What is Project for the Web?
Project for the web, formerly known as Project service, is Microsoft 365's most recent offering for cloud-based work and project management. Project for the web provides simple, powerful work management capabilities. The solution provides multiple ways in which to view your project, including a timeline view (Gantt Chart), board view, and grid view. The intent is for project managers and team members to plan and manage work of any size with the product.
Project for the web is the latest addition to the Microsoft Project product family, which includes Project Online Desktop Client, Microsoft Project Online, Project Server, and Project desktop.
Project for the web (or simply Project) is built on the Microsoft Power Platform and includes the following:
- Project Home
- Roadmap
- A new project management experience that is easy-to-use, web-based, and especially created for informal project managers
What is Project for the Web built on?
Project for the web is built on the Microsoft Power Platform. The Power Platform consists of PowerApps, Microsoft Flow, Power BI and the Common Data Service (CDS). The Power Platform is both powerful and extensible, and great for business processes and functions.
Project for the Web is also built on Office 365 groups, so it works and collaborates with the Office 365 tools you use with your project teams today!
Note: you cannot give external users access to Project for the web tasks.
Customizing Project for the Web
There are a number of options to customize Project for the Web. The Project web entities may be extended by adding your own entities (Risks, Issues, etc.) by using the Power Platform, PowerApps and Microsoft Flow are powerful apps for building custom applications and workflows.
Reporting
You can connect Project for the Web to Power BI Desktop,. You'll need at least a Power BI and also a Project subscription to use this however. If you want to read, build, or customize Power BI reports on Project for the web data you need to be a licensed user of Power BI desktop or Power BI Pro. You will also need the following Project subscriptions:
- View data: No additional subscription is needed to read Power BI reports built on Project for the web.
- Build Power BI reports: You'll need Project Plan 3 (formerly Project Online Professional) or Project Plan 5 (formerly Project Online Premium) to build Power BI reports on Project for the web data.
- Customize out-of-box Power BI reports: You'll need Project Plan 3 (formerly Project Online Professional) or Project Plan 5 (formerly Project Online Premium) to customize the Power BI reports provided in the Power BI Template File for Project for the web.
Project for the Web and the Project desktop client
The Project Online desktop does not connect to Project for the Web. This will be evaluated along with other features based on user feedback.
Comparing Project for the web and the Project Online desktop client
Project for the Web and Microsoft Project Online
How should customers transition to Project for the Web from Project Online?
For many customers a side-by-side transition is the best approach. No data migration is required in this scenario and allows continuation of Project Online to manage existing projects to completion. Microsoft's recommended side-by-side approach:
- Continue managing existing projects to completion in your Project Online environment.
- Create and manage new projects in Project for the web as soon as it meets your business needs.
Related Links
Project for the Web Consulting Services
The Task tab is not showing in Microsoft Project for the Web
How to use Icons as graphical indicators with Project for the Web
How to Create a Custom Program Entity with Project for the Web
How to Create a Business Process Flow with Project for the Web
How to Create a Custom Action Item list with Project for the Web
How to use Project for the Web custom entities with Power BI
How to Customize Project for the Web with Entities and more