With Project Online set to retire in September 2026, many organizations are reassessing how they manage projects within the Microsoft ecosystem.
For teams that want to modernize without jumping straight into an enterprise-level system like Dynamics 365 Project Operations or setting up on-premises infrastructure, Planner Premium paired with a Power Platform–based accelerator offers a powerful, flexible middle ground.
A Modern Alternative for Everyday Project Management
Microsoft has steadily evolved its work management ecosystem to meet the needs of modern, hybrid teams. The new Planner Premium (previously Project for the Web) is part of that shift, combining Planner’s simplicity with Project’s structure and Copilot’s intelligence.
It’s fully integrated into Microsoft 365 and Teams, making it easy for users to plan, assign, and track work without leaving their familiar environment.
Key capabilities include:
- Grid, Board, Timeline, and People views for flexible visualization
- Task dependencies, milestones, and critical path tracking
- Integrated Copilot and AI support for creating tasks and summarizing project updates
- Seamless collaboration directly within Teams and Microsoft 365
For many organizations, these features are more than enough to manage day-to-day project work efficiently.
Where Planner Premium Meets Its Limits
Planner Premium offers a great user experience, but it’s intentionally lightweight. On its own, it lacks some of the traditional project governance, resource management, and portfolio-level visibility that PMOs often rely on.
While it’s a fantastic tool for team-level work, many PMOs soon find they need deeper visibility and control.
Common gaps include:
- No built-in portfolio dashboards or pipeline management
- Limited reporting beyond basic project metrics
- No standardized project lifecycle or stage-gate workflows
- No native RAID logs or cost tracking
That’s where Power Platform accelerators come in.
Accelerators: Extending Planner Premium with Structure and Governance
A Power Platform accelerator extends Planner Premium by layering in structured project management capabilities within the Microsoft environment your teams already use.
There are many versions of accelerators on the market (including Microsoft’s free Project Accelerator template and enhanced versions built by partners). While the free version is a great starting point, it’s somewhat limited in scalability and customization.
Typical features added by accelerators include:
- Project intake and approval workflows using Power Automate
- RAID logs (risks, actions, issues, decisions)
- Portfolio and program-level views
- Power BI dashboards for reporting and analytics
- Stage gates and lifecycle management
- Resource and cost tracking options
Limitations of the free version:
- Limited governance and reporting setup
- Manual configuration required for custom fields and workflows
- No ongoing feature support or updates from Microsoft
- Not designed for complex or enterprise-grade PMOs
For many organizations, starting with the free version helps them pilot the approach, but as needs grow, extending or customizing it becomes essential.
Why This Approach Works
Planner Premium with an accelerator strikes a practical balance:
✅ Simple for end users — minimal training and fast adoption
✅ Structured for PMOs — governance, dashboards, and oversight
✅ Scalable for the future — built on the Power Platform and Dataverse
✅ Embedded in Microsoft 365 — one environment, one source of truth
It enables organizations to evolve their project maturity over time, starting with basic task management and expanding into comprehensive project and portfolio management as their processes mature.
Choosing and Implementing an Accelerator
Planner Premium paired with an accelerator can transform how teams plan, track, and report, but only when implemented thoughtfully.
Before jumping in, it’s important to consider your organization’s project management maturity and governance needs.
Planner Premium isn’t meant to match Project Desktop feature-for-feature; it’s designed to make scheduling easier and more accessible while leveraging Microsoft’s modern Power Platform for automation, AI, and extensibility.
There’s no one-size-fits-all accelerator. Each solution, whether free, custom-built, or third-party, has its own strengths and trade-offs, much like choosing between a Toyota or a Mercedes. That’s why Advisicon helps organizations evaluate multiple options before selecting or developing one that best fits their environment.
One caution: while the free Microsoft Accelerator can be a good starting point, many organizations find it challenging to manage without dedicated configuration. Running it in a shared environment or without governance often leads to disorganized data and reporting issues.
We recommend configuring your accelerator in a dedicated environment (not a shared sandbox) to ensure data integrity, security, and reporting accuracy.
And remember, a process always trumps a tool.
The technology only works if it supports your organization’s methods and maturity. With the right structure, training, and adoption strategy, Planner Premium and an accelerator can form a scalable foundation for modern project management within Microsoft 365.
How Advisicon Can Help
Whether you choose the Microsoft-provided accelerator, customize your own, or invest in a third-party solution, we can help you find the right fit for your organization’s goals, governance model, and user needs.
Our consultants specialize in:
- Assessing project and portfolio management maturity
- Comparing accelerator options (free vs. customized)
- Designing governance workflows and dashboards
- Implementing and training teams on Planner Premium and Power Platform solutions
- Customizing and extending accelerators with our in-house development team, from building new components and integrations to tailoring reporting, forms, and automation to fit your exact processes
You don’t need to commit to a specific toolset before you know what’s right for your teams — we’ll help you design a roadmap that scales with your business.
The Bottom Line
Planner Premium and Power Platform accelerators represent a modern, flexible path forward for organizations moving away from Project Online.
They bring together ease of use, Microsoft 365 integration, and the ability to scale, without the complexity or cost of enterprise ERP systems.
With the right setup, you can create a connected, AI-ready project environment that grows with your teams and supports your long-term goals.
