Project Online Retirement: what partners need to know

The sun is setting on Microsoft Project Online, with Microsoft announcing it will be fully retired on September 30, 2026. 

If your organisation relies on Project Web App (PWA) in Microsoft 365 for project and portfolio management, this is a big milestone but not an immediate outage. The service will continue to operate until the retirement date, giving customers time to plan a smooth transition.

In this post, I’ll walk you through all the need-to-knows to plan for Project Online retirement including key dates, why Microsoft is making this change, how to check if your customers are affected and the transition options available.

What’s changing?

Retiring: Project Online comprising the cloud service / PWA experience.

Not affected: Project desktop, Project Server Subscription Edition, and Microsoft Planner, including premium capabilities.

Key dates.

• October 1, 2025: End of sale for new customers for Project Online-only SKUs. 
• April 1, 2026: Existing customers can no longer create new Project Online tenants.
• May 1, 2026: Planner and Project Plan 5 will move to End of Sale and will no longer be available to purchase as a new subscription. 
• September 30, 2026: Project Online retirement. Service will no longer be available. 

Why Microsoft is making this change.

In Microsoft’s words, Project Online’s legacy architecture limits how quickly the product can evolve and integrate with newer, collaborative and increasingly AI-assisted ways of working. The Project Online retirement signals that Microsoft is concentrating investment in the modern work management stack, including Planner, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and the Project Manager agent with the aim of delivering more scalable, integrated experiences across Microsoft 365.

How can I check if my customers are affected?

Typically, Project Online retirement will affect users with the following licenses:

• Project and Planner Plan 3
• Project and Planner Plan 5

You can confirm if they are affected with the following steps:

1. Log into the Customers SharePoint Online Admin portal
2. Under Site, click on the “Active Sites” page
3. In the active sites page, filter the “Template” column to show only “Project Web App Site”.
   

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   If any sites appear on the list, click on the URL. You will need to do this for each Project Web App Site.

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4. If the “Project Centre” page shows any projects that are active, it means you will need to transition that customer to another Project Management tool.
   

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Your transition options.

Microsoft highlights several paths forward. The best choice depends on whether you need lightweight team planning, modern project scheduling, or full project-and-portfolio management (PPM) with operational features like timesheets and resource scheduling.

Microsoft Planner (including premium)

Planner is Microsoft’s main tool for managing work. It is often overlooked in favour of other subscription based Kanban style project tools but offers solid features as part of every M365 subscription and includes features from Project for the web. These include:

• Task Management: Create, assign, and track tasks with checklists, labels, and file attachments.
• Views: task cards can be viewed in Board Kanban style, in Grid as a list, in Schedule as a calendar and in Charts for status/priority reporting.
• My Tasks/My Day: A personal view that consolidates tasks assigned to team members across different plans, including Teams meeting notes and To Do.
• Collaboration: Real-time commenting, file sharing, and co-authoring on plans.
• Teams Integration: Access Planner directly within Microsoft Teams channels.
• Basic Templates: Ability to use standard, pre-built templates for new plans.
• Security & Compliance: Data privacy, accessibility, and compliance features consistent with Microsoft 365 standards. KanBan style interface that combines easy task lists (like To Do), team collaboration, and features from Project for the web.

With premium plans, you get extras like Gantt charts, task dependencies, baselines, and portfolio views. If you use Copilot, the Project Manager agent can help create tasks, update statuses, and generate reports with AI.

Project Server Subscription Edition

If you need advanced project and portfolio management, Project Server Subscription Edition is your best bet. It offers detailed planning, scheduling, and resource management, all based on SharePoint Server.

Key features and capabilities include:

• Project & Portfolio Management: Centralised project intake, Portfolio Analysis & Modeling for prioritisation, and stage-gate workflows.
• Resource Management: Detailed resource capacity planning, demand management, and resource engagement tracking.
• Scheduling & Task Tracking: Advanced scheduling capabilities and task tracking via the Project Professional desktop client.
• Collaboration & Reporting: Real-time collaboration, issue/risk management, and reporting via Power BI.
• Licensing/Technical: Perpetual-style on-premises deployment with continuous, active subscription updates, security patches, and SharePoint Server Subscription Edition integration.

Requirements:
Requires SharePoint Server Subscription Edition (Enterprise).
Supported on Windows Server 2019/2022 and SQL Server 2019.

Dynamics 365 Project Operations

Dynamics 365 Project Operations is an end-to-end solution that connects sales, resourcing, project management, and finance teams on one platform. It streamlines project delivery by integrating Microsoft Project capabilities, CRM functionality for quoting, resource scheduling, time/expense tracking, and project accounting to enhance profitability and collaboration. This alternative option to Project Online is best for organisations that need strong timesheet and resource scheduling features.

Key features include:

• Project Sales & Quotation: Create accurate project quotes, estimates, and statements of work (SOW) using Dynamics 365 Sales. Supports fixed-price, time and materials, and retainer contracts.
• Project Planning & Delivery: Integrated Microsoft Project for the web enables interactive Gantt charts, Task management for work breakdown structure, and dependencies.
• Resource Management: Optimise resource utilisation by matching skills, availability, and cost rates to project needs, including a unified scheduling board.
• Time and Expense Management: Streamlined mobile-friendly apps for capturing time and expenses. Supports approvals, policy compliance, and receipt scanning.
• Project Financials & Accounting: Automates invoicing, project costing, and revenue recognition, with the capability to manage project accounting and WIP (Work in Progress).
• Collaboration: Deep integration with Microsoft Teams for contextual collaboration within projects.
• Analytics: Built-in dashboards and Power BI reports for tracking project performance, margins, and profitability.

D365 Project Operations Deployment Types

Project Operations offers three deployment scenarios tailored to business needs:

• Light (Project Sales and Delivery): Best for organisations needing front-office functionality, utilising Dynamics 365 Sales, and using a separate invoicing system.
• Resource/Non-Stocked: Includes all Light features plus full expense management, proforma invoicing, and project accounting, ideal for service firms.
• Stocked/Production: Adds functionality to handle inventory, procurement, and material consumption within projects, suitable for manufacturing or construction.

The wrap-up and how Crayon can help.

The Project Online retirement announcement is a clear signal that Microsoft is heading toward a more integrated work management experience built around Microsoft Planner, with increasing support from Copilot and AI agents.

The key is to treat September 30, 2026 as a firm deadline and use the runway to choose the right destination, prove it with a pilot, and move with confidence.

At Crayon, we are on the partners’ side. Always. We can assist you to review the best fit alternative for your customers based on their needs and requirements and support you in having those conversations.

If you have customers that will be affected by the Project Online retirement, reach out to your account manager for more information or email the Modern Work Technology Advisory Group.