By now, you likely have heard Microsoft’s announcement that Project Online will be officially deprecated in September 2026.
Over more than 25 years in technology delivery and PPM leadership, I’ve seen this industry transform multiple times. From deploying on-premise Microsoft Project Server in highly regulated environments to helping organizations adopt cloud-based Project Online and Power Platform solutions. I’ve had the privilege of leading modernization initiatives that fundamentally changed how organizations operate. For about 20 of those years, Project Server and Project Online have been at the core of those transformations. I have personally implemented Project Online in its variations for the Project and Portfolio Management organizations that I have built and led in 4 different companies. However, with Microsoft's announcement that Project Online will be deprecated in roughly 1 year, that era is quickly coming to an end.
If I were still in one of those previous roles, I would be frantically looking online and reaching out to my network, MS Account Managers, and potentially even competing products that I have evaluated over the years to quickly determine my options and come up with a plan.
The clock is ticking, and you might be in a similar role and situation, desperately searching the web for ideas and answers on what to do next.
Let’s be honest: change is rarely comfortable. For PMO leaders, the first reaction to this announcement will likely be one of fear. I know it would be my first reaction if I were still leading a PMO. “What happens to the customizations, reports, dashboards, resource transparency, governance and compliance response capabilities, and historical data that took years to build?”; “What am I going to tell C Suite that has come to trust and depend on these capabilities and data to make decisions?”; “Will the organization continue to see the value of the PMO—or will we have to start from scratch and build all of those capabilities and maybe even more importantly, our perceived value and credibility, all over again?”.
These concerns are real. It is my experience that the PMO is in a constant fight to provide and prove value and justify the tools it uses to do its job. I’ve been in those conversations at the executive table when the questions start flying:
“What happens to everything we’ve invested in for X number of years?”
“Is it worth rebuilding?”
“Why should we invest even more in Microsoft when we have X tool in-house already?”
Here’s the truth: fear is natural—but it’s also an opportunity. When managed correctly, it becomes a catalyst for action, for innovation, for reframing the narrative—from protecting the past to building the foundation for the future.
Turning Fear into Strategy
This moment represents the largest wave of modernization in PPM history, with organizations rapidly adopting new technologies and methodologies to adapt to the AI transformation.
This “crisis” is your chance to do what many PMOs have struggled to achieve for years: align modernization with strategic value delivery, through the modern platform and data-driven decisioning. The urgency of this transition creates leverage for gaining approval for and delivering long-overdue capabilities—things like standardizing governance, improving data quality, connecting disparate people, technologies, processes, and data, and enabling AI, Agents, and predictive analytics in ways that have never been possible until now.
Data-driven decision-making becomes the core of that story. Historically, PPM functions have spent countless hours consolidating status reports and reconciling resource allocations and manually crunching business cases and delivery variances to guide investment decisions. Now, with AI and modern platforms, we can move beyond reporting what happened to predicting what’s likely to happen in near real-time.
Imagine adaptive planning cycles where portfolios are continuously revisited based on realized benefits, shifting market conditions and organizational priorities, and the impacts of underperforming projects or resource scarcity. This is no longer a future vision—this is what today’s modern Microsoft Platform is enabling.
Transform the organizational fear into excitement for all that is now possible, and use the combination of fear and excitement around this perceived crisis to propel your PMO and your company into the future.
So how do you take advantage of this brief window of opportunity to drive forward and accomplish all those things you have been trying to get your organization to invest in over the last several years?
If you’re a PMO or portfolio leader staring down this tsunami of change, here’s where to start:
Conduct your Due Diligence
Look beyond just the tools available. Assess your project, portfolio, and work management capabilities, reporting, data strategy, decision making and AI integration. Identify what needs to evolve—not just technologically but organizationally.
Leverage the Microsoft Ecosystem
For those already invested in Microsoft, the path forward often includes the Power Platform, Power BI for visualization, Dataverse for unified data, and Copilot for AI-driven insights. Similar to the lifespan of the previous MS PPM solutions, Microsoft believes this platform to be generational, and its capabilities will allow you to deliver value faster while maintaining continuity by continuing to build on what you already have.
Engage the Right Partners
Don’t navigate this alone. In my career, I’ve seen the difference a seasoned partner can make in accelerating modernization without disrupting core operations. Look for certified, award-winning partners with deep expertise in Microsoft PPM, Power Platform solutions, and AI, that truly have serving your best interest at the core of their mission.
Create a Modernization Roadmap
Define clear, realistic objectives: needs definition, foundation enablement, process change and adoption, capability optimization, and AI enablement. Partner with Executive Leadership to anchor the plan in the business value to be achieved—not just technology upgrades.
Tell the Story Effectively
This is critical. Frame modernization as a strategic enabler, not a technology expense. Demonstrate how past investments remain relevant and how progression to the modern platform accelerates value realization, and unlocks capabilities that leadership has been asking for—agility, speed of delivery, predictive insights, measurable ROI, reduced redundant tasks and low-value work, and happier people.
Conclusion: Embrace the Shift
The deprecation of Project Online after more than 20 years in use is more than a forced upgrade; it’s a strategic pivot for the PMO and the enterprise. As someone who’s spent decades helping organizations align delivery with strategy, I believe this moment represents the greatest opportunity in a generation for PPM leaders to reinvent their value proposition.
The urgency is real. The tools are ready. The opportunity is here. The question is—are you ready to take advantage of it?
Having a guide on your modernization journey can help make the transition smoother and less overwhelming. We have been guiding PMOs through similar change for decades. It’s not easy—but it can be easier. If you’d like to chat about your journey, please feel free to reach out to me via my company and mention this post.