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Microsoft Project client integration

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Note

This integration is built on legacy technology and is not receiving further investment. Support for this feature will end by January 2025.

Planning and maintaining a project schedule can be complex, so project managers need to use tools that help them manage this task. Integration with Microsoft Project Client provides support to open and manage a project work breakdown structure. The project manager can publish any changes back to the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance project work breakdown structure.

Note

If you are using the July update (version 10.0.4), you must install KB 4054797 and 4055884.

Configure the Microsoft Project Client add-in

To enable the integration with Microsoft Project Client, a Microsoft Dynamics 365 add-in is required to be installed in the user’s client Microsoft Project application. This is done by opening the Project management workspace.

• Click Configure project client add-in from the Links > Setup section of the workspace.

• Click Open, then click Run when prompted.

Open and edit an existing draft work breakdown structure in Microsoft Project Client

If a project in Dynamics 365 Finance already has a work breakdown structure created, the work breakdown structure can be opened in the Microsoft Project Client application if the work breakdown structure is in a draft status. To open from the Project page, click Open in Microsoft Project link from the Plan tab. This page can also be opened from within the Microsoft Project Client application by clicking Open in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 tab. Select the Legal entity and Project from the list.

Note

If you're using Internet Explorer as your browser, you need to click Save to manually open from the location that the file is downloaded to. Or, click Save and open to open the file in Microsoft Project Client. Do not rename the file name when saving.

Before making any edits to the file using Microsoft Project Client, you need to check it out. Select Check out in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 tab to prevent other users from editing the work breakdown structure from within Finance at the same time. To publish the work breakdown structure after completing any edits, click Check in on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 tab.

If a project team has already been added to the project in Finance, the resource list is populated with the team members. If a project team hasn't yet been added to the project, you can select resources and build the team within Microsoft Project Client by clicking the Resources button on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 tab.

The following data is synced back to Finance as part of the check-in process:

• Task name

• Start date

• Finish date

• Predecessors

• Resource names

• Category

• Resource category

• Work hours

• Notes

• Priority

Note

If you add any other columns to your Microsoft Project Client file, they aren't saved to the file and won't display when the file is opened again.

Create the work breakdown structure for an existing project using Microsoft Project Client

To create a new work breakdown structure using Microsoft Project Client, follow these steps:

  1. Open Microsoft Project Client.

  2. On the Microsoft Dynamics 365 tab, click Open.

  3. Select the Legal entity for the project.

  4. Select the Project.

  5. Click Check out on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 tab.

  6. When ready to publish to Finance, click Check in on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 tab.

Replace the existing work breakdown structure for an existing project using Microsoft Project Client

To create a new work breakdown structure using Microsoft Project Client and replace an existing work breakdown structure for an existing project, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Microsoft Project Client.

  2. Create the schedule in Microsoft Project Client.

  3. On the Microsoft Dynamics 365 tab, click Save changes > Replace existing project.

  4. Select the Legal entity for the project.

  5. Select the Project.

  6. Click OK.

Create a new project from within Microsoft Project Client

  1. Open the Microsoft Project Client.

  2. Create the schedule in Microsoft Project Client.

  3. On the Microsoft Dynamics 365 tab, click Save changes > Save to new Project.

  4. Select the Legal entity for the project.

  5. Enter the Project ID, if necessary.

  6. Enter the Project name.

  7. Select the Project type, Project group, and the Project contract ID. Alternatively, you can create a new project contract by clicking New.

  8. Select the Calendar to be used for resourcing.

  9. Click OK.

Note

The Project Client add-in doesn’t support the following characters in the project ID format:

  • Underscore
  • Period
  • Space
  • Slash
  • Comma