Whiteboard: Microsoft Project MPP Files

Here are some steps to connect your MS Project MPP file to ST. Once you perform these steps, you'll see MPP tasks in your timesheet.

Sync MPP Files With Your Timesheet

How to integrate with MS Project, using MPP files

1. Choose Tools, Projects in ST
2. Click the new Tools menu (in that dialog) to create a new project
3. Name the project and press Tab to save it
4. Right-click on that new project
5. Choose Microsoft Project Integration Wizard
6. Choose your MPP file
7. Complete the Wizard
8. Close the Projects dialog
9. Click the 'Proejct Tasks' tab to see your tasks

"Got all that?"
"Yep, it worked"

Once you see your project in ST, you can click the 'Time sheet' checkbox for each MSP task. That will make them show up on the timesheet. Now users who are assigned to those tasks will see them.

Now that you got all that, scroll below the video down for some discussion of MS Project integration. The extra info will help.

MPP Tasks, after the integration

After performing the steps above, you should see your Microsoft Project tasks in ST. Click the Project Tasks tab to see them. That tab may show several projects, so you may need to scroll down to find your project and the tasks. You will likely see a "Timesheet" column in the Project Tasks tab. Click the checkboxes in this column to ensure your tasks show up in the timesheet.

"Do all the MPP tasks show up in the timesheet?"

If your tasks aren't shown in the timesheet, consider these options

1. Only the tasks with the "Time sheet" checkbox checked will show up in the timesheet.
2. Only the tasks assigned to you show up in the timesheet
3. Tasks marked as "Complete" do not show up in the timesheet
4. On rare occasions, the timesheet could be filtered to hide certain tasks. If you see a yellow "X" at the top of the timesheet, click it to remove filtering.

"Can we send hours back to MSP?"

"Sure!"

How to send actual hours back to MS Project

After employees enter hours to MS Project tasks in the timesheet, you can send those actual hours back to the MPP file. The hours will go to the Task Usage view in MSP.  Choose View, Refresh Project Tasks to send those hours to MSP.

More MS Project videos

Here are some instructional videos that offer more detailed descriptions of the MPP integration process. You might also consider integrating some projects with MSP and leaving others native to ST. Native ST projects don't require MPP files. And, they don't require integration with MSP. You'll get most of the same features as MSP, but without the integration hassles.



    Basic MSP Integration Video

    MSP Integration with Task Usage View

    Should you use MS Project or native ST projects?

"We opted for a combination of MPP and native ST projects"
"Not all projects are connected to MSP"

This article Whiteboard: Microsoft Project MPP Files was first seen on http://www.stdtime.com