MS Project 2013 - Links Between Projects

Question

Hi there

I am trying to work through a cross project dependency issue.

I'm trying to work out how the "Links Between Projects" button works.

I have a Program Plan I'd like to insert my projects into, in order to show key milestones within one of your new reporting features.

But I also want to show cross project dependencies (I guess within my program plan also, rather than the project plans)....I have been able to insert a sub-project into my master (program Plan) - but now how can I link the dependencies?

I am selecting two tasks to link, and pressing the "Links between projects" button, but it's not working so I'm sure I'm doing somethign wrong, or perhaps using it for the wrong reason.

Can someone help?  a) tell me what I'm missing to setup these dependencies  b) what does the "Links between projects" button do?

I've checked the help file, but all this tells me is how to insert a sub project, not really about this extra button.

Many thanks!

Answer 1

Hi Lindy,

The "link between projects" button is intended to open a dialog box showing the cross-projects links and NOT to create links. You can use this dialog box to vizualise the inter project links, and accept/reject the updates.

To create those cross-projects links, you were pretty on the good path.

1. Insert your sub-projects into a master plan,
2. Select the 2 tasks you want to link (from 2 different projects in your master plan). To do that, you can use the CTRL key. Note that the first task you select will be the predecessor,
3. Click on t he "link tasks" button in the task ribbon or press CTRL F2.
4. You can save OR NOT the master project, the important step being to save at least the sub-projects as they do contain the external predecessors information.

The link should be then created between your tasks in your different projects. Note that in the predecessor column, you should see the file path for the external predecessor. Once there, you can indeed open the link between projects dialog box to see if an external predecessor has been updated and thus requires for you to accept this update and then update your project plan.

Answer 2

Hi,

The answer is already in a previous post:

Quote: The "link between projects" button is intended to open a dialog box showing the cross-projects links and NOT to create links

So when you say this did nothing , indeed, it is not meant to.

You simply have to click the Link Tasks button on the task ribbon exactly like for an in-project link.

Greetings,

Answer 3

Guillaume,

Thank you for sharing the instructions above, but i am having challenges.

I am using Project 2010.

I created master project plan.

I inserted my 3 sub-projects with Link 

I expanded the 2 projects I want to select the tasks from.

I selected the 2 tasks by using Ctrl key and clicked on the "link between projects" .

the pop box open and nothing was in it nor did it allow me to do anything.

what did i do incorrectly?

please and thank you

Nohma

Answer 4

The #4 is just to mention that the consolidated project (master project) is just an envelop which contains the projects, but no other information. Thus the external dependencies will be saved in the subprojects, thus once cross project links created, you just need to save the subprojects and not the master project.

That being said, you might want to reuse the master project and you will thus save it.

Answer 5

Thank you Guillaume!

I really appreciate the quick response.

Can you clarify #4 for me?  Just to be sure I understand how this works...