Creating Cross-Project Links

[ks2008]

Hi

1). What is the usage of Creating Cross-Project Links ?
As I understand, "Cross-project links are useful when two or more projects
have only a few tasks that affect one another. For example, a milestone
within a development project might trigger a task in an advertising campaign
project."

2). How it is implemented in Project 2007 ?
When I copied the task from the source project into my project ( target
project ) using "Paste Special", the new task I created become another task
in my target project. My observation is both task ( ie. task in the source
and task in the target ) behaving very independently as if they don't have
any link.

Here is my questions.
a) Obviously they are linked.
How the schedule and cost changes in the source projects is getting
reflected in target project. vice versa.
Like I said, my observation is they are behaving like independent task
although they are same task.

3). What is the difference between the "Paste Special" and "Past as
Hyperlink" ?

thanks
KS

 

[John]

Hi

1). What is the usage of Creating Cross-Project Links ?
As I understand, "Cross-project links are useful when two or more projects
have only a few tasks that affect one another. For example, a milestone
within a development project might trigger a task in an advertising campaign
project."

2). How it is implemented in Project 2007 ?
When I copied the task from the source project into my project ( target
project ) using "Paste Special", the new task I created become another task
in my target project. My observation is both task ( ie. task in the source
and task in the target ) behaving very independently as if they don't have
any link.

Here is my questions.
a) Obviously they are linked.
How the schedule and cost changes in the source projects is getting
reflected in target project. vice versa.
Like I said, my observation is they are behaving like independent task
although they are same task.

3). What is the difference between the "Paste Special" and "Past as
Hyperlink" ?

thanks
KS

KS,
For what you want to do you should NOT be using paste links or
hyperlinks. The former will work under very controlled conditions but is
generally not recommended because paste links are very prone to
corruption. Hyperlinks are intended to transfer the user from one
application to another, not to physically tie entities together.

What you want to use is external predecessors and successors. There are
various ways to set up active links between otherwise independent
projects. Perhaps the easiest is to create a master file
(Insert/Project) containing the projects whose tasks you wish to link.
Within the master project you can drag and drop link points, (e.g. from
Gantt bars), between tasks in individual subprojects. You can facilitate
this by isolating the desired tasks using filters if the tasks in each
project are not close to each other on the displayed view.

For more information on cross project task links go to Project Help and
look for "create task dependencies (links) across projects"

Unfortunately you already created paste links between the files using
paste links. I recommend you start over with fresh copies of the
original files (i.e. before linking). It may be possible to undo what is
already done but the chances of doing so successfully without creating
link fragments, (i.e. corruption just waiting to happen), is probably
not to good. Sorry.

John
Project MVP

 

[ks2008]

Thank you John.
Certainly I will follow your advice. Indeed, it is very helpful.

At this point I am preparing for the exam 70-632, so I am trying to explore
the features in Project 2007.
Here I was curious to know, how the "Paste Special" is working ?
What hapens, how it impacts the target project, if there is a change in
source project?
I was looking at the URL (
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/HA101308651033.aspx),
here I could not find answer to my question.

I have created task dependencies (links) across projects using "Paste
Special".
What I found was, no impact on the target project when there is a change in
the source project, I am may be wrong.
That is why, I am looking for expert input.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Thanks
KS

 

[John]

Thank you John.
Certainly I will follow your advice. Indeed, it is very helpful.

At this point I am preparing for the exam 70-632, so I am trying to explore
the features in Project 2007.
Here I was curious to know, how the "Paste Special" is working ?
What hapens, how it impacts the target project, if there is a change in
source project?
I was looking at the URL (
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/HA101308651033.aspx),
here I could not find answer to my question.

I have created task dependencies (links) across projects using "Paste
Special".
What I found was, no impact on the target project when there is a change in
the source project, I am may be wrong.
That is why, I am looking for expert input.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Thanks
KS

KS,
My understanding of paste links versus external dependencies
(predecessors/successors) is that the former is based on Dynamic Data
Exchange (DDE) and the latter is an evolution of that concept using
Object Linking and Embedding (OLE). (If my understanding is incorrect,
will someone please correct me.). Paste links are less stable and hence
more prone to corruption. Links using external dependencies are more
stable but nonetheless care must still be exercised to avoid corruption.

When you linked the two projects together with paste links it sounds
like you copied and pasted (special) the whole task line from one
project to another. That is really asking for trouble because that
procedure creates multiple DDE links for each task parameter (e.g. Name,
duration, start, finish, etc.). You will not see changes until you
update the links. Normally an alert note will pop up asking if you want
to update links when a file with paste links is first opened, but it's
been several years since I worked with paste links, I don't remember all
the details.

External links will appear as ghost (grey) tasks in both projects.
Normally they will automatically update whenever a project is opened (no
alert will appear).

Hope this helps.

John
Project MVP