Project Server is a SharePoint Server application for managing project schedules and resource data, reporting time and status, and analyzing an organization’s projects. It is part of the legacy Project line of project management software and services, which receive little development effort but are still supported and have no announced retirement date. Project Server is an optional component of SharePoint Server and requires it to run.
Roadmap: Project Server Roadmap
Licensing: Project Server
Product Description
Project Server provides advanced activity management features, including a hub and Web interface for status, time worked, and other project data. For project planning it delivers automated scheduling, resource management, multiple-project integration, portfolio management, and custom reporting.
Project managers typically access Project Server through a Project desktop application—either Project Professional or the Project Online desktop application—to get advanced planning and resource management features. Other project team members can use the Project Web App browser interface and third-party mobile applications, which offer status updating, reporting, and limited planning and resource management. (See “Project Legacy Clients“.)
Project Server shares technology with the Project Online cloud service and provides similar features. However, Project Online has limitations compared with Project Server. For example, it allows fewer projects and fewer custom fields, and limits each tenancy to 25GB of storage.
Project Server will mostly benefit existing customers who need a central hub for complex projects like Project Online, but cannot migrate project data to the cloud service. For example, some government agencies and contractors must keep project data in datacenters they control for security or regulatory compliance. Other customers’ projects might exceed Project Online’s technical limits, such as the 25GB limit on storage.
Project Server’s main drawback compared with Project Online is that customers must buy and maintain the application’s platform, including server infrastructure, OS and application software, and databases.
Servicing
Project Server follows the life cycle of SharePoint Server, which has moved to a Modern Lifecycle Policy requiring regular updates to retain support. SharePoint Server receives new features twice a year, but none of the new features released since 2022 have been for Project Server. Project Server does get regular updates to work with the latest versions of Microsoft products. For example, the SharePoint Server 25H1 update provides support for Windows Server 2025.
Requirements and Compatibility
Project Server installs as part of SharePoint Server and requires that SharePoint’s Enterprise Client Access License features be enabled. SharePoint Server, in turn, requires specific, supported versions of Windows Server and SQL Server. SQL Server Analysis Services must be installed on database servers for some Project functions.
Project managers using advanced planning and analysis features need a Project desktop application, either the Project Online desktop client or Project Professional . Other users and some project managers can use the Project Web App browser interface or third-party applications. Project Server works with the same browsers as SharePoint Server.
Deployment
Project Server does not support in-place upgrades, so organizations moving to it from older versions must build new infrastructure, install the new Project Server version, and then migrate databases and other data from the old version. Migration to Project Server Subscription Edition (SE), the latest version, is supported only from Project Server 2019 and 2016, so 2013 and earlier versions of the software must be migrated to Project Server SE in a series of steps. Deploying or upgrading to Project Server SE also requires a move to SharePoint Server SE.
Licensing
Project Server 2019 and 2016 could be licensed on a perpetual server–Client Access License (CAL) model similar to other Microsoft server applications. Project Server SE, in contrast, is licensed strictly on a Per-User subscription model, like that of SharePoint Server SE. To license users, customers may purchase Project Online and Planner subscription licenses, or renew Software Assurance (SA) on qualifying Project Server licenses that they purchased previously.
Resources
Desktop and Web clients for Project Online and Project Server are explained at “Project Legacy Clients.”
For a Project Online product summary, see “Project Online.”
SharePoint Server is explained in more detail at “SharePoint Server.”
A Project Server administrator e-book and online documentation are at “Project Server Documentation” (Microsoft).