We know that PSA is now known as Project Operations. Well, it’s not just a name change but also some significant improvements that Microsoft has brought in. The following blog will take you through the differences between PSA and Project Operations. The upgrade from Project Service Automation to Project Operations is going to be delivered in three phases. Below are the major changes which will be seen after the upgrade is complete.
- Phase 1 (January 2022)
In this phase, the dependency on WBS has been cut off for projects.
- Phase 2 (November 2022)
With all the modifications from phase 1, we even have WBS that is a part of the project operations limits that are currently supported
- Phase 3 (Probably April 2023)
In addition to the enhancements from phase 2, WBS also includes support for the Project desktop client and extends beyond the present scope of Project Operations.
Let’s delve deep in feature wise comparison between PSA and Project Operations.
1] Project Templates:
They help you generate the WBS structure from an already pre-defined WBS structure in the form of a template.
Project Service Automation: ✔️ Included
You can create a project template as shown in below image in PSA:
After saving this record, you can add the record while creating a new project as shown in the below image. You can also select ‘Is Template’ field to save the current project as a project template.
Project Operations: Not included
This feature is not included in Project Operations, but the same functionality can be done with the ribbon button on the Project form named ‘Copy Project’. With this all the task information and the project properties get copied in a new draft project.
2] Project work breakdown structure (WBS) integration with desktop client:
A project management tool with automated scheduling, resource management, and built-in reporting is Microsoft Project Online desktop client.
Project Service Automation: ✔️ Included
This feature is very essential in PSA as with the capabilities of desktop client, Task management can be done efficiently. There is a ribbon button to integrate the system as shown:
Project Operations: Not included
This feature is not there in Project Operations as it has OOB integration with Project for the web.
3] Constraints – Start no earlier than, finish no later than:
When you add a constraint on the tasks it forces you to start or end on that date even if the schedule is changed. Constraint is very useful, but one needs to be careful about the dates
Project Service Automation: Not included
This is not available in Project Service Automation and is possible if integrated with Project Desktop Client.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
This feature restricts the resource to complete the task start and finish the task in the given time. When a constraint is set your calendar icon gets a cross sign stating that it is restricted.
Example: If you select Constraint type as ‘Finish No Later Than’ and the Finish date is set as 3rd February 2023.
The task then needs to be completed by the specified date.
4] Milestones – Tasks with zero duration:
Milestones are key points in the project timeline and serve as markers to indicate that certain objectives have been met and provide an opportunity to review and assess progress. Milestones are typically used to track the progress of a project, to communicate with stakeholders, and to help manage risks.
Project Service Automation: Not Included
This feature is not available in PSA and is exclusively available in Project Operations Only.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
Adding a milestone task with zero duration is now possible in Project Operations unlike PSA. Just add ‘0’ in the duration field and set same start and finish date as shown below:
And now the milestone symbol can be seen as shown in the below image:
5] Resource driven tasks will respect the availability of assigned resources
Resource-driven tasks are scheduled based on the availability of the resources assigned to them. This means that the start and end dates of a task are determined by the availability of the necessary human, equipment, or material resources. This helps ensure that tasks are completed efficiently and within the given time frame.
Project Service Automation: Not Included
This feature is not available in Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
The system considers the availability of resources when scheduling tasks and adjusts task dates accordingly. This helps ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget, and that resources are utilized efficiently.
It takes into consideration the work hour template of the assigned resources and changes the Start and Finish date according to the availability.
6] Time-phased editing – Edit plans and work on a day-by-day basis
This feature provides a detailed view of the project schedule, with tasks and their associated work broken down into daily increments. This level of granularity enables project managers to adjust the project schedule based on daily progress and to account for changes in resource availability or task dependencies.
Project Service Automation: ✔️ Included
With the help of this feature, we can change the efforts on the resource assignments grid on a day-by-day basics and even by week or month. This makes work easy as changes can be done on the grid itself.
Project Operations: Not Included
This feature is not yet added in the Project Operations, but we can expect this update in later phases.
7] Automatic/manual scheduling – Use the Project scheduling engine to schedule tasks automatically or manually
Project Service Automation: ✔️included
The scheduling of tasks for leaf nodes is determined by the task mode. Every activity supported by PSA has two task modes: automatic scheduling and manual scheduling.
Automatic Scheduling: Scheduling engine uses the rules on task attributes to determine the schedule for the task.
Manual Scheduling: It stops the engine from calculating the values of other scheduling attributes.
Project Operations: Not Included
This feature is not available in Project Operations.
8] Edit large projects directly in the user interface: There is no limit to the size of plans that are editable
Project Service Automation: ✔️ Included
There are no as such limitations in the Project Service Automation for creating task. And large products can be edited using products OOB feature.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included (500 task limit)
Project Operations relies on Project for the Web for all project scheduling operations, and it has certain limitations for creating task which is up to 500 task per project. Meanwhile Project for the web has got an enhanced capacity of 1000 tasks.
9] Percent complete – Mark task progress
This feature is added in Project Operations with the capabilities of Microsoft Project as it helps Project Manager to see the amount of work completed so far for that task. That progress is calculated using the following formula:
Percent Complete = (Actual Duration / Duration) * 100
Project Service Automation: Not Included
This feature was not available in PSA. Making it difficult for the Project Managers to track the task progress.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
This feature helps Project Managers to track task progress.
10] Project Schedule Modes
Organizations can specify how they handle changes to important variables in tasks inside the work breakdown structure using Dynamics 365 Project Operations. When a project is created, project managers have the option to alter the scheduling mode based on the requirements of the company.
| In this task | If you revise units | If you revise duration | If you revise effort |
| Fixed units task | Duration is recalculated. | Effort is recalculated. | Duration is recalculated. |
| Fixed effort task | Duration is recalculated. | Units are recalculated. | Duration is recalculated. |
| Fixed duration task | Effort is recalculated. | Effort is recalculated. | Units are recalculated. |
Project Service Automation: Not Included
Schedule modes are not available in Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
This feature is very useful and plays a very important role while creating a project. You will see this feature in settings area, click on Parameters, open the record and you will the option as shown in below image:
11] Timeline – Build and customize the timeline view to visualize schedule details and communicate with stakeholders
Project Service Automation: Not Included
There is no feature available, it can be done with the help of ‘Open in MS Project’ Ribbon Button by using its capabilities.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
On Task Tab you have this timeline view which helps you to add dependency, rearrange the task and many more.
12] Flexible persistent views – Define more granular views of task attributes
Project Service Automation: Not Included
Project Service Automation have very few task attributes for the view.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
This feature gives more task attributes that can be added to give more information of the task on the view.
13] Task information dialog box
Project Service Automation: Not Included
This feature is not available in Project Service Automation, but you can view all the details by selecting the edit task button.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
In Project Operations, this feature is yet to be added but you can view task details by clicking on the ‘view details icon’ on the task name to get all the information regarding the task.
14] Drag and drop – Multi-select tasks and modify their position on the WBS
This feature helps you to easily change the order of the task if any changes are there and reduces the efforts.
Project Service Automation: Not Included
This feature is not available in Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
This feature is exclusively available in Project Operations, and it helps to easily drag the task from one position to another.
15] Sort and filter the WBS
Project Service Automation: Not Included
This feature is not available in Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
This feature helps to filter the WBS according to the user’s needs. Below image shows the different filters that are available.
16] Boards view for non-waterfall project delivery
Project Service Automation: Not Included
Board view is not available in Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
17] Keyboard Shortcuts – Use keyboard shortcuts for common operations, such as indent or insert
Project Service Automation: Not Included
Key shortcuts were not included in Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
Keyboard shortcuts for Project helps the users work more efficiently.
| To do this | Press |
| Expand the parent task to view the child tasks. | Shift+Alt+Plus sign (+) or Shift+Alt+Equal sign ( = ) |
| Collapse the parent task to hide the child tasks. | Shift+Alt+Minus sign (-) or Shift+Alt+Underscore (_) |
| Increase indent of a task. | Shift+Alt+Right arrow key |
| Decrease indent of a task. | Shift+Alt+Left arrow key |
| Select the column of the current cell. | Ctrl+Spacebar |
| Select the row of the current cell. | Shift+Spacebar |
| Continuously select multiple rows. | Shift+Spacebar+Up or Down arrow key |
| Open the context menu (right-click menu). | Alt+M |
| Move the focus from a cell to the right, left, up, or down. | Right, Left, Up, or Down arrow key |
| Scroll to display the bottom or top row. | Page down or Page up |
| Move the focus to the first or last cell in the row that has the focus. | Home or End |
| Move the focus to the first or last cell in the first or last row. | Ctrl+Home or Ctrl+End |
| Select all. | Ctrl+A |
| Extend the selection one cell to the right, left, down, or up. | Shift+Right, Left, Down, or Up arrow key |
| Open task details. | Tab key to the task, then Alt+I |
18] Multi-level undo – Perform what-if analysis to fully understand the impact of changes by reversing and reapplying an entire set of operations
Project Service Automation: Not Included
This feature is not available in Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
This feature is available and helps to undo the steps which are done and are not required or needs to be corrected.
19] Cut/Copy/Paste – Collaborate on schedule development by copying and pasting schedule details between applications
This feature helps you to copy data of specific task, resources, filters and more, within same or different projects.
Project Service Automation: Not Included
This feature was not the part of Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
20] Task checklists – Add up to 20 checklist items to a task
Project Service Automation: Not Included
Checklist is not a feature in Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
Project Operations relies on Project for the Web for all project scheduling operations, and it has certain limitations for creating checklist which is up to 20 items for a single task.
21]Export to excel
Project Service Automation: Not Included
Export to Excel option is not added in Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
With the help of this feature, you can export your WBS to excel.
22] Task Billing Setup
Project Service Automation Not Included
This feature is not added in Project Service Automation.
Project Operations: ✔️ Included
Users can associate task with the project contract lines which links them to same billing method, invoice frequency and the customers.
23] Project Limitations:
| Field | Limit |
| Maximum total tasks for a project | 500 |
| Maximum total duration for a project | 3650 days (10 years) |
| Maximum total resources for a project | 300 |
| Maximum total links (successor only) for a project | 600 |
| Maximum total custom fields for a project | 10 |
| Maximum hierarchy level | 10 levels |
| Maximum links (successor + predecessor) | 20 |
| Maximum duration of leaf task | 1250 days |
| Maximum duration of a summary task | 3650 days (10 years) |
| Maximum resources assigned to a task | 20 resources |
| Supported date range for a task | 1/1/2000 – 12/31/2149 |
| Checklist items | 20 |
Thank you, Sankalp for your valuable inputs!
D365 Feeds 