.

GIFs are available through the Giphy integration, which you’ll find in the Media tab. These are a great choice when you want to make a meme-based presentation.

Take note that all presentations that have videos or GIFs in the slides must be shared as a live link or downloaded as HTML5 or MP4. If you download it as a PDF or PPTX, all the interactive elements won’t play back.

Adding audio to a presentation is easy on Visme. Either along with a video or as the audio on its own. You can also record a voice over.

Another great option is accessing our Presenter Studio to record a video of yourself presenting your content. You can turn on your camera or record audio only before sending a link to your audience. This is a great way to present asynchronously or save your presentation for people to view again and again.

Embed Third-Party Content

There is more content that can be embedded into Visme presentations, like polls, quizzes , forms , online videos and any content that can be turned into code to insert in an iframe.

You can also take advantage of several integrations to embed even more engaging and interactive content into your slides.

Some of our integrations include SurveyMonkey, Hubspot, Giphy, and many more.

Animations and Transitions

With Visme, you can animate your content and create interactive experiences such as:

• Hover effects or clickable pop-ups, link your slides or content blocks to objects
• Pre-animated assets like characters, illustrations and gestures
• Custom animation and motion effects

Features inside Visme presentations can be animated, and we also have a number of seamless slide transitions that make your content pop, like "Enter from Side" or "Staggered Fade."

If you want to make your content even more dynamic, you can access our Custom Animation feature. This is perfect for creating video presentations or making your elements look like they're floating on your slide.

Visme also comes with a 3D Character Creator that helps you elevate your storytelling and connect with your audience. You can create and customize 3D animated characters to embody your brand or message.

Tweak everything, from gender and hairstyles to outfits and skin tone, until you achieve the perfect look. You also have the ability to choose their entry, waiting and exit poses.

Desktop or Cloud

Visme is an online cloud-based app that can be easily used on your computer. We also provide a desktop app that you can download and use outside of your regular browser for seamless content creation.

And if you need to create content on the go, you can easily edit existing projects right from your mobile device or tablet using the Visme iOS app .

Data Widgets

Visme offers a wide selection of data widgets that allow you to creatively visualize statistics and figures in the form of gauges, clocks, pictographs and icon arrays.

Data visualization in Visme goes beyond widgets. Add tables, graphs, and charts to your presentation slides and connect them to a live data source . Create a data stream from Google Sheets or Google Analytics into customized data visualizations.

Offline Viewing

Finished presentations can be viewed offline in four different formats.

The best option is to download it as an HTML5 file. That way it will maintain all the animations when opened on Google Chrome, even without internet. Downloading as an HTML 5 file is a premium feature. Presentations can also be downloaded as a collection of JPG or PNG images, as a PDF or as an editable PowerPoint file.

Create a stunning presentation in less time

• Hundreds of premade slides available
• Add animation and interactivity to your slides
• Choose from various presentation options

Sign up. It’s free.

Collaboration Possibilities

Visme has a premium teams plan that lets all team members customize and complete projects together. Leave comments with edits and feedback, edit projects simultaneously and easily share with other people on your team to move the project along.

Plus, Visme's workflow management features give the project admin complete control over your team's collaboration process. You can assign tasks, manage roles, set deadlines and more, all from a centralized platform. These features are useful for streamlining communication and reducing the time between briefing and final presentation design.

Branding Capabilities

Visme's brand design tool makes it easy to keep all of your content on-brand regardless of who's creating it. It works in three easy steps:

1. Upload all of your branding assets (colors, fonts, logo) to Visme with the Brand Wizard . Input your website URL and watch as our Brand Wizard automatically pulls in all of your branding.

2. Access a bundle of 30+ automatically branded templates that have your logo, fonts and colors already ready to go.

3. Easily access thousands of other templates and input your brand fonts and colors with just a click in Visme's editor.

Then boom! All of your content will always have the same branding, helping increase brand strength and recognition.

Share to Social Media

Once a presentation is finished, it can be shared to social media seamlessly right from the editor. It can also be downloaded.

Privacy and Password Protection

Presentations on Visme can be published privately with password protection so that only the people you want can access it. It is advisable to only use strong passwords for this purpose. There are a few free password managers that could help you do that and keep your account secure .

Visme’s analytics is what makes it stand out as the best tool for presentation. When a presentation is shared via a live link, it can be analyzed for views and sharing.

Access in-depth analytics that show you how much of your presentation is typically viewed, for how long and which slides seem to be the most popular.

Lead Generation

You can add a signup form to your presentations to collect leads that could potentially become clients. Simply head over to our  Advanced Settings tab before sharing your project and turn on  Requires Registration to collect emails from each person who views your content.

The best part of using Visme is that you get access to an interactive online form builder that's proven to generate 2X more conversions than traditional forms. You can choose your preferred form type and customize every aspect, including character appearance, color, background and animations to match your design and branding requirements.

Prezi offers a great alternative to the traditional presentation format that goes slide by slide. The creative idea behind Prezi is you can create an animated, non-sequential flow with topics and subtopics that are hidden until you zoom in.

While Prezi's interface can be slightly complicated to use, it's a good option for people who need to add a creative touch to their presentations.

Prezi is free for basic capabilities and limited templates.

For the paid plans, there are three tiers.

• Standard: $5/month
• Plus: $12/month
• Premium: $16/month
• Teams: Upon Request

There are separate plans available for students and teachers.

Prezi has a slight learning curve, but once you create a couple of presentations, you get the hang of it. However, it doesn't offer too much customizability inside the templates.

Businesses and educators who are in need of a different style of presentation. Prezi offers a “conversational style” of zooming and moving around between information. So, who Prezi is for really depends on who needs this sort of presentation style.

There are plenty of templates to choose from, and you can also start from scratch. The templates are different in color and style, but the idea of zooming into topics and subtopics is the same.

AI Presentation Assistant

Prezi has an AI assistant that automatically generates presentations for users.

The assets library has some icons and shapes available, the usual ones like arrows and buttons. Premium plans get access to over 80,000 icons and 500,000 images.

Videos can be uploaded or embedded from YouTube. Embedded videos are not viewable in offline mode. GIFs aren’t supported.

Voice over can be added in premium plans.

No other content can be embedded into Prezi presentations.

Prezi is all about animations between topics and subtopics. The presentations themselves are viewed as animations.

Prezi is a cloud app but can be accessed to view offline with premium plans.

Available to Create on Multiple Devices

Prezi presentations can only be created on a computer but can be viewed on all devices.

Prezi for teams is available upon demand and has a Slack integration.

Brand Kits are only available with Prezi's team plans, but each presentation can be customized to fit your brand with color customizations and some available fonts.

Prezi presentations can be shared to social media via a special share button at the top-right of the Prezi page. They can be shared to LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Prezi presentations can only be downloaded from the Prezi app. There are two options, as an EXE file for PC and a ZIP file for Mac. Presentations can then be viewed without internet connection or the need to connect to the Prezi app.

Presentations are public unless you have a paid account.

Analytics are available with premium accounts but it only applies to Prezi presentations you share via a link to someone.

There are no lead generation capabilities with Prezi.

3 Google Slides

Google Slides is the presentation software available via your Google account. Just like you can create documents and spreadsheets with Google Docs and Sheets, you can create presentations with Google Slides.

The setup is very similar to PowerPoint and is free to use for anyone with a google account. There is a business version called G Suite, which includes the same things with more storage and management capabilities.

Google Slides is free to use for anyone with a Google account. All features are available to everyone.

There are plans for business accounts so that teams can be created and information can be managed in a more organized way. Plans start at $6/user/month and go up to $18/user/month.

Compared to other examples of presentation software, Google Slides is very easy to use. The controls are very similar to Google Docs and Sheets.

Business professionals, educators and students who need fast and easy access to a presentation software that can get things done.

There is a general collection of templates, but there are not very many. Presentations can also be started from scratch.

The graphic assets are average and simple. The shapes are classic and generic. Photographs can be uploaded from your desktop, your Google Drive, a URL or searched online.

Videos can uploaded with a YouTube link or from Google Drive. GIFs can be added just like images.

Audio and Embed Third-Party Content

Anything from your Google Drive can be added in. Also there are some available “add-ons” that can be integrated for icons, stock photography and audio.

Elements inside each slide can be animated and so can the transition between the slides.

Google Slides is a cloud-based program.

Google Slides can be used fully on any device with their respective apps for Android and iPhone. Presentations can be edited and viewed on all devices.

Collaborating with other people is easy with Google Slides

There is no brand kit feature.

Presentations can be shared via email or link.

Google Slides can be viewed offline with a Chrome Extension and the use of Backup and Sync.

Presentations can be shared privately, but there are no password capabilities, only invitations.

Analytics and Lead Generation

These features are not available.

Read either PowerPoint vs Google ,  or you can check out  Google Slides vs Visme to get a detailed overview of each tool and find the perfect presentation software for your needs.

Keynote is the native Apple presentation software — one of the original PowerPoint Alternatives. Anyone with an Apple ID can use the Keynote editor. It is the most similar to PowerPoint and also Google Slides.

Keynote is free for downloading and also accessing via the cloud with an apple ID.

If you know how to use PowerPoint or Google Slides, Keynote is a breeze. This feature makes it stand out as one of the best tools for presentation.

Keynote is good for businesses, educators and anyone who needs a practical presentation software.

The templates are limited but come in standard or wide sizes. Templates can also be found outside of Keynote and uploaded into the program.

There are plenty of classic symbols and icons available which are also customizable in terms of color and gradient. Images can only be added from your computer.

Videos are not embeddable in Keynote slides but that is sorted with a plug-in like LiveSlides. GIFs can be added as .gif images.

You can upload existing audio files in Keynote to play on specific slides. There's also an option to record your own voiceover to create a narrated presentation.

Including these is not available

Slides and objects can be animated in a number of ways, including path creation, scaling, bounce or jiggle effects, and more.

Keynote is available on both desktop and cloud.

You can create keynote presentations on any apple device and PC.

Keynote presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or as .pptx to view offline.

Keynote presentations can be collaborated on via a link or email with permission settings set to “can make changes”.

Brand Kit, Share to Social Media, Analytics and Lead Generation

None of these are available on Keynote.

Presentations are private until shared and there is no password protection capabilities.

5 Microsoft PowerPoint

This list wouldn't have been complete without the most popular presentation software in the world. Even though there are tons of more advanced presentation tools out there now, PowerPoint is still a favorite of many because of its familiarity, ease of use and availability.

The desktop-based PowerPoint program is part of Microsoft 365, which has different plans for businesses that start from $6/month and go up to $22/month. You can also buy an unbundled digital PowerPoint account for $159.99

PowerPoint Online is free on any device, including mobile.

Most, if not every, computer user knows how to work a PowerPoint. The traditional sidebar interface is easy to use simply because it's familiar. But for people who are using PowerPoint for the first time, there might be a slight learning curve.

Businesses, individuals, students, teachers and anyone who uses a Windows PC or device. PowerPoint is also a good fit for people who want to create simple, conventional presentations, and aren't looking for fancy new features or capabilities.

There are dozens of themes that come built-in with PowerPoint, and there are all customizable so you can play around with the styles.

You can browse stock images, icons, stickers and more by searching for relevant keywords in PowerPoint's graphic library.

Videos and GIFs can be uploaded from your computer. You can also embed videos from YouTube and other online sources. However, this feature is only available to Windows users.

You can upload audio files from your computer. You can also record audio directly inside PowerPoint and edit the settings for playback.

You can embed files created in other Microsoft Office applications, such as charts created in Excel, or any other programs that support Object Linking and Embedding (OLE.)

There are tons of animation and transition options available in PowerPoint, which can actually get confusing at times. However, if you know your way around these options, it gets easier to create a professional-looking slideshow.

There are both desktop and cloud versions of PowerPoint available.

You can download the PowerPoint mobile apps on both Android and iOS devices.

It's possible to share your presentation with specific people.

Brand kits are not available, but you can save custom themes.

Presentations cannot be shared to social media.

You can download your PowerPoint presentations in various formats, including PPTX and PDF. This makes it easy to access them on any device offline.

You can mark your presentations as read-only to prevent users from editing the file.

This feature is not available in PowerPoint.

Ludus is one of the best-looking presentation tools available online. The main attractions with Ludus are the clean black screen to edit on and the number of integrations that give importing capabilities for all sorts of content. From photography to .svg to code builds.

Ludus starts at $14.99/month for teams of 1-15 people. Teams that need more licenses are encouraged to contact for more pricing information. Ludus does offer a 30-day free trial.

Ludus is quite easy to use and includes lots of keyboard shortcuts. It is easy to learn how to use and pretty straightforward. It seems to be easier for designers than for non-designers to use.

This presentation software is geared more towards designers or business owners who have some design knowledge to totally be able to use the broad capabilities.

There are no templates to choose from. You have to start from scratch or use smart blocks that you can create to use over and over easily. Smart blocks are kept in their own library.

Ludus has minimal in-house graphic assets like simple shapes, but the integrations are epic. You can import .svg icons and edit them inside Ludus quite easily. Photos can also be imported via Unsplash, Instagram, Facebook or uploaded.

Videos and GIFs are easily imported via the integrations like YouTube, Vimeo, Giphy and more.

Audio can be embedded as an audio file from SoundCloud, Dropbox and other integrations.

You can pretty much embed anything into Ludus. The integrations are impressive and there are also iframe and HTML options.

Internal elements can’t be animated but there are so many integrations that animations can be done in different ways.

Ludus is a cloud-based app. No need to download anything.

Presentations can only be edited on computers. Finished presentations can be viewed on all handheld devices that have access to the internet via a URL link.

Collaborations are possible with the team plans. This includes live collaboration, workspaces and more.

With collaborations, smart blocks and the Brandfetch integration, a brand kit can be organized quite easily. But it’s not an internal feature.

Finished presentations can be easily shared to social media straight from Ludus.

Ludus presentations can be downloaded as .pdf or .html to be viewed offline.

Pro Plans have password protection.

There are no analytics or lead generation capabilities available in Ludus.

Slides is the only presentation software that promotes itself as being “pixel perfect” as the editor includes a built-in grid to help with composition. Slides has a lower cost at the highest price tag which is good for smaller businesses.

Slides is free to use, but finished presentations will be public and available. 

The paid plans start at $5/month, and the Pro plan sits at $10/month and go up to $20/month for features like unlimited collaborators, privacy, shared media library and Google Analytics.

Slides is very easy to use, the editing board is minimal but all tools are at easy reach. No need to get confused with Slides. There are no templates so presentations are built from scratch.

Small business owners or startups. Individuals that know what they want and don’t need templates to help them along. Also for developers because it has HTML and CSS building capabilities.

Slides has a very limited template library with just a handful of different options to choose from.

The available shapes and icons are common and minimal. Photos have to be uploaded or imported from a URL.

Videos and GIFs are easy to add. Videos can be uploaded or linked and GIFs can be uploaded as .gif or .mp4 as video.

Including audio is not possible with Slides.

Anything with code can be added in an iframe.

All elements and features can be animated to fade in, fade out etc. Length of duration can be customized.

Slides is a cloud-based presentation software that can only be used online.

Slides can be used on the computer and handheld devices. To edit and to view.

Paid plans have very capable collaboration possibilities. Users can leave comments with feedback for the creator to review and make edits.

There is no set section for a brand kit but branded decks can be created and then cloned to use as a template.

Yes, quite easily.

You can also share presentations via URL, email or embeddable code.

A Slides presentations can be downloaded as a ZIP file with an .html file inside that can be viewed offline on any browser.

Privacy and Analytics

Possible with paid plans.

This is not possible on Slides.

8 Slidebean

Slidebean is an easy-to-use presentation software with interesting templates and customizable content blocks.

The highlight of this presentation software is that it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help you put together the best possible slide layouts and configurations. They also have a team of experts that can both write and design your pitch deck for you if you don't want to take the DIY route.

The free plan has limited capabilities but it's enough to see how Slidebean works. To export your presentation, you'll need to upgrade.

There are three price levels from $8/month to $19/month to $149/month. The last one is the Founder's Edition plan, which includes help from the experts on your presentations.

If you choose to get their help on your presentation design, it starts at $29 per slide or $1,999 for the full project.

Slidebean is quite easy to use. You can choose between templates or start from scratch. Adding content is simple and to the point from a popup.

Editing can be done in outline or design mode. The editing is limited to how the content blocks are set up, but there are lots of choices. There's no free size changing or moving around.

Startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs.

There are plenty of template options. They are organized in sections and niche. The template collection has presentations by known brands like Snapchat and Buzzfeed.

There are plenty of icons and images to choose from. However, there are no shapes, but icons can be used as shapes.

GIFs can be added via the Giphy integration in a content block. Video can be added in the paid plans.

There are no audio capabilities.

The code snippet content block has lots of options so a lot of different kinds of third-party content can be added in.

Content blocks and their elements can be animated with a couple features.

Slidebean is an online program on the cloud.

It can be used to edit or view on any device.

Collaboration is possible in the paid plans.

This feature is available in the paid plans.

Sharing to Social Media

Slidebean presentations can be exported to download as both .pdf and .html files to view offline.

This feature is not available.

Analytics are available in the paid plans.

9 Zoho Show

Zoho Show is a presentation software that mimics Microsoft PowerPoint in the way it is set up, with a menu up top for all the actions. However, Zoho's version is much nicer and polished.

Zoho is a complete CRM for businesses and the company offers different types of apps for teams and office use — Zoho Show is only one of their programs.

Zoho show is completely free and without ads.

Zoho Show is pretty easy to use. The content blocks can be chosen as themes but they can also be moved around freely and resized. The presentation can be viewed in three ways, with a handy grid view to see all slides next to each other.

Businesses, entrepreneurs, educators and students. Anyone who needs to make a presentation.

There aren’t exactly templates, but there are themes. These do not come with images or lorem ipsum but are more like visual canvases that can be customized in terms of color, layout and more.

The shapes are pretty good, there are quite a bit to choose from. An added bonus is the possibility to draw shapes or scribble anything yourself with the trackpad.

Videos can be added via the YouTube integration and GIFs can be added as an image.

Audio can be added via Soundcloud with an embed code.

There are a number of sites that are supported via Embed codes but not that many. Zoho Show says that you can ask your needs to be added in the permitted list.

All elements and transitions can be animated.

Zoho Show is a cloud bases program and can be broadcast from anywhere and on any device. The live broadcast includes a chat window and the audience can download the presentation if they want to.

You can only create presentations on a computer.

Teams can easily use Zoho Show, even in the free version.

Custom branding is only available in the highest paid plan.

Sharing to social media is not possible unless downloaded as a PDF file and then uploaded to something like SlideShare.

Presentations can be downloaded as .pptx or .pdf files for offline viewing.

Yes, this is possible on all plans.

Analytics are possible on the paid plans.

10 Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai is a presentation software that helps you create great-looking slides with the help of Artificial Intelligence. This means that your presentation will look professional every single time, regardless of who designs it.

Beautiful.ai currently offers a Pro plan at $12/month and a Team plan at $40/month, both billed annually. They offer a 14-day free trial to test out their tool.

This is probably the best thing about Beautiful.ai — it's incredibly simple to use. All you need to do is add smart slides, plug in your content, and choose from different preset layouts.

Of course, that also means that you have limited customization options. But if you're looking for a simple solution and you don't trust your design skills, this may be a good option for you.

Beautiful.ai is a great tool for absolute beginners and non-designers who are looking for a no-nonsense presentation software.

For example, startups and entrepreneurs can use this software to create a nice-looking pitch deck or proposal quickly without any design help.

There are a handful of slide themes available, but they're mostly basic in terms of design. You can play around with the layouts inside each theme to put together a unique presentation.

The graphic assets library comes with a bunch of free stock photos and icons to choose from, but the options are pretty limited.

Videos and GIFs can be uploaded from your computer. You can also import videos from YouTube and Vimeo to embed in your slides.

Audio can be uploaded from your computer.

It's not possible to embed third-party content into Beautiful.ai presentations. However, you can add interactive links to your slides.

Each slide comes with a preset animation style that you're unable to customize. However, you can change the speed, timing and triggers for the animations. 

Beautiful.ai is a cloud-based application.

The software only works on your desktop computer.

You can invite people to collaborate on your presentation by either giving them "view" or "edit" access. Collaborators must have a Beautiful.ai account to view or edit the presentation.

While there's no brand kit feature available, you can customize a theme (colors and fonts) and save it to your library to use in future presentations.

There are several options to share your presentations. Send an email invite, share a public or private link, generate an embed code or share directly to social media.

You can export your presentations to PDF or PowerPoint to view offline.

There is no password protection, but you can use the Secure Viewing option to only share your presentation with other Beautiful.ai users via an email invite.

This feature is only available in the paid plans. You can access a number of viewing and usage statistics for your presentations.

This feature is not available in Beautiful.ai.

11 Genially

The main idea behind the Genially presentation software is interactivity.

This program is good not only for presentations and video presentations but also for other visual graphics. It’s great for adding a modern, interactive feel to your presentations.

There is a free plan in Genially, which gives you unlimited creations but limited resources. The paid plans are as follow, paid yearly:

• Pro: $7.49 / month
• Master: $20.82 / month
• Team: $79.15 / month

Genially is easy to use if you are accustomed to programs with lots of choices. There is a lot that can be done with the features in Genially.

Any change can be applied to all slides with a single click of the button in the menu. When editing, there is a "design view" and a "layers view."

Professionals and educators of any field who can benefit from interactive presentations.

There are plenty of template options. Some are free and some are only available via the premium plans. Presentation templates are also available as "video presentations."

The graphic assets in Genially are quite varied; there is plenty to choose from. Images can be uploaded or found on the Pixabay integration.

Videos can be added via a YouTube link and GIFs can be imported with the Giphy integration.

Audio can be uploaded from your computer, added via SoundCloud and a couple of other integrations, or recorded directly in Genially.

Third-party content can be added to your presentations with Genially integrations. For example, you can add an interactive map via Google Maps.

All elements can be animated, as can the transitions between slides. Animation effects are quite extensive. There is a similar tab called “interactivity,” which are pop-ups and hyperlinks supplied with lots of button choices.

Genially is a cloud-based presentation program.

This program is only available to edit on computers but can be viewed on any device.

It seems that a professional plan allows 5 team members, but the pricing plan shows that all plans have collaborative capabilities. Collaborators can be added in the dashboard where  all creations are stored.

Brand kits are available in the premium plans. It is an internal feature with easy access.

Finished presentations can be shared to social media.

Finished presentations can be downloaded as a set of .jpg images, as a .pdf or as an .html5 file which will keep all animations.

Premium plans have these features.

This is not available in Genially.

Canva is not only a presentation software but also a full editing program for all visual needs. Presentation creation is only one of the possibilities with Canva. It has become a favorite with bloggers and home-based businesses.

The free version of Canva is pretty extensive. The only restrictions are the use of premium resources that can be either bought separately or through the Canva Pro plan. Canva Pro is charged at $12.99/month or $119.99/year.

Canva Teams is $14.99/month + $14.99/month for every team member after the 5th.

Canva is easy to use as all elements are easy to find and are mostly customizable. Presentations are viewed scrolling; there is no master view and you can’t change something on all slides at once.

Bloggers, small home-based businesses and startups

There are lots of customizable template options, and each slide inside the templates can be used individually.

There are plenty of options in the graphic assets library, including shapes, icons, photos, frames and stickers. Some are free, while others are paid.

Videos and GIFs can be uploaded to Canva.

You can add music to your presentations using the available options inside Canva.

Canva offers dozens of integrations and media embed options, including YouTube, Google Maps, Vimeo, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter and more.

There are several animation options that apply to entire slides inside Canva. You can also add animated stickers to your slides.

Canva is a cloud-based app. Presentations can be seen on any device.

Canva is available as an iPhone app and an android app for editing capabilities.

Presentations can be shared for editing with team members.

Canva Pro has a brand kit feature.

Presentations can be shared on Twitter and Facebook.

Presentations can be downloaded as a group of .png or .jpg images or as a .pdf. You can also download it as an MP4 video for offline viewing.

All designs on Canva are private unless they are made public or shared via a link. There is no password-protected sharing though.

These features are not available in Canva.

While Canva offers a wide range of features for various visual design needs, you can explore better alternatives to find solutions that may better fit your requirements. If you want to explore other options, read our article about 12 excellent Canva alternatives .

13  FlowVella

FlowVella is a downloadable presentation software that can be used offline. The main attraction of FlowVella is the Kiosk Mode, in which you can create interactive presentations like the ones used in museums or information counters at malls or hotels.

FlowVella is free to try out. You can use it free forever but the options are limited and the finished presentations has a watermark. P aid plans are as follows:

• Premium : $10/month or $60/year
• Pro : $20/month or $200/year
• Enterprise : Upon request

FlowVella is pretty easy to use, and the controls are straightforward and uncomplicated.

This presentation software is for professionals and educators that need to be able to create presentations offline. Also for those who can take advantage of the Kiosk Mode.

The template options are quite varied and well designed.

The graphic assets library is very limited. Photographs and images need to be uploaded from your computer.

Videos can be uploaded or found via YouTube, iCloud and Dropbox integrations when online. GIFs can be added as images.

Audio can be uploaded from your computer, or added via iCloud or Dropbox.

You can add PDF files.

Only the transitions are animated minimally.

This is a desktop-based application. It must be downloaded.

There are iPad and device apps available for editing on those devices as well.

Paid premium plans can work with teams.

Brand kits are not available.

Presentations can be shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Since this is a desktop application, offline viewing is not a complication.

These features are available in the paid plans. Analytics can be viewed once the presentation has been published online.

This feature is not available on FlowVella.

14  Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck is a presentation software that is straightforward with a simple interface that makes quick and practical presentations. Presentations can be created on the computer and on mobile devices.

Haiku Deck can be tried for free with one available presentation. The Public plan is USD 7.99 a month, Pro plans are USD 9.99 a month billed annually and USD 19.99 billed monthly, and Premium plans are USD 29.99 a month.

Haiku Deck is quite easy to use and menus are easy to follow. There are word size limiters and specific text placement choices for each slide. Charts are simple to create and can be customized. The editor can be connected via cloud to all devices. The new addition, Zuru, is an Artificial Intelligence system that creates creative presentations from simple PowerPoint files or outlines.

The Haiku Deck presentation software is geared mostly toward educators and classrooms. Businesses and bloggers can also use it for practical purposes.

Templates on Haiku Deck are more like an inspiring collection of photographs for a specific niche with some suggestions on where to place the text and what charts to include.

The available graphic assets library in Haiku Deck are millions of photographs, numerous font choices and charts and graphs.

YouTube videos can be embedded easily in a Haiku Deck. GIFs cannot be added to Haiku Decks but a finished presentation can be turned into a video or into a GIF.

Narrations and voice overs are easily recorded on a presentation in Haiku Deck.

Only videos can be embedded.

Features can't be animated in Haiku Deck

Desktop or Cloud / Available to Create on Multiple Devices

Haiku Deck is a cloud-based app that is available for editing and viewing on your laptop and also as an app on phones and tablets.

Haiku decks can be downloaded as .pptx files for offline viewing.

Presentations can be easily shared to social media from the editor.

Haiku Deck offers team possibilities upon request.

There is no brand kit, but you can add your logo to the finished product.

Pro and Premium plans have private and password-protected capabilities.

Premium plans have analytics for who has viewed your presentations.

Emails cannot be captured with Haiku Deck but slides and presentations can be sent with invitations to your existing email contacts.

15  Microsoft Sway

Microsoft has its own alternative to PowerPoint — Sway.

This online presentation software is completely different from PowerPoint and introduces a new concept of building "Sways" instead of "presentations."

Sway is free to use for anyone who has a Microsoft account.

It's super easy to use Sway and kind of fun too. It has a non-traditional storyline editor, which lets you add "blocks" of content that the software configures into layouts.

Sway is mostly for people who don't want to spend too much time designing a complex presentation. For example, students and nonprofit organizations.

There are several templates for different purposes, such as photo slideshows, sales trainings and even personal portfolios.

You can upload your own media or search from various sources inside Sway, including Flickr and Bing Images. There are no shapes and icons included.

You can upload videos from your device or embed from YouTube.

You can add audio to Sway by uploading or dragging and dropping the audio file onto your storyline from your computer.

You can embed images, videos, maps and other content from tons of websites, including Google Maps, Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook and more.

Sway automatically adds animations to your slides. You cannot change or customize them; you can only increase or decrease the level of animation added to your Sway.

Sway is an online, cloud-based software.

Sway works on any device with an internet browser.

You can invite people to view or edit your Sway presentation.

Sway presentations can be shared directly to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

You can download your Sway as a Word or PDF file to view offline.

There is no password protection available, but you can choose to share your Sway with specific people, anyone with a link or only people in your organization who have a link.

You can view reader statistics for your Sway if you have a Microsoft Office 365 subscription.

This feature is not available in Microsoft Sway.

Presentation Software FAQs

Still have questions? We've compiled answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the best presentation tools available.

Q. Which Is the Best Software for Making Presentations?

There are many presentation tools out there but Visme stands out as a top pick and a creative presentation app with a full suite of advanced features tailored to the needs of individual users and businesses. Visme offers real-time collaboration, interactive and animated elements, hyper-customization options, robust data visualization tools and a brand wizard to maintain brand consistency across your presentations.

Q. What Is Better Than PowerPoint?

Visme is often considered a top presentation software and offers several advantages as a PowerPoint alternative software. Its intuitive interface and extensive template library make creating visually stunning presentations seamless, even for beginners. Visme's collaboration features are superior, allowing teams to work seamlessly. On top of that, Visme is packed with advanced interactive and animated elements to keep your audience hooked.

Q. Is PowerPoint or Prezi Better?

PowerPoint and Prezi each have strengths and are suited for different presentation styles. PowerPoint is easy to use, has a clear structure, and is widely available, making it suitable for traditional slide decks and formal presentations. On the other hand, Prezi excels at non-linear, visually engaging presentations with its zooming and panning features, making it ideal for creative or storytelling presentations. The best choice depends on your content, audience and desired presentation style.

Q. What Is the Best App to Do a Presentation On?

Visme offers a powerful presentation app that allows you to create, edit and present your slides from anywhere. Its mobile app is designed for on-the-go editing and presenting, ensuring you always have your presentation at your fingertips.

Q. Is Canva Better Than PowerPoint?

Canva and PowerPoint are tailored to suit the diverse preferences and requirements of different users.

Generally, Canva is known for its drag-and-drop interface, extensive library of design-focused templates and emphasis on visual appeal. It is an excellent choice for those who value aesthetics and want to create content quickly. On the other hand, PowerPoint offers more traditional features and is super flexible. It is often preferred due to its integration and compatibility with other Microsoft Office tools.

Q. What Is Replacing PowerPoint?

Visme is quickly gaining popularity as a PowerPoint replacement and a free presentation software with a user-friendly interface, tons of customization options, and powerful tools that make creating presentations a breeze. With a plethora of templates, interactive elements, and powerful data visualization tools, Visme empowers you to create presentations that truly captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression

Don't just take our word for it. Hear what Kendra Bradley, Graphic Content Developer at WOW!, has to say about Visme:

“Previously we were using PowerPoint, which is fine, but the interactivity you can get with Visme is so much more robust that we’ve all steered away from PowerPoint.”

“PowerPoint templates are plain and boring, and we want to create more fun and engaging content. Visme has multiple slide templates to choose from, which makes this so much easier.”

“I just made a deck recently and it took me about 15-20 minutes. I found a template I really liked and tweaked it and put it in our brand colors. In PowerPoint, it would take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half.”

Read the full case study to learn how they streamlined their presentation creation process and found a better alternative than PowerPoint.

Looking for a Presentation Software?

Choosing the best presentation program for your business is a great first step towards better and more effective slide deck development. In this guide, you learned about 15 different types of presentation software and we gave you a checklist to help you decide.

If you're looking for an easy-to-use presentation maker that also comes with unique features that you won't find in most other tools, Visme might be a great option.

You can look for the right pricing plan for your needs and even apply for a discount if you're a nonprofit organization. And if you just want to try out Visme to see if it's a good fit, sign up for a free account and use it for as long as you like — no strings attached.

Which of these best presentation software options fits your needs? If you have any questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you below.

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About the Author

Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com

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15 Popular PowerPoint Alternatives (Full Comparison Guide)

PowerPoint is by far the most popular software for creating and sharing presentations, but it is not the only one!

In this article, we’ll go through the different PowerPoint alternatives you have and the pros and cons of each . Each one of these presentation software options has its own suitable features that will help you create outstanding slides.

In 24Slides, we’re experts at presentations . We know that when talking about slides, PowerPoint is only the tip of the iceberg. That’s why we’ve picked the 15 most popular PowerPoint alternatives that you can use to create outstanding presentations . We’ll go in-depth into each one, covering their price, their options for team collaboration, and if they can be used both online and offline.

Here are the alternative presentation software we’ll go through:

#2. Google Slides

#3. Apple Keynote

#4. Renderforest

#6. Powtoon

#7. Piktochart

#8. Beautiful.ai

#11. Microsoft Sway

#12. DigiDeck

#13. ZohoShow

#15. Haiku Deck

There are so many PowerPoint alternatives that picking one can be a bit tricky. In the end, the best presentation software is the one that fits your needs the most. That’s why we’ve added a ‘best for…’ section at the end of the article.

Hopefully, this will help you decide which PowerPoint alternative is best for your business and more likely to fulfill your goals to keep your audience interested and engaged. Keep reading to the end to find:

- The best free PowerPoint alternative

- The best PowerPoint alternative for enterprises

- The best presentation software for team collaboration

- The best PowerPoint alternative for e-learning and training

- The best PowerPoint alternative for small businesses

Hopefully, this will not only get you a complete overview of the different PowerPoint alternatives you can use, but it will also help you decide which one is the best presentation software for you!

What is the Best PowerPoint Alternative?

Not every PowerPoint alternative is built the same! While some of the presentation software on this list are very similar to Microsoft Office’s options, many have completely different features and work options.

That’s why to figure out which is the best for your business, you’ll need to compare them. In this section, we’ll go through each PowerPoint alternative’s main features, like template options, design elements library, collaboration features, mobile apps, and so on. We’ll also cover

-Presentation software pricing

-Pros and cons of each PowerPoint alternative

-What each presentation design tool is best suited for

When talking about PowerPoint alternatives, Prezi is one of the most popular ones. This presentation software became known for its non-linear layouts and unique take on presentations.

Unlike PowerPoint and many other alternative presentation software we’ll go through in this list, Prezi doesn’t use presentation slides. Instead, it works with a “canvas,” where the presenter can zoom in and out.

This makes Prezi presentations feel more fluid and “free-form” than your typical presentation.

One of the best features of this PowerPoint alternative is that it allows free plans and work online. However, it’s important to note that presentations created through free plans are public and can’t be saved as private , which can be a deal breaker for people working on presentations with sensitive information.

Main features :

• Cloud and desktop app access
• Images and templates library
• Zoom, Google Meets, and Microsoft Team integrations for virtual presentations
• Prezi Video puts presenters next to their graphics in real-time
• Freemium (up to 5 projects)
• Individual prices begin at $9/mo. (billed annually)
• Enterprise solutions begin at $15/mo. (billed annually)
• Non-linear, unique layouts
• SOC2 Security for paid plans
• Offline access with the desktop app
• Free presentations are public
• Steep learning curve
• Can cause motion sickness in audiences unfamiliar with it

Best for : Storytelling and conversational-oriented presentations

2. Google Slides

If you’re looking for a quick and easy alternative to PowerPoint, then Google Slides is the one for you.

It has all the basic features you’d find in PowerPoint, with the added bonus of real-time collaboration options. And the best part, you will only need a Google Account to have immediate access to it.

Not only that, PowerPoint presentations are easy to convert to and from Google Slides. This means that you can use the vast array of presentation templates for PowerPoint, which is a huge bonus compared to other presentation software alternatives in this list.

While it offers business plans for higher storage capacity, most users will find the free plan of 15GB is more than enough and offers all the main features for creating presentations.

• Real-time collaboration
• Cloud-based
• Google Workspace complete integration, including Google Meets for virtual presentations

Price : Free!

• Completely free with a Google Account
• Easy to convert to and from PowerPoint
• SOC Certified
• Limited animations and transitions compared to PowerPoint, only for traditional presentation slides.

Best for : Team collaboration and traditional presentation slides

3. Apple Keynote

For Mac users, Apple Keynote is this developer’s alternative to PowerPoint. And just like PowerPoint, it allows you to create impactful presentations to bring your ideas to life.

One of its main advantages is its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy and intuitive to use. However, this also means that many features available on other presentation software are not part of Keynote.

• Available for all Apple devices
• Touch interface available for iPad working
• Integrated library of photos, videos, music, and charts
• Intuitive and less cluttered workspace, user-friendly interface
• Similar customization options as PowerPoint
• Not available for non-Mac Users
• Limited compatibility when exporting documents to and from PowerPoint

Best for : Mac Users

4. Renderforest

If you’re looking for a PowerPoint alternative to make non-traditional presentations, then you might want to check out Renderforest. This online design platform allows you to create complex videos and slideshows with just a few clicks.

You can use Renderforest to create unique presentations with seamless transitions and animations for a video-like feel.

You can try Renderforest for free but take into account that if you really want to use it as a recurrent tool for your presentations, acquiring a paid plan is a must. This will give you access to the full template catalog and advanced editing tools.

• Animation toolkits
• Templates and scenes library for easy use
• Freemium (up to 500MB)
• Lite $9.99/mo. (billed annually)
• Pro $15.99/mo (billed annually)
• Professional animations with a seamless “video” feel
• Easy to use pre-made building blocks
• Limited library of resources
• Limited customization of templates
• Full use requires a paid account

Best for : Video-like, seamless presentations

If you’re looking for a PowerPoint alternative to help you make the most without being a professional designer, check out Visme ! It is a self-appointed all-in-one content creation tool for non-designers.

As such, you can use Visme to create infographics, mockups, social media graphics, and of course, presentations. Visme also allows you to share your content with your team and collaborate with other people.

• Graphs, charts, and data widgets
• Social Media scheduling integration
• Workspace for team collaboration
• Font pairs and design toolkits
• “Presenter studio” to record yourself
• Freemium (up to 100MB)
• Personal $12.25/mo. (billed annually)
• Enterprise $24.75/mo. (billed annually)
• App integrations for Social Media
• Easy import and export from PowerPoint
• Easy and user-friendly
• Most templates are just for premium accounts
• Free download in just one format

Best for : Wide range of design tasks

Looking for a unique PowerPoint alternative that gives your presentations that seamless feel? Then Powtoon will help you create eye-catching presentations for your brand!

It’s an excellent option for those looking for animated characters, as you can customize them to fit your audience and brand identity. It also offers a wide library of stock photos, music, and other design elements. Its templates make Powtoon easy to use, even for those with no previous experience.

However, just like other PowerPoint alternatives in this list, if you really want to make the most out of this tool, then a paid plan is a must.

• Customizable cartoon characters
• Brand identity tool-kits
• Convert PowerPoint to video with the Office add-in
• ISO Certified Cloud security
• Several social media and apps integrations
• Freemium (up to 2GB)
• Pro starting at $20/mo. (billed annually)
• Agency starting at $40/mo. (billed annually)
• Dynamic, video-like presentations
• Full customization options
• Needs a premium account to make the most out of it
• Videos made with free plans have Powtoon watermark

Best for : Educational presentations

7. Piktochart

Similarly to Visme, Piktochart is an online design platform for non-designers. You can use it to create all types of graphic content, like cards, brochures, infographics, and of course, presentations.

It offers a wide range of tools to create graphs and charts, making it ideal for reports and data-oriented products. You can also choose to download your presentations in PowerPoint format or present them online directly through the platform.

While some of the advanced brand features are exclusively for paid plans, this PowerPoint alternative’s free plan can be a great pick for those on a budget. Most features are still available for free, and you don’t need to worry about watermarks even without a Pro plan.

• Export graphs and charts from Excel and Google Sheets
• Cloud-based work
• Template library
• “Brand Assets” ($) for automatically updating brand guidelines
• Team collaboration and project organization in folders
• Pro starting at $14/mo. (billed annually)
• Smart and customizable charts and maps
• Traffic and views tools for all accounts
• Download in .ppt format or present online
• Color scheme customization only for paid plans

Best for : Infographics and data showcasing

8. Beautiful.ai

Looking for the most efficient way to create presentations? Beautiful.ai is a Powerpoint alternative that uses AI technology to generate professional presentation slides according to your needs automatically.

Its main selling point is to limit the time you spend creating presentations. That’s why it offers a library of smart templates and automatic brand guidelines to make your design experience more efficient.

And, if you’re willing to invest in it, the team plans really offer the most out of Beautiful.ai features.

• Brand guidelines for team plans
• Wide library of smart templates
• DesignerBot
• Pro $12/mo. (billed annually)
• Team $40/mo. (billed annually)
• $45 for single projects
• Custom price for enterprise solutions
• Great report-oriented templates: charts and data
• PowerPoint + Google Slides integration
• Lots of customization options
• No freemium options
• Most features are best for Team Plans and above

Best for : Business reports, low-effort beautiful professional presentations.

On the other hand, are you looking for a powerful design tool? If you’re missing a PowerPoint alternative that focuses on design features, Emaze’s HTML5 editor allows you to customize even the smallest details of your presentations.

Emaze also offers advanced features concerning analytics, so you can track your results and improve conversion rates.

All paid plans include questionnaires, collaboration options, and importing to and from PowerPoint and pdf documents.

Its freemium plan is an excellent option for trying out all the different features it offers, but take into consideration that presentations created with this plan come with a watermark.

• E-learning questionaries
• Analytics options
• Remote presenting options
• HTML5 Editor
• Pro $13/mo (billed annually) (30 projects)
• Executive $40/mo. (billed annually)
• Business $125/mo. (billed annually)
• Amazing customization options
• Powerful design tools
• Advanced analytics
• Making the most out of it requires a steep learning curve
• Branding tools are available just for Executive plans and above

Best for : Business and professional presentations

Vyond, previously known as GoAnimate, is a PowerPoint alternative that will help you create video-like content for your presentations.

Similarly to Powtoon, Vyong allows you to animate cartoon characters to convey your information in a more dynamic way. It offers 3 visual styles, Contemporary, Business Friendly, and Whiteboard, so you can pick which one fits your brand the best. And even better, you can sync the characters’ lips to match your message, making it look seamless and more professional.

Vyond enterprise-level security makes it a perfect fit for companies that are looking for a reliable and secure option to create videos and presentations on the cloud.

• Enterprise level security
• Unique, dynamic videos
• Animated characters in 3 different styles
• Essential $25 /mo. (billed annually) (with logo)
• Premium $54/mo. (billed annually)
• Professional $92/mo. (billed annually)
• Enterprise-level security
• Character customization and lipsync
• Detailed animation options
• All projects are watermarked unless Premium or above
• Collaboration options are only available for Professional plans and above

Best for : Online training and learning

11. Microsoft Sway

If you think Microsoft's only option for presentation is PowerPoint, then think twice! Microsoft Sway is great for creating interactive presentations and reports, as it works wonders for content that doesn’t have a live presenter guiding it.

This makes it ideal for creating websites, bulletins, infographics, all overall anything where you‘d need to convey information in a visually appealing way.

And, Sway is completely free for anyone with a Microsoft Account!

However, one big drawback is that its workflow is very different from PowerPoint and other presentation software from this list. If you’re used to this kind of workspace, learning to use Microsoft Sway can feel overwhelming.

• Interactive elements
• Different visualization options than PowerPoint
• Microsoft Office integrations
• Steep learning curve - different work model than PowerPoint

Best for : Interactive presentations, bulletins, and infographics

12. DigiDeck

For a PowerPoint alternative that is 100% focused on your sales team’s presentations, then DigiDeck has no match.

It offers advanced analytics so you can track how your clients interact with your content and optimize your results. You can get real-time alerts when your presentations are being viewed so your sales team can use it as a lead opportunity. And it offers integrations with Salesforce and other CRM tools.

And, of course, it also enables you to customize your presentation in order to showcase your information in the most visually appealing way possible.

Since DigiDeck is a product aimed at enterprise-level customers, you must request a demo to understand how DigiDeck can help you and your business. They will give you a custom quote as well as help you develop your perfect enterprise solution.

• CRM integrations
• Data Analytics + real-time alerts for sales reps

Price : Custom quote

• SOC2 Certified
• Limited number of users
• Need to provide your own photos and graphics to make the most out of the templates

Best for : Sales-oriented design products

13. ZohoShow

Looking for a free alternative to PowerPoint? ZohoShow is a completely free online platform for presentation slides!

Just like Google Slides, ZohoShow is a cloud-based presentation software with a very similar workspace to PowerPoint. Its minimalistic layout and user-friendly interface make it perfect for non-designers.

ZohoShow also offers different apps for you to both work and present on your mobile devices. This makes it perfect to work on a tablet or to present on a Smart TV. It also features a wide array of integrations with other apps, like Google Workspace or Slack!

• Mobile app for working and presenting
• PowerPoint integration
• Chrome extension + mobile apps
• Real-time collaboration for teams
• Limited animations and transitions

Best for : Presentation slides on a budget

For a versatile PowerPoint alternative that can cover different design needs beyond presentations, Canva is worth checking out.

Canva’s design center allows you to create logos, flyers, banners, cards, and much, much more. Its library offers thousands of templates to pick from and to make your design process more efficient.

While you can use it freely, to truly make the most out of its collaboration and design tools, a paid plan is a must. This will allow you complete access to their resources and make teamwork much easier.

Canva also features mobile apps for both Mac and Android, so you have access to your designs whenever you need them.

• Real-time collaboration ($)
• Wide library of visual resources and templates
• Brand kits ($)
• Freemium (limited storage)
• Pro $12.99/mo. (billed annually)
• Teams $14.99/mo. (billed annually) (for the first 5 people)
• Wide array of templates
• Easy drag-and-drop interface
• Desktop apps: online and offline modes
• Best features are limited to premium plans

Best for : Versatile design tasks

15. Haiku Deck

If you’re looking for a user-friendly PowerPoint alternative, Haiku Deck might be the one for you. It allows you to create beautiful presentations with its huge library of photos and design elements.

Its interface is also pretty user-friendly, making it a great option to use for those who are not experienced in presentation design. And all their tools are focused on presentations’ best practices from experts, so you can rest assured that your message is being conveyed in the best way possible.

While Haiku Deck doesn’t offer a Freemium plan, you still have the option to try it out to see if it is the presentation software for you. You can register for the Basic plan to create your first free presentation. Just be aware that you’ll need to register after that and that you’ll not be able to download it.

Main features:

• Privacy controls
• Custom branding
• Analytics (only for Premium)
• Cloud-based workspace
• Pro $9.99/mo. (billed annually)
• Premium $29.99/mo. (billed annually)
• Big royalty-free photo library
• Easy export and import from PowerPoint and Keynote
• Simple and user-friendly
• No freemium option
• Limited customization options

Best for: Creative presentations for non-designers

Choosing the Most Suitable PowerPoint Alternative for You

When talking about the best possible alternative to PowerPoint, it all comes down to what you’re looking for. While each of the presentation software we’ve presented in this article has its pros and cons, some might work better than others depending on the use you’re planning to give them.

The best free PowerPoint alternative

If you’re looking for a free presentation software that can do pretty much the same thing as PowerPoint, then Google Slides is definitely the best !

Google Slides workspace is pretty similar to PowerPoint, making it easy to work with for those who are already familiar with this type of software. It also has the added bonus that you only need a free Google account to gain access to it and, of course, full integration with other Google Workspace software.

Some PowerPoint features, like complex animations, for example, might not be available for Google Slides. However, other features like real-time collaboration compensate for it.

Another option for a free PowerPoint alternative is ZohoShow . Its mobile apps will allow you to create and edit your slides on the go with pretty much the same design options as PowerPoint.

The best PowerPoint alternative for enterprises

When talking about PowerPoint alternatives for enterprises, you should look for software that truly elevates your presentations and offers the most with their paid plans.

Beautiful.ai is a great option for enterprises looking for presentation software options . Its AI doesn't only help you design outstanding presentation slides, but its smart tools will help you create more presentations in a more efficient way.

If your focus is sales-oriented content, then you can’t go wrong with DigiDeck . Its advanced analytics and integration with CRM tools make it the perfect option for sales presentations.

The best presentation software for team collaboration

If you need a PowerPoint alternative that will allow different people to work together on a single project, you also have several good options.

Google Slides' real-time collaboration can work wonders for teams that need to go back and forth on the same document. Its free plan allows you to add several different collaborators to your workspace, which is also a plus.

Visme’s collaboration workspace is also worth checking out, as its organization and commentator options can be a huge asset for teams that need to work together on a single document.

The best PowerPoint alternative for e-learning and training

When talking about presentations for e-learning and online training, making them dynamic and didactic is key. That’s why some of the best presentation software alternatives for educational purposes are Powtoon and Vyond.

Powtoon offers a wide array of customization options for its animated characters, making it easy to develop your brand voice and identity. And Vyond’s character lipsync feature will help you make your presentations and video feel more seamless.

If you’re looking for an e-learning PowerPoint alternative, you might also want to check out Emaze . It features options to add questionnaires and exams to your presentations!

The best PowerPoint alternative for small businesses

For small businesses looking for PowerPoint alternatives for their presentations, it might be useful to hire software that also offers them a wide array of design options beyond just slides. That’s why Piktochart or Canva can be great presentation design options for small businesses .

Their both offer a template library that can be used for a whole range of design tasks. And their paid plans feature brand options that will help small businesses create a sense of unity between their different visual channels.

Hopefully, this PowerPoint alternative list will have offered you a good option for your presentation design!

However, there’s one thing they all have in common: whichever option you pick, you will still have to invest time and effort in creating presentation slides. So why not forget all about presentation design? 24Slides can take this time off your hands while you focus on more important tasks. Just sit back and relax while our professional presentation designers do all the heavy lifting and convert your slides into a true work of art!

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Rated 4.5 of 5 | Office Timeline 5482 reviews

How to make a project plan presentation for clients and stakeholders

Elevate your project presentations to new heights! Learn the art of captivating clients and stakeholders with our expert tips.

Tim Stumbles

May 13, 2014

25 min read

Updated on February 27, 2024

Ever wondered what sets successful project managers apart? It’s the knack for delivering killer project presentations. Whether you’re gearing up for a stakeholder meeting or updating the higher-ups, nailing clear communication is the name of the game.

In this article, we’re not just talking about how to showcase data – we’re diving into the art of creating engaging project plans that captivate clients and stakeholders .

To help you transform your project presentations, we’ll share insights into how to:

• Simplify your approach for impactful communication.
• Visualize project plans effectively to captivate your audience .
• Select the right chart type for your project .
• Streamline project organization using Excel .

Get ready for practical tips and actionable techniques to make your presentations shine, breaking down the barriers of business communication right from the start!

1. Simplify your presentation for impactful communication

When presenting to project stakeholders, it’s crucial to move beyond mere data and offer a compelling narrative. Rather than drowning in the details of a project charter, consider crafting a visually engaging project roadmap . This approach allows you to add context and to delve into specifics as needed.

While Microsoft Project is commonly used in the planning phase, its detailed Gant chart views (like the example below), may not effectively convey key insights during stakeholder meetings. This is why your next executive-level project review should rely on more visual project management tools to lay out the strategic planning process. The goal is to make complex information easily digestible while ensuring stakeholders grasp the business implications.

An exec-level project review should summarize the strategic planning process and showcase its progress in a visually appealing manner. Remember: the challenge consists of making the information easy to digest and ensuring that audiences understand the business implications.

2. Visualize project data effectively

The best option for outlining a project’s plan is to create a workflow diagram that correlates the tasks with the critical milestones, as shown in the Gantt chart example below:

Presenting the project roadmap in this manner helps your stakeholders quickly see the scheduled tasks, as well as their duration, sequences and other task dependencies , all of which define the critical path . Furthermore, connecting the project activities (tasks) with the project events (milestones) offers clients and execs more insight, which translates to better management decisions.

3. Select the right type of graphic for your project – Timelines vs Gantt charts

When it comes to visually representing your project’s strategic planning process, two main options are commonly used: timelines and Gantt charts . While timelines focus primarily on events, such as milestones, Gantt charts typically depict activities or tasks. However, to create an ideal project presentation, it’s crucial to strike a balance between showcasing both tasks and milestones.

To ensure clarity and coherence, consider utilizing a unified graph, such as a swimlane diagram . This type of graphical representation allows you to categorize tasks and milestones according to their specific project life cycle phase, providing a comprehensive overview of your project’s progress.

To decide which of the two visual project management charts serves you best, check out our case study on the benefits of using timelines in project presentations or our article on the do’s and don’ts of creating a Gantt chart .

Next, let’s take a comparative look at two frequently used alternatives for visually rendering a project charter, Excel and PowerPoint . We will explain how to make a Gantt chart in Excel using a bar graph, and how to make an Excel timeline using a scatter graph. We will also show you how to quickly make a single, unified Gantt chart + Timeline presentation in .PPTX by using our add-in for PowerPoint, Office Timeline .

4. Streamline project data organization in Excel

Whether or not you’re going to create the Gantt chart in Excel, this application from the Microsoft suite is a great place to start drafting the project schedule. More exactly, you will need to create the  Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)  by breaking down the project into smaller pieces of work – the tasks. Make an Excel project management template that you can reuse, then list each of the tasks on the data table in the correct sequence. The tasks will form the project Gantt chart and their order will determine the project schedule.

Another important piece of the puzzle to integrate in your Excel project management template is the milestone section. Project milestones consist of all major deadlines your plan must achieve, and they form your Excel timeline. We have included a Work Breakdown Structure example below, for clarity purposes.

Note : Keep in mind that this is a high-level presentation aimed at executives and stakeholders, so it should not be overly complex. Consider trimming it down if the project schedule contains more than 20 tasks and 20 milestones, in order to facilitate understanding and keep the audience engaged.

Option 1: Making the Excel graphs

It’s worth noting that Excel is nowhere near as graphics-oriented as PowerPoint. The direct result is that your Excel Gantt charts and timelines will tend to look more like stacked bar graphs and, respectively, scatter charts.

Another drawback is that Excel doesn’t allow you to combine a Gantt chart (tasks) with a timeline (milestones) into a unified project roadmap. Therefore, you will need to create two separate visuals and combine them on one slide or present them individually. In order to do that, you will first need to make a Gantt chart showing the tasks of your project plan and then a timeline with your project milestones. Here’s how:

• Step 1: Create a Gantt chart in Excel with the stacked bar chart function

Once you have your project schedule in Excel you will add the task data into an Excel stacked bar graph and then follow approximately 20+ formatting steps to transform it from a stacked bar chart into an Excel Gantt chart, which will end up looking something like the chart below. For detailed instructions, please check out our guide on  how to make a Gantt chart in Excel .

• Step 2: Create a timeline in Excel using the scatter chart function

To create a timeline in Excel you will need to use a scatter chart. Add your data to the scatter chart then follow approximately 25 steps to format it so it looks like a timeline presentation, as shown below. If that’s easier, check out our easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide and a how-to  video tutorial .

Note : However familiar and accessible this Microsoft application may be, there are certain limitations that make it less than ideal for project presentations, including:

• No method to combine an Excel Gantt chart with a timeline. Executives and stakeholders should be able to view the tasks and milestones in conjunction with each other for better visibility into the critical deadlines and activities.
• Making a project roadmap featuring a timeline or Gantt chart in Excel requires advanced operating skills. Converting Excel’s stacked and scatter charts into Gantt charts and timelines depends on properly following a specific sequence of formatting steps.
• The resulting diagrams are not as visually appealing as a PowerPoint slide and considerably more difficult to share with everyone involved.

Option 2: Create the project roadmap as a native PowerPoint slide

So far, we have shown you how to make a Gantt chart in Excel and mix it with a timeline, in order to provide your stakeholders with a 2-part overview of your project schedule. Next, let’s take a look at the alternative: using a PowerPoint timeline maker with embedded Gantt chart functions to generate a slide with both graphics combined.

PowerPoint is perceived as a superior tool for building project presentations. Since it is a graphical application, it is designed for creating and communicating charts in a visual way. Additionally, since it’s a common tool in enterprises, PowerPoint is familiar to audiences, and slides can be easily shared. There are two main ways to build project slides in PowerPoint using our Office Timeline add-in :

• Create the Work Breakdown Structure template in Excel and import the data

Earlier in the article we included a Work Breakdown Structure example made in Excel. The first option relies on using the  import feature  from Office Timeline and bring in the data tables with tasks and milestones. To import the project schedule you created in Excel, use the Office Timeline wizard which will link to your project spreadsheet (or .MPP file, if you prefer Microsoft Project). Here’s a quick demo:

There’s another reason to import the data from an Excel spreadsheet and that’s the  refresh data feature . In short, since the PowerPoint slide is linked to a worksheet, it can be synchronized and updated with the click of a button when the spreadsheet data changes. Check out our support article that explains how the sync process works .

Note : For better visibility, Office Timeline also allows you to import tasks and milestones directly into swimlane templates .

2. Use a Gantt chart or timeline template (swimlanes are also supported)

There are definitely advantages to importing the data file from an external application like Excel or Microsoft project. However, that isn’t your only option. Office Timeline comes with an extensive collection of professional templates that can easily adapt to a wide variety of different project types. These timeline templates are embedded in the add-in and there is also a free gallery with new ones added regularly, for your convenience. Here’s a quick overview of the template functionality:

Simply replace the default data with your own tasks and milestones, and Office Timeline generates the graphic for you.

Note : Customizing a timeline or Gantt chart template with your own data can be done at any time from the user-friendly and highly intuitive interface. Update it easily whenever there are changes in your project schedule, restyle it and share it with your team, all from within PowerPoint. It’s very flexible!

Conclusions

Mastering the art of presenting project plans to clients and stakeholders is essential for project managers. By simplifying your approach, visualizing project plans effectively, selecting the right chart type for your data, and streamlining the way you organize your information, you can elevate your presentations to new heights. With these tips and tricks in hand, you’ll be well-equipped to captivate your audience and drive successful project outcomes.

If you regularly find yourself liaising with the management or your stakeholders and dread the thought of spending hours creating presentations with the traditional tools in the Microsoft Office suite, then check out Office Timeline. Available as a free version , this handy project roadmap-creation app can save you time and ensure you drive your point home without the drawback of an intimidating learning curve. For the more complex timelines, we recommend giving the tool's most advanced edition a try.

FAQs about making client and stakeholder presentations

Gain insight into how you can improve your project plan presentations to clients and stakeholders with our Q&A section. Below, we offer you the answers to the most common questions related to the topic.

What should I include in my project plan presentation?

To be relevant to your stakeholders, your project plan presentation should include a high-level overview of the following items: • Goals • Timelines • Milestones • Key deliverables • Risks • Budget.

How do I ensure my project plan presentation is engaging for clients and stakeholders?

To ensure that your project plan presentation engages your C-suite audience, incorporate visual aids such as project management charts and diagrams to make complex information more digestible. Focus on telling a compelling story that highlights the project’s objectives, benefits, and potential impact. Learn more about how to capture your stakeholders’ attention during presentations with our article on why stakeholders usually ignore project reports and how to fix that .

How can I effectively communicate project progress during the presentation?

Effectively communicate project progress by providing clear updates on completed tasks, ongoing activities, and any potential roadblocks or challenges. Use visual progress indicators such as Gantt charts or timelines to illustrate milestones achieved and remaining tasks.

What should I do if stakeholders have questions or concerns during the presentation?

Be prepared to address questions and concerns promptly and thoroughly. Take the time to listen actively, clarify any misunderstandings, and provide relevant information or data to alleviate concerns.

Should I tailor my project plan presentation to different types of stakeholders?

Yes, it’s essential to customize your presentation to resonate with the specific interests and priorities of different stakeholders. By tailoring your content to address their unique needs and concerns, you will be able to get the message across in a more effective way and ensure that you gain their support throughout your project’s life cycle. Learn how to correctly identify, analyze, and prioritize the parties that may be affected or have an impact on your project with our blog post on stakeholder analysis .

What are some common pitfalls to avoid when presenting project plans to clients and stakeholders?

When presenting project plans to clients and stakeholders, it’s crucial to steer clear of common pitfalls that can hinder effective communication and understanding. Here are some of the most important ones to keep in mind: • Avoid using overly technical language or jargon – while you may be well-versed in technical terminology related to your project, it’s essential to remember that not all stakeholders may share the same level of expertise. Using complex jargon can lead to confusion and misinterpretation. Instead, strive to communicate in clear, straightforward language that everyone can understand, regardless of their background or expertise. • Be transparent about risks and challenges – every project comes with its own set of risks and challenges, and it’s vital to address them openly and honestly during your presentation. Transparency builds trust and demonstrates your commitment to managing potential obstacles effectively. Discussing risks also allows stakeholders to provide input and support in mitigating them, fostering a collaborative approach to project management. • Avoid making unrealistic promises or commitments – although it may be tempting to promise quick results or guaranteed success, it’s essential to be realistic and honest about what can be achieved within the project’s constraints. Making unrealistic promises can set false expectations and ultimately lead to disappointment if objectives are not met. Instead, focus on presenting a realistic project plan with achievable goals and timelines, based on thorough gap analysis and assessment. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can ensure that your project plan presentation effectively engages stakeholders, fosters understanding, and sets the stage for successful project execution.

How can I follow up with clients and stakeholders after the presentation to ensure alignment and understanding?

Send a follow-up email summarizing key takeaways, action items, and next steps discussed during the presentation. Encourage stakeholders to reach out with any further questions or concerns.

What tools or software can help enhance my project plan presentations?

To enhance your presentations, consider using project management tools that will help you organize, manage, and track complex data in a visual way. Additionally, presentation platforms like PowerPoint can help you design professional-looking slides based on your project information. Designed as a PowerPoint plugin, Office Timeline offers the best of both worlds – it allows you to import project plans from productivity tools like Microsoft Project , Excel , or Jira and turn it into presentation-ready high-level slides that can be quickly shared and updated. For more resources on how to process and communicate project data visually, check out our review of the 8 best visual project management software .

Tim is Co-Founder & CEO of Office Timeline, a Seattle-based start-up that aims to rid the world of boring, uninspiring meetings.

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How to Make a Timeline in PowerPoint (Template Included)

Timelines allow organizations to estimate how long it will take to execute a project, no matter what industry they’re in. This is done by identifying all the tasks that will be executed, estimating their duration and then determining their start and end dates.

Besides tracking time and scheduling tasks, project timelines also allow project managers to know exactly when resources such as labor, materials and equipment will be needed, which is important for completing projects on time and estimating costs accurately.

Because of their importance for project planning, there’s a large number of free and paid software tools that can help make project timelines. In this blog, we’ll explain how to create a timeline in PowerPoint.

Why Make a Timeline in PowerPoint?

One of the main advantages of using PowerPoint to make a project timeline is that most people are familiar with this software and it can be easier to use than other Microsoft products such as Word, Excel or Project.

Along the same lines, PowerPoint is available in most organizations which makes it a cost-effective alternative to project management software. This also makes it a file format that’s easy to understand for external project stakeholders such as clients.

Unfortunately, PowerPoint wasn’t designed for project management and lacks the project planning, scheduling and monitoring features that specialized software such as ProjectManager can offer. ProjectManager offers multiple tools for making and monitoring project timelines, including Gantt charts, kanban boards, real-time data project dashboards and much more. Get started with ProjectManager for free today.

While PowerPoint may not be the software organizations need for managing projects, it’s still ideal for making simple timelines for project management presentations. As the team is likely already familiar with PowerPoint, it can be a positive solution for those who aren’t ready to upgrade to more powerful and dynamic software.

PowerPoint Timeline Template

This free PowerPoint timeline template is ideal for explaining to project team members their tasks, their expected duration, and the due dates for their completion during a project management presentation such as a kickoff meeting or a project status meeting.

How to Make a Timeline in PowerPoint in 3 Steps

Let’s now review the step-by-step process of creating a timeline in PowerPoint. If you don’t want to make a timeline from scratch, you can instead download our free PowerPoint timeline template from our project management templates library. We’ve broken the template into sections for each employee and their tasks, all on an easy-to-read timeline.

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Use this free PowerPoint Timeline Template to manage your projects better.

1. Define the Time Frame the Project Timeline Will Cover

Timelines may span across multiple timeframes, such as a month, a year, or even longer. Usually, businesses and nonprofit organizations employ yearly timelines divided into quarters as this is the preferred timeframe for business planning and reporting. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll make a monthly timeline to spread the workload of a small project team . To get started choose a blank page layout, which will facilitate the next steps.

When the table appears, select all the columns in the top row, right-click them and then select “Merge Cells.” This will combine all these cells and this merged cell will work as the heading for the timeline. For this example, we’ll enter the name of the month and year. Then enumerate the bottom row cells to show the day of the month.

Once you’ve completed the steps above, the timeline should look like this.

2. List Team Members and The Tasks They’re Assigned to Complete

Now, repeat the process of inserting a table, but this time it will be a two-column table. The cell in the top left corner will be used to identify the team member who will be completing project tasks , and the rows under it will be used to list the activities they’re responsible for. Then the size of the column to the right needs to be adjusted as shown below.

For these two task list tables, we used two columns and five rows, but you might add more rows depending on your team’s workload .

3. Add Project Tasks to the PowerPoint Timeline

Now it’s time to add bars to represent project tasks, their start and end dates and durations. To do so, simply choose a shape from the top menu. In this case, we’ll use a rectangle with rounded corners, as this shape is typically used in Gantt charts , the most commonly used project scheduling tool. Then start adding these shapes to show the tasks that each of your team members will complete as shown below.

Congratulations, you’ve just created a PowerPoint timeline template your organization can use to plan its projects and analyze workload .

However, as stated above, PowerPoint can help make a basic timeline but doesn’t offer the planning, scheduling and tracking features needed to manage tasks, processes or projects. If you’re looking for project management software to help create detailed timelines, try ProjectManager instead.

ProjectManager’s Gantt Chart Is Better Than a PowerPoint Timeline

ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that’s designed to manage projects from start to end. This involves making timelines, assigning tasks to team members, tracking the cost of resources and helping project managers monitor how resources are being allocated. Let’s review some of its key project planning and scheduling features.

Make Interactive Project Timelines with Multiple Tools

ProjectManager’s online Gantt chart maker is ideal for making project timelines that show much more than just the due dates and duration of tasks. With this robust project scheduling tool, project managers can link task dependencies, identify the critical path, allocate resources and compare cost estimates against actual project costs. Best of all, it allows users to create their own columns to track unique variables about project tasks.

Then once a project timeline has been created using the Gantt chart, the tasks that make it up can be managed using other tools such as kanban boards , project calendars, and task lists. These allow project managers and team members to visualize the project timeline from different perspectives and manage work with their favorite tool.

Track Project Timelines with Real-Time Data

After making a timeline it’s important to have tools to track the progress of the team that will execute the work to ensure the project will be completed within the planned time frame. ProjectManager’s Gantt chart syncs with project management dashboards that show the percentage of completion of tasks, resource utilization and cost tracking information, which helps project managers check whether their teams are on track to meet the project on time and under budget. There are also a variety of real-time data reports that can be generated in minutes.

Balance Your Team’s Workload and Track Costs

ProjectManager offers a workload management chart to visualize how tasks are being allocated among team members, which is very helpful when making a timeline. With this tool they can determine who is over or underallocated, so they can distribute work evenly. This helps make a realistic timeline. Additionally, ProjectManager’s timesheets automatically log the work hours of employees based on the tasks they’re assigned to in the Gantt chart and other project planning tools.

Related Content

We’ve created dozens of blogs, templates and guides to help project managers master the art of making project timelines. Here are a few of them.

• Project Timeline Software – Create a Project Timeline Online
• Project Timeline Maker: How to Make a Project Timeline Online
• Project Timeline: The Ultimate Guide (with Examples)
• Free Excel Timeline Template
• How to Create a Timeline in Excel (Free Templates Included)
• Free Google Sheets Timeline Template: Create Plans Online

ProjectManager is robust project management software equipped with multiple project management views to help you manage every aspect of your project. Choose between Gantt charts, kanban boards, project dashboards and other award-winning project management tools. Get started for free today.

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Project Scheduling 101: How To Schedule Your Projects

Published: Aug 27, 2024, 8:40am

Table of Contents

What is a project schedule, what is included in a project schedule, project scheduling in 7 steps, project scheduling techniques, common pitfalls in project scheduling and how to avoid them, bottom line, frequently asked questions (faqs).

Project scheduling is the backbone of successful project management , ensuring that tasks are completed on time and resources are optimally allocated. Understanding project scheduling is crucial for anyone looking to manage projects efficiently, whether in construction, IT, marketing or any field requiring meticulous planning.

In this article, you will learn what a project schedule is, its importance, the key elements included in a project schedule and steps to create an effective project schedule. Let’s dive into the world of project scheduling and uncover how to set up schedules that lead to project success.

Project scheduling is a detailed plan that outlines what needs to be done, by whom, by when and what resources are needed. It helps teams visualize the entire project from start to finish. Project schedules are not just about timelines; they encapsulate the project’s scope, resource allocation, task durations and dependencies among tasks. This comprehensive blueprint is essential for ensuring that a project achieves its stated outcomes within the stipulated time and budget.

Why Is Project Scheduling Important?

Project scheduling ensures that project milestones are met, resources are efficiently utilized and potential bottlenecks are identified early. Effective scheduling aids in risk management by allowing project managers to anticipate issues and make informed decisions. Moreover, it facilitates better communication among stakeholders by providing a clear picture of project progress and expectations.

Ultimately, a well-crafted project schedule is indispensable for delivering projects on time and within budget while also satisfying stakeholders and enhancing team productivity.

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A comprehensive project schedule includes several critical elements. By integrating these components, project managers can create a roadmap that guides the project from conception to completion.

• Deliverables: These are the specific outputs or products that are to be delivered to the client or stakeholder at various stages of the project. They can range from documents and software to constructed buildings, depending on the project’s nature.
• Tasks and Milestones: Every project is broken down into manageable tasks, each with specific milestones to mark significant achievements.
• Start and End Dates: Precise timing for each task and milestone helps track progress and ensure the project remains on schedule.
• Resources Assigned: This includes the allocation of human, financial and material resources necessary for each task.
• Dependencies: Understanding how tasks are interlinked is crucial for sequencing activities and avoiding project delays.
• Work Packages: These are groupings of tasks that form a major component of the project, allowing for easier management and assignment of responsibilities.
• Budgets: Budgets are detailed financial plans that outline the costs associated with each phase or component of the project, ensuring that expenditures are kept within the allocated amounts.

Creating an effective project schedule demands attention to detail and a methodical approach. Project managers can craft a detailed and effective project schedule by breaking down the process into manageable steps. This sets the foundation for successful project execution and also ensures that all team members are aligned and informed about their contributions to the project goals.

1. Define Project Scope and Objectives

Start with a clear understanding of what the project aims to achieve and its boundaries. This clarity is crucial for aligning all project activities towards the desired outcome.

2. Break Down the Project Into Tasks and Subtasks

Segment the project into smaller, actionable items. This detailed breakdown makes it easier to manage, delegate and track progress.

3. Develop Work Packages

Group related tasks into work packages. This approach helps streamline task assignments and focuses on completing significant project components.

4. Estimate Task Durations and Assign Resources

Determine how long each task will take and allocate the necessary resources, including personnel, equipment and budget. Accurate estimations are key to setting realistic deadlines and ensuring resource availability.

5. Identify Dependencies and Define the Critical Path

Understand the relationship between tasks to identify dependencies. This allows you to sequence tasks effectively and identify the critical path, which is the longest sequence of dependent tasks that determines the project’s minimum completion time.

6. Draft the Project Schedule Using Scheduling Tools

Utilize project scheduling software to compile all the information into a cohesive schedule. Tools such as Microsoft Project , Asana or Trello can offer visual representations of the schedule, facilitating easier adjustments and updates.

7. Review, Optimize and Communicate the Schedule

Engage stakeholders in reviewing the draft schedule to ensure it meets project objectives and is realistic. Make necessary adjustments based on feedback. Finally, communicate the finalized schedule to the entire project team, ensuring everyone knows their tasks and deadlines and how their work fits into the larger project timeline.

Project managers employ various techniques to enhance the effectiveness of their schedules. By leveraging these techniques, project managers can create more accurate and flexible project schedules, adapt to project changes, optimize resource allocation and ensure successful project delivery. Here are some of the most widely used project scheduling techniques:

Critical Path Method (CPM)

This technique involves identifying the longest sequence of dependent tasks that determine the project’s minimum completion time. By focusing on the critical path, project managers can prioritize tasks that directly impact the project’s deadline, ensuring that delays in these tasks do not derail the entire project.

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

PERT is a statistical tool used to analyze project tasks, estimate completion times for each task and determine the minimum time required to complete the entire project. PERT involves creating a project model that includes all the tasks, their durations, dependencies and the critical path.

Gantt Charts

A Gantt chart is a visual scheduling tool that illustrates a project schedule. It shows the start and finish dates of the various elements of a project. Gantt charts are useful for planning and scheduling projects, helping project managers visualize task durations, their sequences and how tasks overlap and link with each other.

Resource Leveling

This technique is used when resources are over-allocated or scarce. It involves adjusting the project schedule to smooth out the demand for resources, ensuring that they are used efficiently and without overburdening any resource at any time.

Time-Scaled Network Diagrams

Similar to Gantt charts, these diagrams represent tasks and their dependencies over time but offer a more detailed view of how tasks interconnect. This technique is useful for visualizing the flow of tasks and identifying potential bottlenecks.

Agile Scheduling

While not a traditional project scheduling technique, Agile methodologies offer a flexible approach to project management, focusing on delivering work in short, iterative cycles known as sprints. Agile scheduling is handy in projects where requirements evolve rapidly.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a hierarchical decomposition of all the tasks that must be completed to meet project objectives and create the required deliverables. By breaking down the project into smaller components, project managers can assign tasks more efficiently, estimate costs and durations more accurately and track project progress more effectively.

Project scheduling can be challenging, with some of the most common pitfalls being:

• Unrealistic deadlines that lead to rushed work and quality issues
• Poorly defined project scope that leads to scope creep and can derail the project timeline
• Inadequate resource allocation , which can create bottlenecks and delay project progress
• Dependency mismanagement that can lead to scheduling conflicts and delays
• Lack of contingency planning that doesn’t account for potential risks and can lead to issues and schedule disruptions

To avoid these pitfalls, engage in thorough planning, maintain open communication with the team and adopt a flexible approach to project management. Regularly reviewing and adjusting the project schedule in response to unforeseen changes can also help mitigate risks and keep the project on track.

Project scheduling is a critical skill that underpins successful project management. Project managers can significantly enhance project outcomes by understanding its importance and mastering the art of creating detailed and adaptable schedules. As you become more familiar with project scheduling, consider exploring advanced project management techniques and tools to further refine your skills and contribute to your projects’ successes.

What are the three types of project schedules?

The three main types of project schedules are the master schedule, milestone schedule and detailed schedule. The master schedule provides an overview of the project’s key phases and milestones. The milestone schedule focuses on major events and deliverables without detailing individual tasks. The detailed schedule breaks down each task, including start and end dates, resources needed and dependencies, offering an in-depth roadmap for project execution.

What are the seven steps of project planning?

The seven steps of project planning are:

• Define objectives
• Determine deliverables
• Assign resources
• Create a timeline
• Identify risks
• Establish communication protocols.

These steps guide from project conception through to execution, ensuring clarity and direction.

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A seasoned small business and technology writer and educator with more than 20 years of experience, Shweta excels in demystifying complex tech tools and concepts for small businesses. Her work has been featured in NewsWeek, Huffington Post and more. Her postgraduate degree in computer management fuels her comprehensive analysis and exploration of tech topics.

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New C++ features in Visual Studio v17.11

August 21st, 2024 2

Visual Studio 2022 version 17.11 is here and comes with a host of new features for C++ developers. We’ve made improvements across our toolchain, Unreal Engine support, Build Insights, CMake debugger, and more. This post gives a quick overview of what’s available; for all the details, see What’s New for C++ Developers in Visual Studio 2022 17.11 on the C++ blog.

Standard Library

The three main areas of improvement in this release are in formatted output, vectorization, and diagnostics. For formatted output, we’ve implemented parts of Formatting Ranges and all of Printing Blank Lines with println . Our vectorization improvements hit over a dozen of the standard algorithms, and we’ve improved the diagnostics of common misuses of std::ranges::to and std::get(std::tuple). See the STL changelog for all the details.

CMake Debugger

We have added support for the CMake debugger in CMake projects targeting Linux via WSL or SSH. The CMake debugger allows you to debug your CMake scripts and  CMakeLists.txt  files through the Visual Studio debugger.

To start a CMake debugging session, set a breakpoint in your  CMakeLists.txt  file and then navigate to  Project > Configure Cache with CMake Debugging .

Unreal Engine Support

We’ve added several new features for Unreal Engine developers:

• An Unreal Engine toolbar that provides quick access to Unreal Engine actions such as attaching to UE processes and accessing the UE log
• An Add Class dialog for adding common UE class templates to your project
• An Add Module dialog for adding UE modules to your project

Build Insights

In this update, we added quality of life changes to C++ Build Insights integration. You can now filter your Build Insights trace results by project. For results in each row, you will now see the relative path and file name instead of the full path. We have also improved the grouping of results in the Included Files view.

Breakpoint Performance

We have significantly enhanced the performance of conditional breakpoints in C++ through a reworked implementation.

Beginning with version 17.11, our initial assessment finds that execution time is almost four times as fast, reducing execution time from 80 seconds to 21 seconds over 80,000 iterations.

We hope this has given you a taste of what’s new. For all the details, see What’s New for C++ Developers in Visual Studio 2022 17.11 on the C++ blog.

We are very much interested in your feedback. The comments below are open. Feedback can also be shared through Visual Studio Developer Community . You can also reach us on Twitter ( @VisualC ), or via email at [email protected] .

Sy Brand C++ Developer Advocate, C++ Team

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How are the resources in your schedule being utilized? SSI’s Time Scaled Values Report shows you how resources are used during time periods you can define.

Schedule Excellence

Will your schedule pass an audit or inspection? SSI Tools will help you keep your schedule in tip top shape with it's collection of audits and metrics

Organizations you know use SSI Tools

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Since 1994 Structured Solutions Inc. has been providing Project Management and Scheduling solutions to some of the industries biggest names. See how SSI can help your organization today.

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