Microsoft Project (MSP) is a project management software program designed to assist project managers in developing plans, assigning resources to tasks, tracking progress, managing budgets, and analyzing workloads. The first version was released for DOS in 1984 by a company working for Microsoft. Microsoft bought the rights in 1985. MSP allows project managers to stay informed about project work, schedules, and finances, and keep project teams aligned using robust tools that provide usability, power, and flexibility.