As Microsoft watchers know all too well, Microsoft has a lot of products and services that offer similar and often overlapping features. Sometimes there are so many similar products that Microsoft needs to create diagrams about which product to use when. But it looks like the various Microsoft teams working on project tracking/management apps and services may be getting their act together.
MSDynamicsWorld.com reported this week that Microsoft is working to remove its Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation (PSA) product from the business applications portfolio. The plan — based on info from partners who’ve allegedly seen the latest Dynamics 365 pricing and licensing slide decks — is to combine PSA with Microsoft Project and Project Online.
“PSA and Project Online are merging into a new project management tool to be called ‘Project Service,’ Steve Mordue, aMicrosoft Business Applications Most Valuable Professional (MVP) and Dynamics 365 Partner Advisory Council member, confirmed to me when I asked about this.
I also asked Microsoft officials for more information about this. No word back so far.
Project Online has been part of the Office 365 line-up for the past several years. Project Service Automation joined the Dynamics 365 line-up (alongside Field Service) in 2016, following Microsoft’s FieldOne acquisition in 2015, as MSDynamicsWorld noted.
At Ignite last year, Microsoft officials outlined plans for the new Microsoft Project Service, which would include project-management and take advantage of the Common Data Services for Apps platform. Common Data Service for Apps is basically XRM, Microsoft’s “anything relationship management” platform for writing line-of-business applications) now running on top of Azure.
As TechRepublic noted recently, the Project Service already is available and those with a Project Online subscription can see “Project Home,” the web portal for creating and managing projects. TechRepublic also says “a future update” will connect the Project desktop app to the new Project service and “at some point,” Microsoft Planner plans will appear here, as well. (Microsoft has a whole other stable of planning and note-taking apps that are not connected with Planner and/or its Project Service. At least not right now….)
The first real service for the new Project Service, Roadmap, provides an overview of all the projects of which users need to keep track. While Project Online isn’t going away right away, Microsoft is advising users to start any new projects using the new Project Service.
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