Does This Sound Familiar?

You’ve spent weeks building a meticulous project plan in Microsoft Project—outlining every detail, mapping dependencies, structuring task relationships, and perfecting a Gantt chart. Your stakeholders have approved it, your team is ready to roll, and the project is kicking off. But then you hit a wall: how do you efficiently assign tasks and track progress?

Suddenly, you realize that MS Project wasn’t built for execution. Your carefully crafted plan now requires manual tracking in multiple disconnected systems, leading to frustration, inefficiency, and misalignment.

Do you love Excel so much that you want your project management tool to resemble it? If not, it’s time for a better approach.

Enter Jira Plans, Atlassian’s powerful work and project management tool designed to support teams of all types—Agile, Waterfall, business operations, HR, and more. Jira Plans pulls together multiple Jira projects to easily visualize work for cross-functional teams, centralizing everything in one intuitive UI. With Jira Plans, teams can strategically plan, execute, and distribute tasks efficiently—without the bottlenecks associated with legacy project management tools.

MS Project is the old-school cubicle approach to project management.
Jira Plans is the modern, sleek startup office space.

Why Choose Jira Plans Over Microsoft Project?

While Microsoft Project is known for its structured approach to project planning, Jira Plans offers a more dynamic, transparent, and scalable solution that supports both traditional Waterfall project management and Agile methodologies. Here’s why healthcare leaders, system integrators, and state department executives should consider switching:

1. Seamless Transition from Planning to Execution

  • With MS Project, plans look great on paper but become difficult to operationalize once teams need to start executing tasks.
  • Jira Plans bridges the gap between planning and execution, allowing teams to assign tasks, track progress, and update dependencies in real time.
  • Instead of maintaining multiple external systems, Jira Plans provides a centralized workspace where project plans, dependencies, and execution details are all connected.

2. Supports Both Waterfall and Agile Workflows

  • Unlike MS Project, which is predominantly Waterfall-based, Jira Plans provides flexibility for organizations that use Waterfall, Agile, or a hybrid approach.
  • Gantt chart-style roadmaps allow for structured planning, while Agile boards enable iterative execution—giving teams the best of both worlds.
  • Healthcare IT teams, EHR implementation vendors, and hospital systems don’t have to abandon existing methodologies; instead, Jira Plans accommodates and enhances them.

3. Collaboration Across Teams & Locations

  • Jira’s real-time collaboration capabilities allow for seamless communication between hospital administrators, IT teams, clinicians, and external vendors.
  • Unlike MS Project, which operates in silos, Jira enables cross-functional teams to work in parallel—reducing delays and ensuring alignment.

4. Compliance, Security, and Governance in Highly Regulated Environments

  • Jira’s role-based access control and data governance ensure secure project management for healthcare organizations dealing with PHI and HIPAA compliance.
  • Audit trails, version tracking, and regulatory alignment make Jira a safer and more compliant option than traditional project management tools.

5. Built-In Reporting, Forecasting, and Portfolio Management

  • Advanced roadmap capabilities provide visibility across teams, dependencies, and milestones—essential for large EHR implementations or multi-hospital IT rollouts.
  • Real-time insights allow stakeholders to track progress, identify risks, and adjust strategies proactively.
  • Jira integrates with Atlassian Analytics, enabling data-driven decision-making for healthcare leaders.
From Complexities to Clarity: How DHCS Embraced Agility and Transformed Healthcare Delivery in California

Oxalis: Your Trusted Atlassian Platinum Solutions Partner for Healthcare IT

At Oxalis, we specialize in helping highly regulated industries—including healthcare, public sector organizations, and government agencies—leverage Atlassian solutions to drive operational efficiency, compliance, and digital transformation.

Our Expertise Includes:

  • IT Service Management & Cloud Migrations
  • Agile Project & Portfolio Management
  • Enterprise Strategy & Planning for Healthcare IT
  • Jira Implementations for EHR, Security, and Compliance Initiatives

Whether your organization is looking to move away from Microsoft Project’s rigid, outdated workflows or seeking expert guidance on Jira adoption, Oxalis is here to help.

Ready to Modernize Your Project Management Approach?

If you’re currently using Microsoft Project and struggling with inefficiencies, limited collaboration, or lack of scalability, it’s time to make the switch to Jira Plans.

Talk to our experts today to explore how we can transform your project management capabilities and streamline healthcare IT operations.