Projects / Import and export a project plan

Import and export a project plan

If you are working with external project management systems like MS Project, you can use the project plan import and export feature.

Import a project plan

You can import a project plan from an .mpp or .xml file. Its tasks will be added to an existing plan version. As a result, a new plan version will be created. It will include all tasks from the original version, and imported tasks will be added to them.

To import a project plan:

  1. Switch to the editing mode by clicking Edit in the Gantt chart.
  2. Select a project plan version in the search field of the toolbar. This is the version that the tasks from the external system will be imported to.
  3. Click import-plan-icon in the toolbar.
  4. In the provided window, upload an .mpp or .xml file and configure the settings:
  • Import completed tasks. You can choose to add only tasks that haven't been completed from the external system. To do that, uncheck this box.
  • Merge plans. This option allows you not to make duplicates of tasks with the same ID. If Existing tasks will be replaced with the imported ones.
  • Assign a user to unassigned items. Select a user who is going to be responsible for the imported tasks whose executors cannot be defined. This happens if executors’ full names are not found among ELMA365 users. All these tasks will be assigned to the selected executor once import is completed. If you leave the field empty, you can select executors for each task during import.

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  1. Click Import.

Once the import process is completed, you will see the new project plan version with the imported tasks added to the previously existing ones. This version is automatically saved.

The fields of an imported task are filled out with data from the external system: name, executor, start and completion dates. Task executors are automatically assigned the permissions granted to Project Participants.

After the plan has been imported:

  1. If some of the users that the imported tasks are assigned need other permissions than Project Participants, contact the administrator.
  2. In Process type tasks, manually set up the input parameters of the imported process. To do that, open the task form and enter the data in the Business Process section.

Executor conflicts

If the executors of the imported tasks are not ELMA365 users, and you haven’t assigned a user responsible for these tasks, you will be asked to assign other executors during import. You can:

  • Assign any user by clicking the magnifying glass icon.
  • Assign the tasks to yourself by clicking to me.
  • Assign the tasks to the Project Manager by clicking to the Project Manager.

When you assign an executor for each task, click Import.

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Export a project plan

You can export a project plan as an .mpp or .xml file:

  1. Switch to the editing mode by clicking Edit in the Gantt chart.
  2. Select the project plan version that you want to export in the search field of the toolbar.
  3. In the toolbar, click export-plan-icon and select .mpp or .xml.

The project plan file will be downloaded to your PC.

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