Project to Planner Sync FAQ

Does the Project to Planner Sync Tool work with Project Professional?

The sync will work if you are using Project Professional and save/store your projects in Project Online.

What are all the fields that are synced and which ones can be changed on either end?

By default, the following fields can be changed on either end:

Task Title
Task Start
Task End (Due Date)
Task % Complete (Progress)
Task Description (Notes)
Task Bucket Name
Task Priority
Task Labels
Task Assignments

Can someone not assigned to a Plan task alter the task?

Yes, Planner does not have security controls to prevent this.

What happens if someone on the Plan side deletes a Task?

The sync solution will not delete tasks on either end.

If a Planner Task is deleted the task-level sync field in Project indicates “Deleted”

If a Project Task is deleted the planner task title is appending with “|Deleted”

What controls are in place for altering Plan tasks?

There are separate configuration options to prevent Planner Task updates from updating:

Project Task Title
Project Task Start and Finish
Project Task % Complete
Project Task Assignments

Publish from a single Project file to multiple Plans? Your earlier handout made a brief comment for this ability but how does that work?

During install a “Planner Sync to Multiple PlanId” custom task-level field is created. To sync a Project to multiple plans, you must copy the PlanId (described above) and paste into this task-level custom field.

Use of a common Buckets in a single Project template? Will this be through a drop down list in the Project file? Limitations for number of Buckets?

During install a “Planner Sync Task Bucket” custom task-level field is created. This is a free form text field so it can support unlimited Bucket names. It’s possible to change this field to a drop-down list (lookup field). However, Project Online lookup fields are the same for all projects so you would need to have the same buckets across all projects.

How long does it typically take to sync the tasks?

The default sync time is every 10 minutes.

Is there a limit to the number of tasks that can be synchronized with Planner?

No, there is not a limit to the number of tasks from Project, however Planner used to have a limit (which was removed in 2010) and may come back.

If a user updates Planner data will the updates be reflected within the associated Project?

Yes, the Dates, Assigned to, Task Title, as well as the Progress, Priority, Planner Buckets, Label and Comments have a bi-directional sync to/from Project and Planner.

Will changing Planner data maintain the tasks predecessors & successors?

Yes, the dependencies (both predecessors and successors) that are set in Project and go to Planner will remain in Project when the data syncs back from Planner to Project. When possible the task will remain automatically scheduled. However there are some conditions, such as setting a start/finish date on a weekend/non-working date that require manually scheduled tasks.

Can checklist items by synched?

No, at this time checklist items are not synced.

What happens if I assign a task to a resource that is not in the enterprise resource pool in Project Online?

The task will sync but the assignment will be blank – there will not be a resource assigned.

What happens if I leave my project checked out for a long period of time?

The tool will wait for the project to be checked in and apply the updates.

If the sync has stopped running, what will happen if it is restarted?

The tasks will be synched, duplicate tasks are not created, no risk to starting the service.

Can I share Planner tasks with users outside my organization?

Yes, however these guest users will not be included in the Enterprise Resource Pool and they will not see any of the resources assigned to the tasks.

Can I link one task in Project to multiple plans in Planner?

No, Project can not determine which update would apply

Can a link one project to multiple plans in Planner

Yes, you can decide which plans task should be synchronized to. One Project can have tasks linked to multiple different plans.

Can I see when tasks have been deleted in Planner from my project?

Yes, the sync tracks deleted tasks and automatically updates the task that have been deleted in the Sync Status field.

Can I create a new project from an existing Plan in Planner?

Yes. This is very popular request from those currently managing a project in Planner and need to see the visibility and status in Microsoft Project

What is the cost of the Project-Planner Sync?

Please reach out to discuss pricing

Do I set this up myself, or can PPM Works configure this for me?

PPM Works will install the code, PWA Project Views, and Project Detail Pages to support the Sync

What licenses are required for the Project-Planner Sync to work?

For team members: Microsoft Planner (E1 or E2, etc.)
For project managers: Microsoft Project Online with a Project Plan 3 license:
The Sync Service account will need both Office 365 (with Planner) and a Microsoft Project Plan 3 license

What permissions are required to sync Planner tasks with Project tasks?

An Azure AD Account with Group Admin role will be used by the Sync Service to access Project Online and Microsoft Planner

Can I connect my project to a plan that already exists?

Yes. You will can add the existing Plan UID into the project to sync to an existing plan.

Do I have to sync all tasks in a project to Planner, or can I choose which ones?

Similar to selecting which projects to sync, every task has a sync option which you can turn on or off.

Will Project recognize when users update tasks in Planner?

Yes, the sync will allow changes from both Project and Planner to sync back and forth.

How do I get Project and Planner integration capability?

To get the integration capability, you need to subscribe to either Project Online Professional or Project Online Premium. For Planner, you need to subscribe to Office 365 Business Essentials, Business Premium, E1-E5, or an Education plan. Contact us with any questions.