PPM Project Tasks

Individual Resources are assigned at a PPM Project Task level.

You can import Project information from Microsoft Project or Excel to create or update Project Task plans.

Ivanti Neurons for PPM does not support a bi-directional relationship and associated date updates to Project Tasks like MS Project can. For example, if you update a Project Task date or effort, CSM does not modify the associated successor Tasks with new information based on the Project Task update.
If Project Tasks (example: Change assignment, effort, start/end dates) are updated in CSM, these updates will only reside in CSM and will be overlaid if there is an update activity initiated from MS Project.

We recommend you use one of the two following methods to create and maintain your project tasks:

  • Use MS Project/Excel for new and update activities for CSM Project Tasks.
  • Use MS Project/Excel to create the new CSM Project Tasks and then all updates are done in CSM.

To manually create a PPM Project Task:

  1. In the Project Tasks tab of the form arrangement, select New Project Task.
  2. Enter a title.
  3. The Project field autopopulates.
  4. Select assigned to.
    The Role field autopopulates based on the Assigned To field.
  5. (Optional) Select a Task type and add a description.
    Use the rich text editor if necessary.
  6. The Duration automatically calculates after entering the scheduled start and end dates.
  7. Enter an outline number.

    Remember: There must be a "0" outline Task. The information from this Task populates the Start Date, End Date, and Effort fields. For other Project Tasks, provide an outline number that is unique, sequential, and represents the relationship to other Tasks (example: Task 1 is a parent Task and it can have child Tasks with outline numbers such as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3)

    If you manually create Project Tasks, we recommend they be at a high level (not many levels deep with predecessors), because CSM will not modify the downstream impacted fields based on changed parent information.

  8. (Optional) Enter the effort hours and a resource percentage (this is informational only and does not impact the Effort field).
  9. Select scheduled start and end dates.
  10. (Optional) Select actual start and end dates.
  11. Hours Worked autopopulates from the time entry process.
    This field populates up to parent Tasks.
  12. % Complete autopopulates from the time entry process, but can be changed.
  13. Planned Remaining Effort autopopulates by calculated effort minus hours worked.
    This field populates to parent Tasks.
  14. Est. Remaining Effort autopopulates from the time entry process (this is the Resource's estimate of what effort is remaining, regardless of the planned effort or hours worked).
    This field populates to parent Tasks.
  15. Total Effort autopopulates by calculated hours worked plus estimated remaining effort.
  16. You can set up three predecessors Tasks, if necessary. Enter information for the following:
    1. Predecessor Task name and Task type.
    2. Predecessor Name autopopulates. The Predecessor tab in the form arrangement displays the predecessor Tasks.