The MSP Link is a powerful interface between Microsoft Office Project (hereafter referred to as MSP) and MPM, Micro-Frame Program Manager. It provides you with an easy to use method for linking MSP data into MPM. This is an integrated applet within MPM's main menu, from the Interface tab. It allows MPM users to easily select the MSP file and begin file generation and validation processing.
In MPM, all planning is done at the WBS ID level. With MSP, you can plan activities, milestones, and resource estimates at a lower level than the WBS ID. Through use of the built-in interface you can then easily integrate the MSP detail data into the WBS level in MPM. This interface supports both types of integration: one task in MSP mapped to one WBS in MPM and also many tasks in MSP mapped to one WBS in MPM.
The MSP Link enables you to transfer data from MSP to MPM in the following manner:
First, you create your project and plan activities, milestone, and resource assignments using MSP in the usual way.
When your data is set and ready to transfer to MPM, you set up mapping within MPM's MSP Interface for all of the types of information you are planning to transfer. Five interface types are available:
WBS Description — This is used to create WBS elements in MPM, by mapping WBS type data from MSP into the WBS Tree in MPM.
WBS Schedule — This interface is used to map dates from MSP tasks to MPM WBS tasks. This interface will also allow you to move resource estimates in MPM according to the new dates that are brought over from MSP. (This interface cannot be used with the Estimate interface.)
Estimates — This interface is used to map MSP resource assignments and bring them in as WBS level estimates in MPM. You may choose to use resource assignments from any of the plans in MSP (i.e. Work, Baseline, Baseline 1, etc.). This interface cannot be used with the WBS Schedule interface.
BCWP — This interface allows you to map earned value percent complete status from MSP tasks to MPM tasks
Milestones — This interface allows you to create MPM milestones from milestones and/or tasks in MSP. You may also update status and revise milestone information using this interface.
Once the mapping process has been completed, select Generate and Validate, select the MSP file and the applicable data conditioning. MPM will then process the data, generate the import file, and create a validation report.
Once you have reviewed the validation report and are happy with the results on the report, you select the Import option and the generated file will then be transferred into MPM.
When these steps are completed, the MSP data is completely integrated into an MPM project.