Migrate your Microsoft Project data
The PPM tool enterprise PMOs trust. Gantt charts, resource leveling, and portfolio dashboards built on the Microsoft 365 you already run.
Migrating to Microsoft Project? Jump to sources →
In its favor
Why people choose Microsoft Project
The signal that keeps Microsoft Project on the shortlist. Sourced from G2, Capterra, and customer scoping calls.
Organizations already running Microsoft 365 and Azure AD adopt Microsoft PPM because it slots into existing identity, Teams, and SharePoint infrastructure without requiring a separate identity provider or SSO vendor.
Enterprise PMOs choose it for critical-path scheduling, baseline comparison, cross-project dependencies, and resource utilization reporting that standalone PM tools cannot replicate at this depth.
Project Online's integration with Power BI gives portfolio-level dashboards and cost-rollup reporting that satisfies executive governance requirements without third-party BI tooling.
Government, financial services, and healthcare organizations select it because FedRAMP, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 compliance certifications meet enterprise procurement requirements out of the box.
Large IT departments default to it as the market-leader in project portfolio management software, often driven by corporate licensing agreements that bundle it with other Microsoft 365 seats.
Ease of use ranks 42nd of 49 tools in its category; project managers without a scheduling background report high friction during onboarding and day-to-day operation.
Collaboration features trail modern PM platforms — there is no client portal, no proofing workflow, and no built-in social-style commenting that team members expect from contemporary tools.
Cost per seat is premium; small and mid-market teams report difficulty justifying the expense against lighter-weight alternatives with sufficient scheduling depth.
Project for the web's retirement and consolidation into Microsoft Planner creates uncertainty — organizations are re-evaluating whether to rebuild on Planner, migrate to a third-party platform, or remain on Project Plan 3 or Plan 5.
Steep learning curve and complex configuration make it difficult for non-project-manager stakeholders to self-serve; PMOs spend significant time producing reports rather than empowering teams to access them.
Reasons to switch
Why people leave Microsoft Project
The recurring reasons buyers give for replacing Microsoft Project. Presented as facts, not knocks.
Platform scorecard
Strengths, weaknesses, and where Microsoft Project fits
Grades across six dimensions, plus a SWOT-style view of where the platform shines and where it falls short.
SWOT — strengths, weaknesses, and use-case fit
Strengths
Weaknesses
Where it works
Where it struggles
Pricing tiers
Microsoft Project pricing overview
Microsoft Project is licensed per user per month with three cloud tiers (Plan 1 at $10, Plan 3 at $30, Plan 5 at $55) plus optional perpetual licenses for Project Standard and Project Professional. It requires a separate subscription from standard Microsoft 365 business plans — Planner (included in many M365 plans) is not a substitute for Project Plan 3 or Plan 5.
Plan 1
Tier 1 of 3
$10/user/month
What's included
Need help selecting your Project Management?
Book a free 30 minute consultationPricing is informational. FlitStack AI does not bill on Microsoft Project's schedule — see our quote-based pricing →
What gets migrated
Microsoft Project object support
Object-by-object support for Microsoft Project migrations. Per-pair details surface during scoping.
Projects
Fully supportedProjects are the top-level container in Microsoft PPM. We migrate them 1:1 including the project-level properties, start dates, calendars, and fiscal periods. Project Online stores them in the ProjectData OData endpoint; Project Server uses the CSOM ProjectContext.
Tasks
Fully supportedTasks with hierarchy (summary tasks and sub-tasks) are migrated with their start and finish dates, duration, and work. The task UID is preserved so downstream Dependencies resolve correctly in the destination environment.
Dependencies
Fully supportedTask-to-task dependencies (finish-to-start, start-to-start, and lead/lag) are migrated as a first-class relationship. We replay the dependency chain in the destination and validate that no orphan references exist after import.
Resources
Fully supportedEnterprise Resources including people, equipment, and material resources are migrated with their standard rates, cost per use, and calendar availability. Cost resources are mapped to the destination's cost category.
Assignments
Fully supportedResource-to-task assignments are migrated including work hours, units, and overtime. We recalculate assignment-level work curves when the destination environment uses a different default working calendar.
Baselines
Mapping requiredBaseline snapshots are preserved as a named baseline set on each project. Some destination platforms store baselines as separate time-series records rather than as named snapshots; we map accordingly and flag any truncation.
Milestones
Fully supportedMilestone tasks are identified by zero duration and are migrated with their milestone date. We preserve any milestone-specific notes or custom properties attached to the milestone task.
Custom Fields
Mapping requiredEnterprise custom fields (lookup tables and flag, date, text, and number types) are migrated where the destination schema supports them. Local project-level custom fields are mapped to the equivalent destination entity property or stored as extended attributes.
Portfolios
Mapping requiredPortfolio grouping and program association require Plan 5 (Project Online) or Project Server. We map portfolio relationships using a cross-reference table and flag if the destination lacks a portfolio layer.
Timesheets
Mapping requiredTimesheet data in Project Online is stored separately in the Workflow and Timesheet tables. We extract actual work entries and map them to the destination's time-tracking module, noting that historical locked periods may not be editable.
Issues and Risks
Mapping requiredIssues and Risks are project-level entities that some tiers expose via the CSOM but not via OData. We attempt API extraction first and fall back to SharePoint list exports when the API path is gated by the subscription tier.
Documents
Mapping requiredProject documents are stored in SharePoint libraries attached to the PWA site. We extract documents and re-upload them to the destination SharePoint or equivalent document management system, preserving version history where the API supports it.
| Object | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Projects | Fully supported | Projects are the top-level container in Microsoft PPM. We migrate them 1:1 including the project-level properties, start dates, calendars, and fiscal periods. Project Online stores them in the ProjectData OData endpoint; Project Server uses the CSOM ProjectContext. |
| Tasks | Fully supported | Tasks with hierarchy (summary tasks and sub-tasks) are migrated with their start and finish dates, duration, and work. The task UID is preserved so downstream Dependencies resolve correctly in the destination environment. |
| Dependencies | Fully supported | Task-to-task dependencies (finish-to-start, start-to-start, and lead/lag) are migrated as a first-class relationship. We replay the dependency chain in the destination and validate that no orphan references exist after import. |
| Resources | Fully supported | Enterprise Resources including people, equipment, and material resources are migrated with their standard rates, cost per use, and calendar availability. Cost resources are mapped to the destination's cost category. |
| Assignments | Fully supported | Resource-to-task assignments are migrated including work hours, units, and overtime. We recalculate assignment-level work curves when the destination environment uses a different default working calendar. |
| Baselines | Mapping required | Baseline snapshots are preserved as a named baseline set on each project. Some destination platforms store baselines as separate time-series records rather than as named snapshots; we map accordingly and flag any truncation. |
| Milestones | Fully supported | Milestone tasks are identified by zero duration and are migrated with their milestone date. We preserve any milestone-specific notes or custom properties attached to the milestone task. |
| Custom Fields | Mapping required | Enterprise custom fields (lookup tables and flag, date, text, and number types) are migrated where the destination schema supports them. Local project-level custom fields are mapped to the equivalent destination entity property or stored as extended attributes. |
| Portfolios | Mapping required | Portfolio grouping and program association require Plan 5 (Project Online) or Project Server. We map portfolio relationships using a cross-reference table and flag if the destination lacks a portfolio layer. |
| Timesheets | Mapping required | Timesheet data in Project Online is stored separately in the Workflow and Timesheet tables. We extract actual work entries and map them to the destination's time-tracking module, noting that historical locked periods may not be editable. |
| Issues and Risks | Mapping required | Issues and Risks are project-level entities that some tiers expose via the CSOM but not via OData. We attempt API extraction first and fall back to SharePoint list exports when the API path is gated by the subscription tier. |
| Documents | Mapping required | Project documents are stored in SharePoint libraries attached to the PWA site. We extract documents and re-upload them to the destination SharePoint or equivalent document management system, preserving version history where the API supports it. |
Gotchas
What to watch for in Microsoft Project migrations
Issues we've hit on past Microsoft Project migrations, tagged by severity. FlitStack AI handles every one — surfacing them up front because buyer engineering teams want to know.
Project for the web is being retired and merged into Microsoft Planner
Planner-tier portfolio features are incomplete despite Plan 5 labeling
Web app constraint controls are weaker than the Windows desktop client
Project requires a separate license not bundled with standard Microsoft 365
Project Online API is edition-gated and inconsistently documented
| Severity | Issue |
|---|---|
| High | Project for the web is being retired and merged into Microsoft Planner |
| Medium | Planner-tier portfolio features are incomplete despite Plan 5 labeling |
| Medium | Web app constraint controls are weaker than the Windows desktop client |
| High | Project requires a separate license not bundled with standard Microsoft 365 |
| Medium | Project Online API is edition-gated and inconsistently documented |
Leaving Microsoft Project?
Where Microsoft Project customers move next
4 destinations Microsoft Project can migrate to.
Coming to Microsoft Project?
Migrating in from another Project Management
199 sources can migrate into Microsoft Project.
![]project-open[ logo](/platforms/project-open.png)
How a Microsoft Project migration works
Four steps, Microsoft Project-specific
Connect
OAuth 2.0 via Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD). Project Online uses the same auth model as SharePoint Online, including the SharePoint authentication cookie when calling REST/OData endpoints. into Microsoft Project. Scopes limited to read-only on the data we move.
Map
We translate Microsoft Project-specific structures (custom fields, objects, value lists) to the destination's model.
Sample
Test with a 50–200 record subset to validate Microsoft Project quirks before production.
Migrate
Full migration with Microsoft Project rate-limit handling. Rollback available throughout.
FAQ
Microsoft Project migration FAQ
Answers to the questions buyers ask most during Microsoft Project migration scoping. Not seeing yours? Book a call.
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Ready when you are
Migrate Microsoft Project.
Without the rebuild.
Free scoping call with a migration engineer. Tell us about your Microsoft Project setup and destination — written quote back within a business day.