This morning, Microsoft announced the availability of the first public preview of Project 2013 which you can download from http://www.microsoft.com/project/en-us/Preview/default.aspx.
A lot of new features have been added to already rich Project client. However, the Project Server is now available as a true CLOUD solution, meaning you can get your PPM up and running on a Microsoft hosted platform.
Next week I will blog an update on all the exiting new features available from a server side perspective. Have fun with you download!
Here are some of the new features from the official landing page:
Stay organized
Easily plan and manage your projects
Tap into the latest Project templates on Office.com from within Project to help you get started quickly. Project also helps keep you organized by providing quick access to recent files and locations from the Backstage.
Be efficient and prioritize
Stay in control of your project plans no matter the size. Rich, out-of-the-box reporting tools within a familiar Office-like experience help you quickly and easily measure progress and resource allocation. With Task Path highlighting in the Gantt Chart, you always know how your tasks come together and can identify which tasks are the most critical to your project’s success.
Manage anywhere
Improved integration between Project and Office 365 (and SharePoint) enables you to share the latest status, conversations, and Project Timeline through a dedicated project site. Create the project site with a few simple clicks to quickly share project details with your team, keeping everyone connected and organized.
Deliver projects successfully
Give effective presentations
The Timeline view helps you visualize your project to deliver stellar presentations to your team, executives, and stakeholders. And because Project lets you design and print your reports, you can easily share insights that help you better communicate progress and achieve results.
Anticipate change
Enhanced tools like Team Planner help you see and amend potential problems before they can impact your schedule. With Project, you can set tasks to “Inactive” and quickly analyze “what if” scenarios without recreating your entire project plan.
Explore the Office Store
The new Office Store provides Apps for Office that extend the functionality of Project to solve unique problems to meet your needs and the needs of your business.
Improve everyday collaboration
Work seamlessly across tools
Project works well with Office, Office 365, SharePoint, and Lync®, to give you a complete collaborative project management system. You can easily copy project information to Office applications such as PowerPoint or email and save important plans and details to Office 365 or SharePoint. Improved task list synchronization between Project and Office 365 or SharePoint helps you quickly deliver project information to your team and easily receive their changes from virtually anywhere.
Communicate in real time
Project integration with Office 365 enables you to send instant messages and kick off real-time conversations right from your project with Lync Online.
Discover and share information
Office 365 and SharePoint social capabilities work with your project site to facilitate discussions and information sharing so you can get projects and everyday work done. In addition, SharePoint search functionality makes it easy to find the right information to effectively complete everyday work and save you time.
Simplify IT
Try Project Pro for Office 365
Use Project as a subscription delivered through Office 365, with the same features as in Project Professional 2013 Preview. Project Pro for Office 365 Preview will get users up and running quickly with application streaming technology and automatic patching. It also enables users to work from the Windows PC of their choice through Project On Demand, which allows them the option to install Project on multiple PCs and even temporarily install Project on kiosks while they’re travelling.