Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation (PSA) licensing has now been replaced by Dynamics 365 Project Operations. The transition to Project Operations requires migration consultancy for existing PSA customers. Here are some more details on Project Operations and some FAQs.
How can I upgrade from Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation to Dynamics 365 Project Operations?
Microsoft had previously stated that they would release a “frictionless upgrade” of data from Project Service Automation to Project Operations towards the end of 2020. According to the latest Microsoft documentation, this is now thought to be available from September 2021. However, the best way to ensure a smooth transition from Project Service Automation to Project Operations and to ensure everything migrates is to enlist the help of a specialist Dynamics 365 Partner such as Infinity Group.
What is Project Operations?
Today’s project-based services market is a competitive one. Businesses are challenged to win new deals, accelerate project delivery, and increase profit margins. Yet many of these businesses are using separate, unconnected systems for project management, collaboration, sales, and financials. Actionable data and unified teams are required to succeed in this competitive environment.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Project Operations is the solution to these issues. It incorporates capabilities from Project Service Automation, Microsoft Project, and Dynamics 365 Finance into one package. The application connects teams from an initial quote to project accounting under one roof.
How is Project Operations relevant to my team?
Microsoft have outlined the benefits to team members below:
- Leaders get business insights to increase visibility across all teams, data, and processes, plus AI capabilities for better faster business decisions.
- Sales in enabled to win more deals and accelerate the sales cycle with fast, accurate quotes, flexible pricing, and seamless transitions from estimate to execution. Connect with Dynamics 365 Sales for comprehensive customer relationship management.
- Resourcing is set up to optimise resource utilisation by aligning the right people with the right skills to the right projects, improving quality and helping retain top performers.
- Project managers can accelerate project delivery with state-of-the-art, built-in project management that uses familiar, easy-to-use Microsoft Project capabilities.
- Team members can improve productivity, collaboration, and visibility with integration to Microsoft Teams, as well as submit time and expenses from anywhere.
- Finance can simplify project accounting with time and expense tracking governance, project cost, budgeting, invoicing, revenue recognition, compliance, and visibility into key business health metrics such as gross margin and project probability. Connect with Dynamics 365 Finance for comprehensive financial management.
By building Project Operations within the Dynamics environment, Microsoft has enabled customers to integrate the product with existing Dynamics products and to add customer applications built with Microsoft Power Apps. This ensures the products share a common foundation and present a unified cloud-delivered solution.
Microsoft has ensured that current Project Service Automation customers will get access to migration tools and will be grandfathered into Project Operations licensing.
What is Grandfathering?
Grandfathering is a policy in which old rules continue to apply in some situations, whilst a new rule will apply to all future cases. The policy is often time-limited or based on certain criteria. The origin of the term is found in US law-making in the late 19th century. Laws restricting voter registration contained exemptions for citizens whose ancestors were eligible voters before the American Civil War (e.g., their Grandfathers’ generation).
Within a software context, grandfathering is a way of ensuring existing customers do not suffer from new software releases or new products that supersede their existing ones.
What if I’m already using PSA?
Customers who have purchased or renewed Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation, Dynamics 365 Unified Operations plan, or Dynamics 365 Plan 2 prior to October 1, 2020 will be eligible for grandfathering.
Microsoft will continue to support PSA until 1st October 2024 but won’t be adding any new capabilities. Additionally, they will provide update scripts and data migration tooling to allow companies to update/migrate at their own pace.
Will Microsoft Project continue to be supported?
Yes. The introduction of PO does not impact Microsoft Project licenses. Microsoft will continue to support the product. However, it’s unlikely that they’ll be adding accounting capabilities and expense management, as these are key features of Project Operations.
What if I’ve paid for PSA but I’m not using it yet?
Dynamics 365 customers that are entitled to (but not yet using) Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation, or PMA capabilities within Finance will have to notify Microsoft between 1/5/2020 and 31/03/2021 that they intend to implement these products. They can do so by filing a support ticket with Microsoft using the following link: Ways to contact support for business products – Admin Help – Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Docs
How can Infinity Group help?
Infinity Group has worked several customers to successfully implement Project Service Automation into their businesses. As a Microsoft Gold Partner, we will be working closely with Microsoft to ensure we help to transition these customers to Project Operations as and when the time is right. This prior experience also means we are ideally placed to implement Project Operations solutions to any businesses keen to take advantage of this new all-encompassing solution.
If you are interested in learning more about transitioning from PSA to PO, please get in touch with our team. Infinity Group are Microsoft Gold partners and have already migrated several off or PSA customers over to Project Operations.
