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Frequently asked questions about Altus PPM and Projectum xPM

• What are Altus and Projectum xPM?

  Altus and Projectum xPM are the world's leading Power Apps-based project and portfolio management solutions with over 400 customers.

• Why do you offer two alternative solutions for project and portfolio management, Altus and Projectum xPM?

  We see ourselves as neutral consultants for our customers and try to find the most suitable project and portfolio management solutions for each customer with a focus on the Microsoft and Atlassian world.

• What distinguishes Altus and Projectum xPM from other project and portfolio management solutions? What are the unique selling points of each?

  In short, for Microsoft 365 including data storage exclusively in the Microsoft environment of your organization, there are no other solutions internationally with a complete range of functions for portfolio, project, product and resource management including scenario planning and time recording as well as historization and recovery of all data that are true standard products.

• Who needs Altus and Projectum xPM?

  Any organization that regularly implements projects can benefit from Altus and Projectum xPM.

• Why should you switch from Project Online to the Power Platform with Altus or Projectum xPM?

  Project Online has been discontinued by Microsoft as of 30.09.2026. From this date, the service will no longer be available, i.e. you will no longer be able to access your data. With Altus and Projectum xPM, you can migrate your data quickly and easily to one of the best platforms. For example, we can deploy Altus in your Microsoft 365 environment and migrate the data from Project Online within one day.

  If you want to make it easier for your employees to migrate to Altus and Projectum xPM, you can also continue to use the Microsoft Project Desktop app for scheduling. Both solutions have an add-in for MS Project.

• What is the successor to Project Online?

  There is no official successor from Microsoft for the discontinued Project Online. Microsoft Planner does exist, but it lacks essential functions for cross-project project management. Altus and Projectum xPM are the modern successor solutions. Among other things, they can also connect the Project Online desktop client to a central server.

• Is there a demo version for Altus and Projectum xPM that we can test ourselves?

  Yes, we can provide you with Altus and Projectum xPM Essentials for testing in your Microsoft 365 environment within one day.

• Which customers are already using Altus and Project xPM?

  In addition to our customers Amer Sports, KWS, LAPP, Stadtreinigung Hamburg, Accompio, SteelcoBelimed (Miele), KPT, Rohde & Schwarz and KUKA in the DACH region, more than 400 companies worldwide use the two solutions. VOLVO, Heineken, Nordea, Hempel, SBM Offshore, Aalborg, Vattenfall, Convatec, European Energy, Bavarian Nordic A/S, FLSmidth & Co, Opal, Mater, Melbourne Airport, BeyondBank, Glencore, KBR, SA Power Networks, Pymble Ladies College, Life without Barriers and many more.

• Why should I choose Holert as my implementation partner for Altus and Projectum xPM?

  We have been implementing project and portfolio solutions based on Microsoft technologies for over 25 years. In 2019, we began implementing the Altus and Projectum xPM solutions for customers in the DACH region. These include Amer Sports, KWS, LAPP, Stadtreinigung Hamburg, Accompio, SteelcoBelimed (Miele), KPT, Rohde & Schwarz and KUKA. See also our referencesas well as recorded and upcoming customer presentations and video references. This makes us the only partner in the DACH region that has successfully implemented both solutions for many customers and can provide manufacturers with neutral advice on their selection. We are also a first mover in the field of AI, as you can see in the recordings of our last customer events since March 2023.

• Can I use Altus and Projectum xPM to plan our resources?

  Yes, both solutions have a built-in resource management function. You can plan resources both at task level and at project level. If desired, the project manager can visualize their requirements for each project with one click to the respective team leader, who can then easily assign the appropriate resources. The special feature is that you can also balance out which projects fit into your project portfolio from a resource perspective at a high level by simply moving them around.

• Where do Altus and Projectum xPM store our data?

  Altus and Projectum xPM store their data exclusively in the customer's Microsoft 365 environment. This means that your project data is under the full control of your own IT.

• How much training is required for Altus and Projectum xPM?

  Altus and Projectum xPM are very easy to use. So simple that our customer Volker Jach was sent away by his project manager after just a few minutes with the words "That's obvious" after he tried to give him a brief introduction (see recording of the KPT customer presentation in the References section). Altus also contains video tutorials in the product.

• Where can I get information on Altus and Projectum xPM prices?

  The prices for Altus and Projectum xPM depend on the number of different users and for Projectum xPM on the number of managed resources. Please send us a brief description of your situation via contact request and we will prepare a suitable offer for you.

• What licenses and technical requirements do Altus and Projectum xPM have?

  Since both Altus and Projectum xPM are based on Microsoft 365 Power Apps, they require the following Microsoft licenses per user:

  Power Apps, e.g. Power Apps per app
  Power BI, e.g. Power BI Pro

  In addition, the licenses for the software itself depend on the respective role, e.g. manager or team member.

• Can I easily integrate Altus and Projectum xPM with other systems such as ERP solutions like SAP and other project management solutions like Jira, Azure DevOps, Planner and Project?

  Yes, Altus comes with preconfigured interfaces to Jira, Azure DevOps, Planner and Project as standard. The Microsoft Project integration in particular can make the transition from Project Online easier, as it allows you to migrate all data from Project Online with a single click. You can also save and analyze the data from Microsoft Project centrally during the coexistence phase and beyond if you wish. We also offer a number of other integrations that use the native integration functions of the Power Platform and make you independent of third-party products.

• Can I integrate Altus and Projectum xPM with Microsoft Teams?

  Yes, both Altus and Projectum xPM can be integrated with Microsoft Teams. For example, you can create a team channel for each project or program and then display the associated documents within the app or access the application itself via Teams. Projectum xPM also includes Teams-integrated time tracking, which you can also use with the Microsoft Teams mobile app.

• How can I migrate data from existing project management systems?

  Migrating data from Project Online to Altus is particularly easy. You can simply activate the existing connector and the project data will be available in Altus within a short time. You can then specify which projects you want to use in Altus and see them in the reports provided. We also offer simple ways to transfer data for many other PPM solutions. As Altus can not only migrate the data once, but can also synchronize it over a longer period of time or even permanently, you can also migrate step by step.

• Can I also transfer my employee data, including absences, from our existing system?

  Yes, the easiest way is to synchronize the user data from the Active Directory or Entra Id to Altus and Projectum xPM, so that all users are automatically authorized according to their role and are available as resources for planning. If desired, additional data such as absence times or departmental affiliation can also be transferred from existing sources such as the HR system. All this can be done without proprietary additional tools.

• Can Altus and Projectum xPM also be integrated with Outlook or Exchange?

  This is our specialty. We have been offering integrations between project and scheduling solutions for over 25 years, including in conjunction with our Allocatusproduct . Probably no other company in the world has so much experience with the most diverse use cases, such as the transfer of absence times from the Outlook calendar, the visualization of tasks and milestones in the Outlook calendar or the task list or time feedback from the Outlook calendar.

• Can our existing time recording system be integrated into Altus or Projectum xPM?

  Yes, as an alternative to the Altus and Projectum xPM project time recording systems supplied, you can also integrate your own time recording system, such as SAP CATs. You can also integrate attendance time recording.

• Can Altus and Projectum xPM be adapted to our organization?

  Yes, you can easily adapt the solutions to your requirements and continue to benefit from updates from the manufacturers Altus and Projectum. This is possible because Altus and Projectum xPM are based on the Power Platform. The customization here goes far beyond what you are used to with other project and portfolio management solutions, i.e. you can not only create a few fields, but you can also customize the appearance, navigation, permissions, all forms, fields and processes and even add new tables. Altus is characterized by the fact that the entire application, including time recording, resource management and scenario planning, is based on the Power Platform. Projectum xPM that many views such as Gantt, Kanbarn and Roadmap can be highly customized with just a few clicks.

• Can I also use Altus and Projectum xPM internationally?

  Yes, both solutions come in English as standard. Together with the manufacturers, we offer translations for all common languages on request. Users can then decide for themselves in which language they want to use the application.

• Can I use my own project templates in Altus and Projectum xPM?

  Yes, with Altus, depending on the planning tool used, and with Projectum xPM in its own scheduler, several templates can even be combined in a simple way. However, Holert's AI-supported planning function makes it even easier.

• Can I define my own project types in Altus and Projectum xPM?

  Yes, you can define which data should be recorded for each project type and the process according to which it should run through the project life cycle. This allows you to effectively manage projects in different areas such as customer projects, development projects and internal projects, projects of different sizes and projects that are implemented using different methods, e.g. agile, hybrid or V-model.

• Which reports are included with Altus and Projectum xPM?

  Both Altus and Projectum xPM come with a variety of reports that cover all typical project and portfolio management issues. These are updated regularly and can be easily adapted to your own requirements. The special feature is that the reports take account of authorizations on request, i.e. each user only sees in the reports what they are allowed to see. We also offer a function that allows you to historicize the entire data (!) and restore it at any time.

• Can I map idea management with Altus and Projectum xPM?

  Yes, both Altus and Projectum xPM have idea management as standard. In Altus, business challenges can also be defined against which ideas can be collected. Ideas can then be evaluated with AI and, if selected, converted into project proposals or projects via definable process steps.

• Can I define who sees which data, e.g. resource utilization in Altus or Projectum xPM?

  Yes, depending on the respective roles, you can define exactly who can see what. This is possible at table level, e.g. projects, resources, but also at field level. In other words, you can define very specifically who can see and, if necessary, edit what, in which role and at what time?

• Can I restrict access to individual projects in Altus and Projectum xPM, e.g. for confidential projects?

  Yes, you can define who can see what at the level of individual projects or for projects in a business unit. Altus and Projectum come with a predefined role concept that you can use immediately and adapt as required.

• How will Altus and Projectum xPM be further developed?

  Altus and Projectum xPM continuously develop their solutions and provide new versions at regular intervals. The special thing about Altus is that the upgrade process can be fully automated on request. Both manufacturers and we provide regular information about the planned new developments and involve existing customers in the planning at regular customer events .

• How can non-project-related tasks and employee absences such as vacations be included in Altus and Projectum xPM for meaningful capacity planning?

  Both Altus and Projectum xPM allow the recording of line activities and other non-project-related activities. In addition, absence times such as vacation, parental leave, sabbaticals and much more can be recorded. This can be recorded in the PPM solution or automatically integrated via other data sources such as HR systems. You do not need any additional tools for this; it is part of the scope of delivery, including the resource management function.