Have you ever been in a situation where a software vendor promises during the sales phase that their product will solve all your problems, but once you get to implementation, or even testing, you discover that the most critical functions are not supported at all? At that point, you are left with two options: look for another product or accept a degradation of your processes. Neither is an enviable choice.

This is exactly the situation some companies will soon face as they begin transitioning from Project Online to alternative systems.

Project Online provides capabilities critical for achieving the required level of maturity in program and portfolio delivery management.

Some of Project Online capabilities are relatively easy to replace. In fact, replacements may even significantly improve existing functionality, allowing organisations to benefit from moving to more modern systems. This is especially true for project porfolio data management – registers and reporting.

However, there is a second, more specialised layer – functions directly related to project schedule management, collaboration, access control, quality assurance, integration of subprojects, resources, costs, risks, and ultimately, schedule calculations.

I study many PPM alternatives, and most don’t offer a way to compensate for these Project Online capabilities.

Typically, those making decisions about transitioning to a new PPM system have a reasonable understanding of project data management and reporting, but only a superficial understanding of schedule management (often without realising it). This plays into the hands of PPM system vendors. They confidently demonstrate visible features and assure you that their system integrates with Microsoft Project, conveniently omitting the small detail that this is one-way integration, whereas Project Online provides two-way integration.

This gap is usually discovered only after the decision to transition has already been made, sometimes as late as when a new project or program is initiated, and the delivery team realise that the previously achieved level of maturity is no longer attainable.

For the last couple of years, many of my colleagues’ project managers have shared their frustration when forced to use low-maturity systems like Monday.com, Smartsheet, or Planner, yet senior management still expects mature delivery.

My advice: when evaluating Project Online alternatives or PPM in general, start by assessing your current and required capabilities in both project and schedule management, ideally with a professional scheduler. Avoid working with consultant companies that merely resell project resources but lack deep expertise themselves.

Such an assessment is typically quick and not expensive. The existing and potential capabilities are well understood by those who have built solutions based on Project Online. There are not many such specialists, but they do exist. Find them within the company or engage external freelancers.

The outcome of this assessment should be a structured list of questions to challenge PPM system vendors.

When selecting a replacement, the focus must be on capabilities that support critical functions covering both project management and project schedule management.

A new system may significantly limit the achievable level of project maturity or unlock game-changing capabilities. The right choice enables organisations to reach previously unattainable levels of maturity and gain a real competitive advantage through more effective project delivery.

Feel free to contact me directly if you need help with this type of analysis. I’ll help guide you in the right direction.