Migrate your Project KickStart data
Desktop Gantt-centric project planning tool with a wizard-led approach for teams that want structured, waterfall-style scheduling without complexity overhead.
In its favor
Why people choose Project KickStart
The signal that keeps Project KickStart on the shortlist. Sourced from G2, Capterra, and customer scoping calls.
The Project Wizard guides new users through planning in a structured, coach-like flow—HP Outsourcing Services used it to help teams understand where to start without feeling overwhelmed.
The 30-minute ramp to a complete project plan and Gantt schedule wins over small teams who need structure fast—documented in reviews calling it a 'real confidence builder' for project managers.
It costs less than half the price of leading enterprise project management platforms, appealing to small businesses and nonprofits who need professional planning without enterprise licensing.
The tool's explicit Waterfall methodology with task dependencies helps regulated industries like FDA manufacturing document the project structure from the outset.
Project KickStart is Windows-only with no documented public API, and customers report feeling locked in once their project history grows, making migration a manual and time-intensive process.
As teams grow beyond planning into collaborative execution, resource management, and real-time status updates, Project KickStart's static Gantt-centric model no longer meets their needs.
The product has not published a public roadmap or active changelog, leaving long-term customers uncertain about continued development and future compatibility with modern operating systems.
Reasons to switch
Why people leave Project KickStart
The recurring reasons buyers give for replacing Project KickStart. Presented as facts, not knocks.
Platform scorecard
Strengths, weaknesses, and where Project KickStart 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
Project KickStart pricing overview
Project KickStart is sold by Experience in Software (Berkeley, CA) as a perpetual desktop licence rather than a SaaS subscription. The base licence starts at $199.95 per installation; multi-user and Pro variants are priced higher and resold through Act! partners such as Keystroke.ca. There is no free trial and no free version. Annual recurring fees are not part of the standard model — customers own the licence indefinitely once purchased.
Project KickStart (single licence)
Tier 1 of 2
From $199.95 (perpetual, one-time per installation)
What's included
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Book a free 30 minute consultationPricing is informational. FlitStack AI does not bill on Project KickStart's schedule — see our quote-based pricing →
What gets migrated
Project KickStart object support
Object-by-object support for Project KickStart migrations. Per-pair details surface during scoping.
Projects
Fully supportedProjects are the top-level container. We map Project name, description, cost, and complete rate to the destination's project record and preserve the source Project ID as a reference field for audit trails.
Phases
Fully supportedPhases are the second level of the Project KickStart outline hierarchy. We treat them as sub-project groupings or project milestones depending on the destination's object model.
Tasks
Fully supportedTasks are the primary work unit in Project KickStart. We map task name, planned dates, assigned owner, cost, and complete rate. Custom task fields are mapped as custom properties on the destination task object.
SubTasks
Mapping requiredSubTasks nest under Tasks. Where the destination system supports only flat task lists, we flatten SubTasks into Tasks and prefix the name for disambiguation. Where hierarchical subtasks are supported, we preserve the nesting.
Goals
Mapping requiredGoals are a Project KickStart concept not present in most destination systems. We preserve them as a custom multi-line text property on the Project record in the destination. Customers should review that this context survives the transfer.
Notes
Mapping requiredNotes are free-text entries at various hierarchy levels. We map them to the destination's equivalent object notes or description fields. Where a Notes field does not exist, we attach them as comments to preserve the content.
Assignees
Fully supportedProject KickStart assigns Tasks to named team members. We map Assignee names to the destination's user lookup. Where the user does not exist in the destination system, we flag the record for reassignment before cutover.
Obstacles and Risks
Mapping requiredObstacle and Risk entries are a Project KickStart-specific concept for project-level risk tracking. We map them to the destination's risk or issue object type, preserving title, description, and linkage to the parent project.
Task Dependencies
Fully supportedProject KickStart generates explicit dependency links between tasks (finish-to-start, start-to-start). We reconstruct these as native dependency relationships in the destination using task IDs from both systems.
Attachments
Mapping requiredAttachments are linked to Tasks and Projects. We migrate files as attachments to the corresponding Project or Task record in the destination. File path references are updated to reflect the new storage location.
Comments
Fully supportedProject KickStart records Comment Logs on Tasks. We map these to the destination's comment or activity feed on the corresponding task record, preserving author, timestamp, and text content.
Project Templates
Mapping requiredProject Templates in Project KickStart contain the outline structure, phases, and placeholder tasks. We export the template as a Project and re-create it in the destination as a project template where supported, or as a copyable project structure.
Act! and Outlook Integration Data
Not in this platformProject KickStart pushes tasks and calendar events to Act! CRM and Microsoft Outlook via proprietary integration. These external sync records do not live in Project KickStart's own data store and are not migrated. Tasks and calendar entries in the destination system must be recreated manually after migration.
| Object | Support | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Projects | Fully supported | Projects are the top-level container. We map Project name, description, cost, and complete rate to the destination's project record and preserve the source Project ID as a reference field for audit trails. |
| Phases | Fully supported | Phases are the second level of the Project KickStart outline hierarchy. We treat them as sub-project groupings or project milestones depending on the destination's object model. |
| Tasks | Fully supported | Tasks are the primary work unit in Project KickStart. We map task name, planned dates, assigned owner, cost, and complete rate. Custom task fields are mapped as custom properties on the destination task object. |
| SubTasks | Mapping required | SubTasks nest under Tasks. Where the destination system supports only flat task lists, we flatten SubTasks into Tasks and prefix the name for disambiguation. Where hierarchical subtasks are supported, we preserve the nesting. |
| Goals | Mapping required | Goals are a Project KickStart concept not present in most destination systems. We preserve them as a custom multi-line text property on the Project record in the destination. Customers should review that this context survives the transfer. |
| Notes | Mapping required | Notes are free-text entries at various hierarchy levels. We map them to the destination's equivalent object notes or description fields. Where a Notes field does not exist, we attach them as comments to preserve the content. |
| Assignees | Fully supported | Project KickStart assigns Tasks to named team members. We map Assignee names to the destination's user lookup. Where the user does not exist in the destination system, we flag the record for reassignment before cutover. |
| Obstacles and Risks | Mapping required | Obstacle and Risk entries are a Project KickStart-specific concept for project-level risk tracking. We map them to the destination's risk or issue object type, preserving title, description, and linkage to the parent project. |
| Task Dependencies | Fully supported | Project KickStart generates explicit dependency links between tasks (finish-to-start, start-to-start). We reconstruct these as native dependency relationships in the destination using task IDs from both systems. |
| Attachments | Mapping required | Attachments are linked to Tasks and Projects. We migrate files as attachments to the corresponding Project or Task record in the destination. File path references are updated to reflect the new storage location. |
| Comments | Fully supported | Project KickStart records Comment Logs on Tasks. We map these to the destination's comment or activity feed on the corresponding task record, preserving author, timestamp, and text content. |
| Project Templates | Mapping required | Project Templates in Project KickStart contain the outline structure, phases, and placeholder tasks. We export the template as a Project and re-create it in the destination as a project template where supported, or as a copyable project structure. |
| Act! and Outlook Integration Data | Not in this platform | Project KickStart pushes tasks and calendar events to Act! CRM and Microsoft Outlook via proprietary integration. These external sync records do not live in Project KickStart's own data store and are not migrated. Tasks and calendar entries in the destination system must be recreated manually after migration. |
Gotchas
What to watch for in Project KickStart migrations
Issues we've hit on past Project KickStart migrations, tagged by severity. FlitStack AI handles every one — surfacing them up front because buyer engineering teams want to know.
No public API requires manual export-based migration
Windows-only desktop client limits access patterns
Goal, Obstacle, and Risk data requires custom mapping
| Severity | Issue |
|---|---|
| High | No public API requires manual export-based migration |
| Medium | Windows-only desktop client limits access patterns |
| Medium | Goal, Obstacle, and Risk data requires custom mapping |
Leaving Project KickStart?
Where Project KickStart customers move next
5 destinations Project KickStart can migrate to.
How a Project KickStart migration works
Four steps, Project KickStart-specific
Connect
No public API — Project KickStart is a Windows-only desktop application into Project KickStart. Scopes limited to read-only on the data we move.
Map
We translate Project KickStart-specific structures (custom fields, objects, value lists) to the destination's model.
Sample
Test with a 50–200 record subset to validate Project KickStart quirks before production.
Migrate
Full migration with Project KickStart rate-limit handling. Rollback available throughout.
FAQ
Project KickStart migration FAQ
Answers to the questions buyers ask most during Project KickStart migration scoping. Not seeing yours? Book a call.
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Migrate Project KickStart.
Without the rebuild.
Free scoping call with a migration engineer. Tell us about your Project KickStart setup and destination — written quote back within a business day.