Project Online Is Retiring: What Developers and IT Teams Should Know Before 2026

Microsoft has announced that Project Online will be officially retired on September 30, 2026.

That might sound like a long time away, but for enterprise environments built on Project Online’s infrastructure, this is a major shift. The product’s legacy architecture is being phased out in favor of more modern, low-code and AI-enabled solutions within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Why Microsoft Is Retiring Project Online

Project Online runs on SharePoint Online’s classic model — an architecture that’s showing its age.
Microsoft’s goal is to unify project management under newer tools like Microsoft Planner, Project for the Web, and the Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI).

These newer systems are:

• Cloud-native and scalable
• Integrate deeply with Teams and Dataverse
• Extendable via connectors and Power Automate flows
• Ready for AI copilots and predictive analytics

In short, the retirement isn’t about ending a product — it’s about rebuilding the foundation of work management for the Microsoft ecosystem.

Migration Options

Depending on your organization’s complexity, there are three main migration paths to consider:

1. Microsoft Planner

• For smaller teams or basic project tracking.
• ✅ Easy to use
• 🚫 Not suitable for enterprise-scale PMOs

2. Project Server Subscription Edition

• Closest match to Project Online’s feature set.
• Built on SharePoint Server
• Great for organizations that need on-premises or hybrid setups
• Offers strong scheduling, portfolio, and resource management

3. Power Platform (Recommended)

• This is the real direction Microsoft is heading.
• Build custom PPM (Project and Portfolio Management) apps in Power Apps
• Automate workflows via Power Automate
• Visualize data with Power BI
• Store project metadata in Dataverse

It’s not a 1:1 replacement — but a chance to modernize your project management stack while leveraging automation, AI, and cross-platform integration.

Migration Considerations

Migrating from Project Online isn’t a drag-and-drop operation.
You’ll likely need to rebuild:

• Metadata
• Security models
• Workflows
• Reports

Depending on your setup, expect weeks to months of planning and reconfiguration.

💬 Tip: For large orgs, run a pilot migration first — move one project set into Dataverse or Power Platform and validate your workflows before a full rollout.

🧠 Lessons for Developers and Admins

• Learn the Power Platform admin center — it’s where future project configurations live.
• Get familiar with Dataverse schema and relationships, since you’ll be migrating structured project data there.
• Expect to use Power Automate to replicate your existing workflows.
• Reports will move from OData endpoints in Project Online to Power BI datasets in Dataverse.

This transition is less about “moving tools” and more about adapting to Microsoft’s new data model for work management.

The retirement of Project Online signals a clear shift in Microsoft’s strategy: from traditional project management tools to customizable, low-code, AI-ready solutions.

If you’re in IT, PMO, or development, now is the time to:

1. Audit your current Project Online environment.
2. Identify custom fields, workflows, and reports that must be rebuilt.
3. Explore Power Platform capabilities — they’ll be central to everything that replaces Project Online.

Starting early could save your organization months of rework down the line.