Configure default settings in MSP to use with Clarity

Products

• Clarity PPM On Premise
• Clarity PPM SaaS

Issue/Introduction

In order to prevent inconsistencies, apply the following settings in Microsoft Project (MSP) when using it to open projects from and save to Clarity

Resolution

Table of Contents

• Update existing projects
• Apply for new projects
• File > Options > General
• File > Options > Schedule
  • Calendar
  • Schedule
  • Scheduling options for this project
  • Calculation
  • Calculation options for this project
• File > Options > Advanced
  • Edit
  • Earned Value options for this project
  • Calculation options for this project

Note: While configuring the options for an open project, a dropdown menu Options for this project: <project name> appears.

Update existing projects

1. Open each project
2. Leave the default settings in the drop-down for Options for this project as the current project.

Apply for new projects

1. Change the value to Options for this project: All New Projects.
2. If there are no open projects, All New Projects will be automatically selected.

In the screenshots below, the example used is to make this change for All New Projects.

Key:

• Red - required
• Green - optional

File > Options > General

Date format: Do not use the Date Format as an option that includes a timestamp.

File > Options > Schedule

Calendar

Do not make changes to the Calendar section.

• Week Starts on pulls from the First Day of Work Week field in Clarity, so this value isn't changeable from the MSP side. See 'Week starts on' Setting in MSP for more details. 

Schedule

• Show assignment unit as a: Percentage (Recommended)

Scheduling options for this project

• New tasks created: Auto Scheduled (Required)
• Auto scheduled tasks schedule on: Project Start Date (Required)
• Duration is entered in: Days (Required)
• New tasks are effort driven = unchecked (Required)
• Split in-progress tasks = checked (Required)
• Tasks will always honor their constraint dates = checked (Required)
• Show that scheduled tasks have estimated durations = checked (Recommended)
• New scheduled tasks have estimated durations = unchecked (Recommended)

Calculation

• Calculate project after each edit = On (Required)

Calculation options for this project

• Updating Task status updates resource status = Unchecked (Required)
• Inserted projects are calculated like summary tasks: Unchecked (Recommended)
• Actual costs are always calculated by Project = Unchecked (Recommended)
  
  

File > Options > Advanced

Edit

• Allow cell drag and drop - Checked (Required)
• Move selection after enter -  Checked (Recommended)
• Ask to update automatic links - Checked (Recommended)

Earned Value options for this project

• Default task Earned Value method = % Complete (Recommended)
• Baseline for Earned value calculation = Baseline (Recommended)

Calculation options for this project

• Edits to total task % complete will be spread to the status date (Recommended)
• Calculate multiple critical paths (Recommended)
  
  

Additional Information

Check Broadcom Tech Docs Portal for more information.

1. Choose your Clarity release,
2. Then navigate to Using Classic PPM > Project Management > MSP: Manage Projects with Microsoft Project > MSP: Install and Configure the Microsoft Project Interface.

Reference also: MSP Integration Known Issues - Master KB