Project Online is a flexible online solution for Project Portfolio Management (PPM) and everyday project work. Project Online provides powerful project management capabilities for planning, prioritizing, and managing projects and project portfolio investments-from almost anywhere on almost any device. Project Online is built on the SharePoint Online platform and stores its data in the SharePoint Online data store, utilizing Project-enabled SharePoint Online sites.
Project Online can be used by administrators, portfolio managers and viewers, project and resource managers, and team leads and members. Only Project Managers, Administrators, or other users who create and manage projects need additional licensing to use Project Online; project viewers and team members only need a UW Office 365 license (see below).
As of April 2025, no new Project Online environments are being created. Existing Project Online users can continue to receive support, but should begin transitioning to Microsoft Planner Premium as soon as possible.
In some cases, a less robust option is the better way to manage tasks for projects. Microsoft Planner is a low-overhead alternative to Project Online that allows organizations to get up and running quickly with managing projects. For more information on Microsoft Planner, please see the UW Office 365 page for Planner.
Project for the Web (Microsoft's most recent offering for cloud-based work and project management) and Roadmap (cross-project overviews for Project for the Web) have been rolled into Microsoft Planner. If you would like to use these features, please consider using Microsoft Planner.
Project for the Web and Roadmap will not be available as separate products outside of their inclusion in Microsoft Planner.
IMPORTANT : Because new Project Online environments are no longer being created, you will only need a new Project license if you are a newly-added Project Manager or Admin to an existing environment; check with your environment's administrator to see if they can assign you an unused license before purchasing a new license. Every Project environment needs at least one Plan 5 license holder at all times.
A UW Office 365 license only includes 'Project Online Essentials', which gives users limited rights to a web interface to perform task and time updates to projects managed in Project-enabled SharePoint Online sites.
Essentials is the 'basic' tier of license and is intended for the vast majority of users: people who need to view projects, project sites, schedules, and information (as well as users who report their time and work progress).
These licenses are offered to UW departments annually, from June 1 to May 31, aligning with our Microsoft contract. Licensing does not include service or support for the product itself, and it only includes the cost of contract management and automatic annual renewal.
Project Plan 3/5 licenses are intended for Project Managers and Administrators, or other users who need the ability to create or modify projects. Not every user or member of the project team needs a Plan 3/5 license, so licenses should only be purchased for users who need to use advanced features (see below).
Please visit the UWare page for more pricing information.
Click here to order Project Plan 3
Click here to order Project Plan 5
The MS Project Professional desktop client is a project management program with automated scheduling, project resource management, and built-in reporting. The Project desktop client can be used as a standalone application or connected to a Project-enabled SharePoint Online site.
You do not need Project Online to utilize the Project desktop client; however, you will need Project Online to utilize 'Enterprise' features, such as cross-project resource management and reporting.
The only way for UW faculty and staff to obtain the Project desktop client is by purchasing a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 license. Both licenses allow for up to five concurrent installations of Project desktop.
UW students can access the Project desktop client via a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 license. Alternatively, some students can gain access to Project desktop via Azure for Education.
You can click here to learn more about Azure for Education.
Since new Project Online environments are no longer being created, only existing Project Online customers can receive support from UW-IT.
Support can be obtained by filling out the form below:
Request PPLAT Recharge Services
Project Online environments are no longer being created for new users / can no longer be requested. However, if you are a Project Online admin and need a new Project Online instance (for example, for testing or debug purposes), you may request support via the PPLAT Recharge Service.
If you have an existing Project Online instance and need to create a new project site, please use Project Online's online tools.
SharePoint task lists can sync with the Project desktop client. For more information on configuring this setup, please see Microsoft's guide 'Sync with SharePoint tasks list from Project Professional'.
You can create a SharePoint site for this per the UW-IT SharePoint Online documentation or use an existing one built into any of the Collaboration Services already in place for your organization.
PWA (AKA: Legacy Project Online) enabled SharePoint sites are not designed to work with Microsoft 365 Group-connected sites. For more information on the available options for managing permissions in a PWA-enabled Site Collection, please review Microsoft's Change permission management in the Project Online guide.
LinkedIn Learning provides project management tools and software courses, including Project Online. The following course, Microsoft Project Management: Choose the Right Tool for the Job, offers a section dedicated specifically to Project Online. Refer to section 3, "Project Online," beginning with the learning video An Overview of Project Online.
If you need further assistance, please contact UW-IT at help@uw.edu or 206-221-5000.