Portfolios/ProjectPlace Integration: Version 2

Working with a plan managed by ProjectPlace

In a connected workspace where the plan is managed by ProjectPlace, everything works just as in a standalone workspace with the following exceptions:

• In ProjectPlace, working days are strictly set from Monday to Friday and cannot be modified.
• Import functions for CSV and MS Project are currently disabled.
• If an activity in Planview Portfolios has allocations or reported time:
  • You cannot add sub-activities to it.
  • You cannot delete it.
• The maximum hierarchy depth allowed in Portfolios is 15 levels. If a project is already at level 5, you can only add up to 10 more levels in the ProjectPlace plan structure. Creating activities or reorganizing the plan to exceed 15 levels in total depth is not permitted.

How do I connect an existing workspace with Portfolios?

Here's how to connect an existing workspace to Planview Portfolios:

1. Click the Administration tab in a workspace.
2. Click Planview Portfolios Integration in the drop down menu that appears.
3. In the resulting view, click the "+ Select" to bring up a drop down menu of parent structure codes that you have access to in Planview Portfolios.
4. Once you have selected a "Parent structure code" from the drop down, the input field below will reflect its ID.
5. When satisfied with your choice in parent structure code, click the Sync button.

Once you click the Sync button:

1. You are informed that the connection is currently being established.
2. Once done, you are notified that it has been successfully established.
3. Reload the page to see updated information.

That's it! Your ProjectPlace workspace is now connected with a Planview Portfolios project. By default the plan is managed by ProjectPlace.

Which system should manage the plan?

The choice depends on your organizational needs. Planview does not specify a preferred system.

For projects requiring agility and adaptable structure, manage your plan in ProjectPlace. For those needing detailed control over multiple dependencies and constraints, choose Portfolios.

You can switch the managing system at any time, which will restrict plan editing capabilities in the alternate system.

If transitioning management to ProjectPlace from Planview Portfolios, ensure:

• The project in Portfolios does not have any dependencies, either internal or linked to other projects, as these must be removed first.
• The project is not using Partial Plan Sync.

Plans managed in ProjectPlace can be transferred to Portfolios at any time, but consider:

• All days will be set as working days in ProjectPlace.
• Any existing dependencies in ProjectPlace will be removed upon transfer.

What Portfolios calendars are supported when ProjectPlace manages the plan?

Planview Portfolios allows detailed customization of working days and hours, while ProjectPlace provides basic support for identifying working days.

When Portfolios manages the plan, ProjectPlace counts all days as working days. Although dates will align between the two systems, durations may differ. For instance, a task running from Friday morning to Monday afternoon will show as two days in Portfolios but four days in ProjectPlace.

Conversely, when ProjectPlace manages the plan, it only recognizes weekdays (Monday to Friday) as working days, excluding weekends from duration calculations. Start and end dates cannot be set on weekends. This arrangement largely corresponds to the STANDARD calendar in Planview Portfolios, which defines working hours as 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, with a one-hour lunch break

What are overlapping dependencies and why do they appear?

Occasionally, in connected workspaces where ProjectPlace manages the plan, you may experience:

1. An alert indicating overlapping dependencies in the plan.
2. A button labeled "Fix dependencies" to assist in resolving these issues.

What does this mean?

An overlapping dependency occurs when a task is scheduled to start before its predecessor finishes, which is illogical. An alert notifies editors of the plan to address this issue. The accompanying button provides options to adjust dates, delete dependencies, or ignore the issue for manual correction later.

Why does it happen?

Overlapping dependencies can occur because of progression runs in Planview Portfolios. These are scheduled tasks that update various elements, including plan dates, typically outside of regular hours. These updates change dates in a connected project without considering existing dependencies, which may result in overlaps.

Persistence of the Alert:

This alert and button reappear for all editors every time the plan is accessed until the overlapping dependencies are resolved.

Can I get rid of the alert/button?

Yes, an account administrator can contact customer support to set an organization-wide default action, either automatically adjusting dates to resolve dependencies or deleting them. Currently, it's not possible to set default actions for specific workspaces. Once a default is established, informational alerts will replace the alert message and button, indicating the adjustments or deletions made.

Why is the plan locked even though I have edit permissions?

When Planview Portfolios manages the plan, it is only editable within Portfolios, regardless of a user's edit permissions in ProjectPlace. Thus, the plan is locked for all users in ProjectPlace.

Conversely, when ProjectPlace manages the plan,

• workspace members must have edit permissions both within ProjectPlace and in Portfolios to edit activities and milestones,
• workspace members must be members of the organisational account to qualify for edit permissions.

Therefore, a user might have edit permissions in one system but still find the plan locked if they lack permissions in the other.

How can I tell what permissions I have to edit the plan?

Begin by accessing the plan tool in your workspace and check the toolbar.

1. If you see options to add activities and milestones, you have permission to edit the plan.
2. If there's a Planview Portfolios logo and the tooltip says, "The plan in this workspace is syncing with Planview Portfolios," the plan is managed by Portfolios.
3. If the logo appears with a tooltip stating, "You lack edit permissions for the corresponding Project in Planview Portfolios," this indicates the plan is managed in ProjectPlace but you do not have the necessary permissions to edit it as per ProjectPlace and/or Portfolios requirements.
    

How can I check who can edit a connected plan?

(This is relevant only for workspaces managed by ProjectPlace)

As a workspace administrator, you can verify which members can edit the plan in a connected workspace by navigating to Administration > Planview Portfolios Integration.

1. If managed by ProjectPlace,
2. the bottom part of the page will display a table listing workspace members.
3. This table shows whether each member has edit permissions in both Portfolios and ProjectPlace.
4. Edit permissions in Portfolios are checked several times daily. You can manually update this check by clicking the "Refresh" button.
5. The "Last updated" column indicates the last permission check in Portfolios.