With Project Online’s official retirement scheduled for September 30, 2026, teams are facing decisions that go far beyond simple software replacement. 

If you’re asking questions like: 

• What happens to our data when Project Online goes away? 

• How does modern project delivery tie into financials and resource planning? 

• Is there a way to evolve our processes – not just replace a tool? 

…then you’re in the right place. 

This blog will cover: 

• Why Project Online is being retired 

• How Dynamics 365 Project Operations fits as a path forward 

• A side-by-side comparison of Microsoft’s options to help you evaluate your next steps 

• Where OnActuate can support your journey 

Why Microsoft Is Sunsetting Project Online 

After over a decade of service, Microsoft is retiring Project Online on September 30, 2026. New Project Online-only licenses stopped selling as of October 1, 2025. 

According to Microsoft, Project Online’s legacy architecture limits innovation – particularly as customers demand: 

• AI-enhanced experiences

• Deep integration with collaboration and cloud tools

• Connected work management across finance, resource management, and delivery

While the workflow and planning capabilities many organizations have counted on won’t disappear immediately, the retirement confirms that Microsoft is shifting toward modern, integrated solutions that extend beyond traditional project plans. 

Enter Dynamics 365 Project Operations 

Microsoft’s response for customers with project-driven businesses is What’s Next: Why Project Online Customers Should Evaluate Dynamics 365 Project Operations. 

Dynamics 365 Project Operations isn’t just another project scheduling tool – it’s a unified project-to-profit platform that connects project delivery with: 

• Resource planning and utilization 

• Time and expense tracking 

• Finance and revenue management 

• Sales pipeline and customer engagement 

This distinction matters because many teams discover that modern project execution isn’t just about schedules – it’s about visibility into profitability, customer outcomes, and enterprise-wide resource alignment. 

Common Pain Points Organizations Face Today 

Here are some of the reasons teams evaluate alternatives to Project Online: 

• Fragmented workflows – Schedules, finance, and time entries live in separate systems 

• Manual integrations – Data synchronization via spreadsheets or middleware 

• Limited visibility – PMOs lack real-time insight into cost, margins, and utilization 

• Future-proofing challenges – Difficulty adopting AI or automation technology 

Dynamics 365 Project Operations is designed to solve these challenges by giving teams a single operational reality, not just another siloed tool. 

Comparison: Microsoft Project Management Options 

Below is a practical comparison table summarizing key capabilities across three Microsoft project management solutions: 

What Makes Project Operations Different 

While Planner and Project Server still have valid use cases, Project Operations shines in:

1. Resource & Time Integration

Project Operations brings time, resources, and task work into a single, real-time environment, eliminating the need for disconnected timesheets and resource tools.

2. Data Connected to Financials

Unlike tools that treat time and schedules as isolated artifacts, Project Operations ties them into: 

• Billing & invoicing

• Revenue recognition

• Profitability reporting

This means PMOs and finance teams can instantly see how project decisions impact the bottom line – a capability that legacy Project Online lacked.

3. Built on the Power Platform

Because it runs on Microsoft Dataverse and Power Platform, you get: 

• Configurable workflow automation 

• Custom dashboards and apps 

• Power BI analytics 

• Low-code extensions 

Teams aren’t trapped in rigid templates – they can shape the solution to match real business processes. 

Where A Strong Partner Comes In 

Transitioning away from Project Online isn’t just a software swap. It’s an opportunity to modernize how your organization manages work, connects data, and drives outcomes. 

At OnActuate, we help teams: 

• Assess readiness for Project Operations 

• Build migration strategies 

• Implement integrations with ERP, finance, and reporting systems 

• Train teams for long-term success 

Whether you’re exploring early or already evaluating Dynamics 365 Project Operations, we’re here as a resource to guide that journey. 

The Future of Project-Driven Work Is Connected 

Microsoft’s retirement of Project Online brings clarity to a question many organizations have been circling for years: What does modern project delivery look like? 

For teams that depend on projects to connect sales, delivery, people, and finances, Project Operations isn’t just a replacement – it’s evolution. 

If your organization:

• Wants real visibility into utilization, cost, and profitability

• Needs connected workflows that span project planning and financial outcomes

• Values a platform that grows with future AI-powered capabilities

…then evaluating Dynamics 365 Project Operations should be on your roadmap today.

The post From Project Online to Dynamics 365: The Evolution of Project Management appeared first on OnActuate.

There’s no arguing the impact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is having on the world of business—from machine learning to natural language processing to automation, AI is transforming the enterprise for the better. 

But despite AI’s relatively lengthy history, we’re still in the nascent years of business application; a great deal of ink is spilled on the potential for AI in enterprise business, but despite the current impact, a lot of that potential is as yet unrealized. 

That’s poised to change in 2019, in a big way—thanks to growth in enterprise data and an explosion in supporting technology like connected devices, robotics, and cloud computing. The use cases for AI are about to increase exponentially and your organization is in a prime position to take advantage. 

So where is AI headed in 2019, and how can forward-looking organizations capitalize? 

• Put the ‘IA’ in ‘AI’ 

Is your enterprise looking to launch some large-scale AI initiatives in 2019? Better have your data in order. In Forrester Research’s report Predictions 2019: Artificial Intelligence No Pain, No Gain With Enterprise AI, the number one challenge for AI adopters is quality data. 

Think about it: you can’t just fling an AI algorithm at a jumble of data and expect to extract any meaningful value from it. In order to derive any value from the coming AI boom, enterprise businesses will have to have their data in order. 

What does that mean? For one, a greater investment in business information architecture (IA) will be necessary in order to collect, sort, and store the data necessary to execute on AI initiatives. Secondly, enterprise businesses will need to also invest time and resources in internal data collection guidelines and policies, ensuring that data is accurate, complete, consistent, unique, and timely in order for AI to be properly trained. 

• Rise of the Things 

In 2019, IoT is set to become the biggest driver of artificial intelligence in the enterprise. As interconnected devices are brought online in the coming year, they’ll stand to generate incredible amounts of data that can be used to optimize machinery, streamline operations, and improve logistics chains. 

While Industrial IoT is the top use case for artificial intelligence application, machine learning models based on neural networks will also be capable of being optimized to analyze video, speech, and both time-series and unstructured data generated by devices such as cameras and microphones. 

• AI Gets Interoperable 

One of the limitations preventing the development of neural network models is the choice of framework (including PyTorch, Apache, Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit, and more). Once a data scientist or developer selects a model and trains it in a specific framework, it’s incredibly complex to move to another framework. 

Because of the restrictions around porting models between frameworks, the adoption of AI in the enterprise has been limited. Hope is on the horizon, however: AWS, Facebook and Microsoft have collaborated to build the Open Neural Network Exchange (ONNX), making it possible to apply neural network models across multiple frameworks.

In 2019, ONNX will play an essential role in the enterprise, as businesses will no longer be limited to developing and deploying neural network models on one framework, driving greater AI adoption and new neural network use cases benefitting business. 

• Trust the Process (Automation) 

Robotic process automation (RPA) software has become ubiquitous in the enterprise in 2018, for good reason. Being able to automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks, and assist employees with supervised automation, is an obvious benefit to businesses of all sizes, freeing up human capital to focus on high-level execution.

Robotic process automation is poised to experience explosive growth as a market separate from general AI. According to a Forrester report, the RPA is estimated to grow from $250 million in 2016 to $2.1 billion by 2021. 

“The RPA momentum started way before AI piqued the interest of enterprises,” The Forrester analysts explain. “Firms have been treating these set of technologies distinctly—RPA for automation, AI for intelligence. But to create breakthrough opportunities, we believe that an RPA plus-AI technology innovation chain will turbocharge your innovation efforts. Firms are already combining AI building block technologies such as ML and text analytics with RPA features to drive greater value for digital workers in four use cases: analytics that solves nagging platform issues; chatbots that boss around RPA bots; internet-of-things (IoT) events that trigger digital workers; and text analytics that lifts RPA’s value.”

Traditionally, enterprise companies have been the primary purchasers of RPA solutions, but moving forward into 2019, much of the growth will be driven by small businesses adoption—potentially leveling the playing field with the enterprise in terms of efficiency. 

Leverage AI with OnActuate By Your Side  

With new use cases emerging for AI as quickly as the technology is developing, enterprise businesses would be remiss to not capitalize on the incredible potential offered. Driven by continued adoption of IoT, cloud computing, and automation solutions, AI stands to be a gamechanger for forward-thinking enterprises that take a long-term view towards the technology in 2019. 

Contact our team today to learn more about how you can start using AI in your business operations today and how AI can help attract new customers and keep your current customers happy. At OnActuate, we have the best knowledge and experience to help you optimize your technology, adapt your business model and compete on a global scale.

The post 4 Artificial Intelligence Trends to Watch in 2019 appeared first on OnActuate.