It started in 1995.  HMS had published its very first version of TimeControl in 1994 and was determined to add Microsoft Project as a new integration in the version 2 launch in 1995.  The link up between the companies was getting a slow start until a chance encounter between Chris Vandersluis, President of HMS and Frank Clegg, then the President of Microsoft Canada (he is now the CEO of Canadians for Safe Technology).  The two men found themselves sitting next to each other on a flight from Toronto and Montreal and before the flight had landed, Frank had promised to make sure that the right Microsoft people connected with HMS.

That chance encounter paid three decades of dividends for both companies.  TimeControl did launch its version 2 that year with the link to Microsoft Project and a link to the Microsoft Project family of products has continued uninterrupted ever since.

HMS became a Gold Certified Partner at Microsoft and continues to be in the Microsoft Partner program to this day.

With changes this year in the Microsoft Project lineup, HMS is making adjustments to keep up.

Microsoft Project on the Web was retired earlier this year and as a result, we’ve removed it as a possible link within TimeControl.  Microsoft Project Online will be retired in September 2026 and our link to Project Online will continue until it is fully decommissioned.  Microsoft has recommended that Project Online clients shift to either Microsoft Planner or Project Server on-premise.  TimeControl already includes integrations with Project Server.  We were one of the first companies in the world to link to it in any software category.

What about Microsoft Planner?

We are announcing here for the first time that TimeControl 8.6.1 which is due out before year’s end will include an integration with Microsoft Planner.  We will talk more about the link when we start shipping the new version.

Thirty years and counting.  This long term technical relationship is one of the oldest in the software industry and shows no signs of slowing down.

For more information on the many ways TimeControl leverages Microsoft Technology, see the TimeControl Microsoft Portal or just contact a TimeControl professional.