Microsoft Didn’t Abandon Project Online — It Outgrew It.

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about Microsoft “giving up” on Project Online. Some say the company set Project Online on fire and walked away. Others point to Planner’s rise as a signal of a strategy shift. We get it. From the outside, it can look that way.

But here’s the thing: Microsoft didn’t give up on project management. It’s redefining it.
Project Online wasn’t abandoned. It’s giving way to something bigger.

The focus isn’t on feature parity, it’s on building a smarter, more extensible future where tools like Planner Premium are just one part of a broader strategy to unify work management across Microsoft 365, Teams, Power Platform, and Copilot.

The Real Story Behind the Headlines

This isn’t the story of a product winding down. It’s the story of a fundamental shift from legacy point solutions to an extensible, AI-first platform that changes how organizations manage work, make decisions, and drive results. And if you’re still trying to compare tools feature for feature, you’re missing the real opportunity. Planner Premium isn’t a 1:1 replacement for Project Online. 

The biggest misunderstanding? Thinking this is a handoff from one tool to another. It’s not. This isn’t a product migration—it’s a strategic modernization.

“Success isn’t about migrating tools. It’s about transforming how organizations plan, deliver, and optimize work at scale.”
– Modernizing Your Project Management Estate (Innovative-e/CPS Whitepaper 2025)

It’s not about chasing feature checklists. It’s about reimagining how work gets done.

From Tools to Platforms: Why That Shift Matters

Legacy tools like Project Online were built for control and structure—but not flexibility, integration, or scale. They did one job, in one way, for one type of user.

Today, work doesn’t live in a silo. It lives in Teams. It flows through Power Automate. It’s visualized in Power BI. It’s augmented and performed by AI in Copilot. It evolves constantly.

That’s the real promise of a platform-first approach:
A connected, extensible foundation where you can shape project and work management around how your people actually work—across business functions, departments, and technology stacks.

“It’s a far brighter future with a platform-centric approach—with Planner as part of it—than where organizations have been in the past.”
– Mike Taylor, CEO, Innovative-e

Tools like Planner Premium bring structure to the frontlines. Power Platform and Copilot bring intelligence and automation behind the scenes. Together, they don’t just replace Project Online—they leapfrog it by light years.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

If you're still comparing tools, you're missing the point. This isn't about finding a direct replacement for Project Online. It's about rethinking the entire foundation of project and work management—and building something more modern, more connected, and more intelligent.

That’s what the future demands.
That’s what the platform delivers.
And that’s exactly what our new whitepaper breaks down.

Co-authored by Innovative-e and CPS, two award-winning Microsoft partners with deep expertise in project and work management modernization, this guide outlines what’s really happening, why it matters, and how to move forward with confidence.

Download the whitepaper:
Modernizing Your Project Management Estate: Why, When, and How explores the real story behind Microsoft’s shift, what it means for your organization, and how to lead a successful transition.
Download

Register for the webinar series:
Session 1: Transforming Project Management: Microsoft’s Evolution and Future Vision
July 9, 2025 | 11:00 am ET | 4:00 pm BST
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Session 2:  Why & When to Modernize: Finding Your Strategic Window
July 23, 2025 | 11:00 am ET | 4:00 pm BST
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Session 3:  How to Transition: Moving from Legacy to Modern Platform
August 13, 2025 | 11:00 am ET | 4:00 pm BST
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