Project Online has retired. For many organizations, Planner Premium became the destination, but getting there was only part of the work.
Planner Premium can provide a flexible, modern environment for managing projects, but organizations coming from Project Online may discover that their new environment works differently than the one they left behind.
Microsoft is pushing organizations toward lighter, more flexible tools. Teams are excited about simpler interfaces, integrations with Teams, and less overhead.
But here’s the reality: some teams love the simplicity and are ready to downshift. Others are discovering that Planner Premium doesn’t automatically provide the same enterprise capabilities they relied on in Project Online.
The question is no longer simply “How do we replace Project Online?” It’s “Does the environment we chose give our teams the structure, visibility, and governance they actually need?”
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Project Online retired on September 30, 2026
If your organization has already moved to Planner Premium, the next step may be less about migration and more about making sure your new environment supports the way your teams actually work.
If your transition is incomplete, you still have Project Online data, or you’re reconsidering the solution you chose, see our Project Online Retirement Hub for resources and next steps
What Changes After Moving to Planner Premium
Planner Premium introduces a different way of managing work. It’s lighter, more flexible, and designed for teams that want to move quickly without a lot of overhead.
You can:
- Track tasks
- Use Kanban boards
- Collaborate directly in Teams
For many organizations, that’s exactly the appeal. It removes complexity and makes project management more accessible.
But this shift also means stepping away from some of the structure that Project Online provided. Things like portfolio visibility, resource coordination, and standardized project setups are no longer built in.
That tradeoff is intentional. The challenge is figuring out what to put back.
Where Teams Start to Feel the Friction
The transition may have looked successful on paper. Projects were moved, users were onboarded, and teams started working in Planner Premium.
Then reality sets in.
A few months later, organizations may find that:
- Teams build projects differently, making it hard to compare or roll up data
- Leaders don’t have a clear view across initiatives
- Resource conflicts go unnoticed until they become problems
- Reporting becomes manual and time-consuming
- Workflows that were supported by the previous environment need to be rebuilt
- Teams aren’t sure which information belongs where
None of this means Planner Premium isn’t working. It means it’s doing exactly what it was designed to do: give teams flexibility.
But without a shared structure, that flexibility starts to create inconsistency. When a technology transition happens, the work-management model must be updated.
The Technology Changed. The Work Still Has to Work.
This is the part most organizations don’t anticipate.
Planner Premium isn’t trying to replace everything that came with Project Online. It’s designed to be a foundation, not a full enterprise framework.
Moving away from Project Online doesn’t automatically recreate the processes, standards, reporting, and governance that surrounded it.
Organizations may have spent years developing templates, workflows, reporting structures, resource practices, and governance around Project Online. When the technology changes, those pieces don’t necessarily transfer automatically.
That means organizations are now responsible for defining:
- How projects should be structured
- How data should be captured
- How reporting should be standardized
- How resources should be managed across teams
Some teams don’t need all of that. They’re comfortable with a lighter approach and willing to trade structure for simplicity.
But many organizations still need consistency, visibility, and coordination at scale. Without it, even simple environments become harder to manage over time.
That’s where the gap starts to matter. Planner Premium can provide a flexible, modern environment for managing projects, but organizations coming from Project Online may discover that their new environment works differently than the one they left behind..
When Planner Premium Needs More Structure
There are numerous ways an organization can respond to the advanced needs of their team:
- Establish common project templates and standards
- Build consistent reporting and dashboards
- Create governance around project data
- Add resource and portfolio management capabilities
- Rebuild workflows that didn’t carry over from Project Online
- Provide training and adoption support
- Extend Planner Premium with the Power Platform (Accelerators)
Bridging the Gap: Accelerators
For organizations that need a structured, scalable approach, an accelerator can provide the backbone Planner Premium lacks.
Think of an accelerator as a prebuilt framework for your projects. It’s not just a tool; it’s a starting point for governance, structure, and best practices. The right accelerator can:
- Standardize templates so every team starts with the same structure
- Provide dashboards for portfolio and program management
- Support resource management across multiple projects
- Include optional modules for strategic planning without overwhelming teams
There are different levels of accelerators:
Microsoft Free Accelerator
- Basic primer for getting started with Power Platform
- Helps with simple program management
- Does not include portfolio management, advanced resource management, or strategic planning
Advisicon Accelerator
- Modular and customizable
- One-time cost instead of an annual license
- Full advanced project and portfolio management capabilities
- Designed for both teams downshifting from Project Online and teams who need enterprise functionality
- Keeps all data in your tenant
- Provides a foundation for growing your Power Platform and AI knowledge
Paid Advanced Power App Solutions
- Full enterprise functionality
- Often annual licensing, higher cost
- Designed for organizations needing extensive prebuilt features and dashboards
The key takeaway is that not all accelerators are created equal. Some are simple templates, others are fully built-out project management systems. The right solution depends on what your team needs: a lighter structure or a fully governed enterprise environment.
How the Accelerator Supports Both Types of Users
For the downshifters:
- They get simpler dashboards and templates without paying for unnecessary complexity
- They can focus on actual work instead of administrative setup
- Modular approach allows them to adopt only what they need
For the full PM users:
- Advanced dashboards provide portfolio and program visibility
- Resource management tools keep assignments balanced
- Strategic planning modules give roadmap and prioritization capabilities
Essentially, the accelerator becomes the bridge between what Planner Premium offers and what teams need to succeed.
Cost Considerations
Cost is often a concern when choosing a solution:
Planner Basic: free
Planner Premium: $10-30 per user per month
Microsoft Free Accelerator: free, very basic capabilities
Advisicon Accelerator: $8,500 one-time base price with option to upgrade features
Paid Power App Solutions: $20,000–$100,000 per year, depending on size and features
Advisicon’s approach is particularly appealing because it allows organizations to get enterprise-level capabilities without the recurring cost or restrictive annual license.
Is Planner Premium Working for Your Organization?
If you’ve migrated from Project Online to Planner Premium, ask these questions:
- Can teams manage projects consistently across the organization?
- Do leaders have the visibility they need across projects and initiatives?
- Are reporting and dashboards still requiring significant manual effort?
- Are resource planning and prioritization happening consistently?
- Have important workflows or processes been lost or simplified during the transition?
- Do teams understand how projects should be structured and governed?
- Do you need to extend Planner Premium with Power Platform?
If Planner Premium is meeting your needs, great. You may simply need to establish a few standards and adoption practices.
If you’re finding gaps, the answer isn’t necessarily to abandon Planner Premium. It may be to design the structure, governance, reporting, and workflows around it that your organization needs.
Closing Thoughts
Project Online may be gone, but that doesn’t mean your work-management environment is finished.
Planner Premium may be exactly what your organization needs. Or you may discover that your teams need additional structure, governance, reporting, automation, or portfolio capabilities around it.
The next step isn’t necessarily choosing another tool. It’s understanding what your organization needs the technology to do and building the right environment around those needs.
If you’re rethinking your Microsoft work-management environment post-Project Online, Advisicon can help you assess where you are, identify what’s missing, and determine what comes next.
Connect with us to explore what you need.
