Comparison
Orbit PM vs Excel: why replace spreadsheets for project planning?
Excel is the default planning tool for many teams. Flexible, universal, accessible — but severely limited once projects multiply and resources are shared. Orbit PM was built specifically to fill those gaps for agencies, IT services firms, and consulting companies.
The problem
The limits of Excel for multi-project resource management
Excel is excellent for many use cases. But for resource planning across multiple simultaneous projects, it generates recurring problems that get worse as the organization grows.
Chronic version conflicts
Multiple people edit shared files simultaneously. Versions pile up, data is lost or contradicts itself.
Zero consolidated visibility
Each project has its own file. There is no unified dashboard to see the team's total workload across all projects at once.
Undetected overloads
Manually calculating whether a team member is overloaded across multiple parallel projects is complex and error-prone.
Time-consuming maintenance
Updating an Excel planning file every week takes time that would be better spent managing actual projects.
Stale data
Between manual updates, the file doesn't reflect reality on the ground. Decisions are made on outdated data.
No SSO or enterprise security
Excel files circulate by email or on shared drives — no access control, no audit trail, no centralized authentication.
Feature Comparison
Orbit PM vs Excel — feature by feature
| Criterion | Excel / Google Sheets | Orbit PM |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time workload view | Manual recalculation, frequent errors | ✓ Automatic and instant, color-coded |
| Overload detection | Nonexistent — complex formula to maintain | ✓ Automatic as soon as an allocation is entered |
| Simultaneous multi-project | Manual consolidation across files | ✓ Unified native view of all projects |
| Simultaneous collaboration | Risk of version conflicts | ✓ Web application, simultaneous editing |
| Allocation history | Overwritten with each update | ✓ Retained and traceable in the database |
| Scenario simulation | Manual file copying | ✓ Dynamic reallocation in a few clicks |
| Portfolio dashboard | Manual summary table to maintain | ✓ Automatic real-time KPIs |
| SSO authentication | Not applicable | ✓ Microsoft Azure AD and Okta native |
| Integration API | No (except advanced VBA) | ✓ Full REST API |
| Learning curve | Very low (universal tool) | Up and running in a few hours |
| Calculation flexibility | Unlimited (custom formulas) | Covers project resource management needs |
| Initial access cost | Included in Microsoft 365 or free | Dedicated SaaS subscription |
Orbit PM is right for you if…
- ✓You manage more than 3 simultaneous projects with shared resources
- ✓You struggle to know who is available for a new assignment
- ✓Your Excel planning files have become unmanageable or unreliable
- ✓You want to optimize the utilization rate of your team
- ✓You need consolidated visibility across all your projects
- ✓You want to detect overloads before they become problems
- ✓Your organization uses Microsoft Azure AD or Okta for authentication
Excel still works if…
- →You manage 1 or 2 independent projects with no shared resources
- →Your team has fewer than 5 people on a single project
- →You need complex, custom financial calculations
- →You don't need real-time collaboration
Ready to move from Excel to Orbit PM?
Move from Excel to Orbit PM with a tool designed to structure workload, allocation, and multi-project management.