File Operations: Export Tasks to Text File or Word Document (for ProjectMaster 3.5)

To Text File -

After you've entered your project plan in ProjectMaster, you may want to work with the tasks in other programs such as Microsoft© Excel or Project. We've added the Export Tasks feature for this purpose. Simply select the File menu and the Export Tasks option and you'll be given a file/save dialog. Select your target location and OK to finish.

Tasks are exported in standard, tab-delimited text. To import to Microsoft Project:

Open MSProject to a new project file.

Select Open from the File menu.

In the Open dialog, change the File Type to Text (tab delimited) and select the text file you exported from ProjectMaster.

  • Select New Map.
  • Change the Import/Export Map Name: to Cadence.
  • Make sure Tasks is selected in the Data to Import box.
  • Make sure Export Header Row/Import Includes Headers is selected.
  • Select Task Mapping tab.
  • Map tasks to MSProject by selecting the appropriate field dropdown. Follow the table below:
To: Microsoft Project From: Text File Field Data Type
WBS WBS Number Text
Name Activity Name Text
(Do Not Map) Planned Start Date Text
(Do Not Map) Planned Finish Date Text
(Do Not Map) Potential Early Start Date Text
(Do Not Map) Planned Slip Date Text
(Do Not Map) Actual Finish Date Text
  • Click OK.

With the new Cadence map selected, select open.

For details on how to manipulate text files in other applications, please consult their application help system or manual.

Export Operations:  Exporting to Microsoft® Project

ProjectMaster 3.5 supports exporting your schedule to Microsoft Project 2000. Simply select Export to MS Project from the File menu and choose your sort preference from the dialog above.

You have two options when it comes to exporting your tasks from ProjectMaster: Sorting tasks in WBS order from your Work Breakdown Structure or, if you've already sequenced your tasks in the Schedule Sequence Editor, you can export your tasks in schedule order. This second option is only available if you've actually scheduled some of your tasks. If you haven't gotten that far, the Schedule Order option will be grayed out. If you've sequenced some of your tasks but haven't finished, you will be able to export in schedule sequence order, with your unsequenced tasks sorted at the bottom of your Microsoft Project task list in WBS order.

If you select to export your schedule in WBS order, major blocks in ProjectMaster will be converted to summary tasks, with each block's tasks appearing after its block. If you select to export your schedule in Schedule order, the major blocks will be converted to milestones, with each milestone appearing after the last scheduled task in its block.

Remember where you save your file as it won't open in Microsoft Project automatically. Open the exported Microsoft Project 2000 file and you will see all your ProjectMaster task levels, block through work package.

Microsoft Project Default Column Set:

Information (blue-circled "i")

Contains information associated with a given task item. For example, any tasks that were marked "Complete" in ProjectMaster will be marked with a Check here.

Assumptions entered at the task level in the Schedule and Constraints Editor in ProjectMaster are imported into Microsoft Project as notes. You'll identify a task with an assumption by the yellow note icon in its Information column. Any project level Issues and Assumptions are attached as notes to the Project Timeline, the first line of your Microsoft Project schedule.

Task Name, Duration, Start, Finish

These are imported directly from ProjectMaster untouched.

Predecessors
Microsoft Project will take your ProjectMaster predecessors from the Schedule and Constraints editor and place the data in this column. The schedule view will display the predecessor relationships with their correct lines and arrows. Critical Impact data is not imported from ProjectMaster and will not be drawn in Project.

Resources
Resources are imported from ProjectMaster with the associated workload assignments in tow: responsible resources for a given task are listed first in the Resources column, with contributors to follow.

WBS Numbers
Microsoft Project handles WBS numbers differently than ProjectMaster. Because of this, ProjectMaster exports WBS numbers to a standard text field into Microsoft Project called TEXT1, which you'll have to add manually to your schedule. Here's how:

1. In your Microsoft Project file, click the "Task Name" column heading to select the column.
2. Right-click the highlighted "Task Name" column.
3. Select "Insert Column" from the pop-up menu.
4. In the "Insert Column" dialog, select "TEXT1" in the "Field Name" drop-down. In the "Title" field, type "WBS #"
5. Click OK.

You should now see your WBS numbers in the column to the left of the Task Name column.

Exporting Plan to Word 2000

You can also export your entire project plan to Microsoft Word 2000 for electronic distribution to team members and managers who aren't running ProjectMaster locally. Just select Export to Word from the File menu and finalize settings in the simple dialog above.

You'll notice that you only have options for the graphical components of your plan: Work Breakdown Structure, Responsibility Matrix, and Schedule.

While the text in the exported Word project plan is editable, the graphical components are not. ProjectMaster exports these as image files to save in file size and complexity.

 

 

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