MS Project Online wit Project Pro For Office 365

[mwgie]

Hi
I am a relative newby to the MS Project world so please forgive me.
In terms of an infrastructure, I would like to setup a system where by I would create the central project(s) which would then be accessible to management for reading and to supervisors for updating tasks etc (via tablets or laptops)
I do not have the infrastructure in place (servers etc) to setup the system myself and are therefore looking at the cloud based solution on offer.
Looking at the Microsoft web-site, it is not so obvious what I need. Why make it so complicated.

Do I need Project Online as well as Project Pro (as part of the Office 365 bundle ) or could I manage with Office 365/MS Project without the need for Project Online?
I understand that as part of the cloud based solution it 'sits' on top of SharePoint. Is this part of the Office 365 bundle?
What is the Web App about? Has this been replaced by the cloud based solution for MS Project 2013?

Clarity and advice would be much appreciated.
Mwgie

 

[JulieInMaine]

Hi Mwgie,

If all you want is to have others open the project files you create, they would simply need Microsoft Project (Standard edition) installed. While you can go down the path of Project Portfolio Management (PPM) with Project Online, and Project Professional, it sounds like it is overkill for what you need.

I'll try to simplify your options:
Project 2013 Standard - installed to one PC - with a standard license. Each person who wants to view or edit the files using Project would need a license. Does not communicate with Project Server. Your management team may not want to use Project - they may rely on you to create PDF files or Excel spreadsheets with key data. I strongly suggest all team members who will be actively using Project get a good, two to three day hands on course with Project. It has a steep learning curve and training will pay for itself hundreds of time over.

Project 2013 Professional - can be purchased either through subscription (Project Pro for Office 365) or a regular installation (non-subscription). If you are not going to use Project Online don't spend the money for the Professional license.

If you are considering a PPM solution, you need to have a strong Project Management structure in place and you should certainly work with a Project Partner for needs assessment and readiness evaluation.