Two new products are on the way from Microsoft Business Solutions, Microsoft's development unit for software aimed at small- and medium-size businesses. Microsoft Business Solutions was formed through the combination of two businesses acquired by Microsoft, Great Plains Software and Navision Software, with Microsoft's own bCentral information portal. The two products announced this week have similarly composite origins.

Microsoft Business Solutions Professional Services Automation (PSA) is targeted at project administrators. Using technology from Great Plains' Solomon line and the enterprise version of Microsoft Project 2002, the software includes tools for team collaboration and recording and tracking various aspects of ongoing projects, including budgets, billing, materials, and payroll. The application is intended to offer users centralized resource management and greater budget control, and is designed for users in a variety of industries with needs as diverse as those of professional services firms and construction companies, according to Microsoft. Pricing will be announced upon its release, scheduled for the fourth quarter.