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Microsoft Project vs MaintWiz: Use Alongside or Replace?
Microsoft Project is a scheduling tool planners know well, and many plants use it for shutdowns. It is not built to hold scope, permits, readiness gates, spares, contractors and cost, so teams do much of that by hand beside it. MaintWiz keeps all of it in one plan and imports and exports Microsoft Project XML, so planners keep the format and terms they know.
How MaintWiz helps: MaintWiz adds readiness gates, permits and spares status next to a critical path your planners recognise, and reads the plan you already have.
By Jai Balachandran · Technical review: Murali Nerur Pasupathy · Published · Last reviewed
What MaintWiz adds:Critical path and floatReadiness gatesPermits and isolationsSpares status with SAP
Which fits
When is Microsoft Project the better fit, and when is MaintWiz?
The honest split: Project is the simplest tool for a single planner's schedule; MaintWiz is the better home once many people must update permits, spares and field status.
Compared on public information read on 30 October 2026
Choose Microsoft Project when
- One planner builds a stop of up to a few thousand activities and shares it as a Gantt or PDF.
- The organisation already holds Microsoft licences and the team's skills are in Project.
- The stop is short and low risk and no SAP link is needed.
- Contractors deliver Project files and the owner only reviews the schedule.
Use MaintWiz alongside Project when
- Several planners and contractors update permits, kitting and scope at once.
- SAP work orders must flow into the plan and progress must flow back without re-keying.
- Readiness gates (permits, parts, crew) must be checked per activity before a job starts.
- Field status is needed daily, not after a weekly update.
Choose MaintWiz when
- You want one plan for scope, schedule, readiness, permits, spares, field work and cost.
- You want to start from your existing Microsoft Project plan as XML.
- Technicians should close checklists with readings and photos that update progress and cost.
- You want AI agents that review scope, estimates and schedule with a named approver.
Comparison
How do Microsoft Project and MaintWiz compare area by area?
Public information on Project comes from Microsoft documentation and the GAO schedule guide; rows where Project is stronger are marked.
| Area | Microsoft Project (public information) | MaintWiz |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | Gantt with task dependencies, a calculated critical path, resource levelling and baselines1,2 Stronger for familiarity and ease of use. | Native Gantt with critical path, float, baselines, critical chain analysis and what-if scenarios; Monte Carlo confidence of finish |
| Plan size | Project desktop is documented for up to 400,000 tasks per project, depending on the computer3 | Built for the network of one stop |
| Cloud route | Microsoft scheduled Project Online to retire on 30 September 2026; Planner premium is documented at 3,000 tasks per project4,5 | Cloud platform |
| Data exchange | MPP, XML for exchange with other programs, and Excel for field data only, not whole plans6 | Imports and exports Microsoft Project XML; imports Excel task lists |
| Permits and isolations | Permit-to-work and isolation management are not described in the Microsoft documentation we read | ePTW permits and isolations on each work order, blocking close while open |
| Readiness gates | Not described in the Microsoft documentation we read; readiness is usually tracked outside the schedule | Readiness gates configured to your requirements, with waivers recorded by name, reason and date |
| Spares and SAP | GAO notes that a reliable schedule must reflect materials and resource availability7; a link to SAP work orders is not described in the documentation we read | Needed, in stock and short, with the SAP request or order behind each part; SAP in PM or MM mode |
| Field execution | Not described in the Microsoft documentation we read; progress is usually updated by planners | Checklists with ticks, readings and photos, QR scan, offline on transaction screens |
The rival
What is Microsoft Project?
Microsoft Project is a scheduling application with Gantt charts, task dependencies and a calculated critical path.
The desktop edition saves in MPP and exchanges full plans as XML6. Microsoft scheduled the hosted Project Online service to retire on 30 September 2026, with Planner premium as the cloud route4. Permits, spares status and field execution sit in other systems.
- Project desktop is unaffected by the Project Online retirement4.
- Resource levelling resolves overallocation by delaying and splitting tasks; the critical path is calculated and shown on the Gantt1,2.
- Do not assume Project cannot handle a large stop: the desktop limit is far above most turnaround networks. The gap is everything around the schedule.
- Excel exports field data only, so XML is the path for a full plan6.
MaintWiz
What does the MaintWiz shutdown module include?
The module covers the schedule, readiness, permits, spares, field work and cost in one plan, with AI agents that propose and people who approve.
The shutdown and turnaround module plans, prepares, executes, controls and closes the stop in one system with the MaintWiz CMMS.
- Gantt chart with critical path, float, baselines and a float flag
- Critical chain analysis and what-if scenarios on the live plan
- Monte Carlo confidence of finish and the drivers of the forecast finish
- Readiness gates configured to your requirements, with signed waivers
- Permits and isolations from ePTW on each work order
- Spares status with the SAP request or order behind each part
- Technician checklists with readings, photos and findings to the planner
- AI agents for scope, estimates, schedule review, daily summaries and lessons
See the shutdown and turnaround module · AI shutdown planning
Working alongside
How do you run MaintWiz alongside Microsoft Project, or make it the main plan?
Import your plan as XML and run one stop in both.
Save your Project plan as Microsoft Project XML, import it, check the critical path and run one stop in parallel. MaintWiz can export XML back.
- 1
Import
Bring the task list from your current tool as Microsoft Project XML or Excel.
- 2
Compare
Check the critical path and float against your current plan.
- 3
Run alongside
Run one stop in both and compare status daily; keep the scheduler for the schedule if your team prefers.
- 4
Decide
Keep both, or make MaintWiz the main plan for the stop and train planners, supervisors and technicians.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft Project enough for a plant shutdown?
It is enough for the schedule. A shutdown also needs scope, permits, readiness gates, spares, contractors and cost, which teams often track by hand beside Project. MaintWiz holds those in one plan.
Can MaintWiz replace Microsoft Project for turnarounds?
For the turnaround itself, yes. MaintWiz has a Gantt with critical path, float and baselines and adds readiness, permits, spares and field execution. Project remains simpler for a single planner's schedule.
Can I import my Microsoft Project plan?
Yes. Import it as Microsoft Project XML, or use an Excel task list, and check the critical path against your current plan. Microsoft says Excel exports only field data, so XML is the path for a full plan.6
What happened to Project Online?
Microsoft scheduled Project Online to retire on 30 September 2026. Project desktop is not affected.4
Is a critical chain different from the critical path?
The critical path follows task dependencies. Critical chain analysis also takes resource limits into account. MaintWiz offers both on the live plan.
Does MaintWiz work with SAP?
Yes. It connects in SAP PM or SAP MM mode, shows the request or order behind each short part and keeps SAP as the system of record.
Sources
Sources
Microsoft documentation and the GAO schedule guide, read on 30 October 2026. Check each vendor's current material before you decide; products change.
- Microsoft Support, Project management goal: manage risk in your project (critical path and baseline)
- Microsoft Support, Resource leveling dialog box
- Microsoft Support, Specifications for Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Learn, Lifecycle: Project Online
- Microsoft Learn, Project for the web limits and boundaries
- Microsoft Support, File formats supported by Project desktop
- US Government Accountability Office, GAO Schedule Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Project Schedules (GAO-16-89G)
See your own shutdown plan in MaintWiz
Book a demo and bring last stop's task list. We will load it next to your current tool so you can compare the critical path, the gates and the daily view on your data.