Although you’re not likely to transfer data from Visio to Microsoft Project as often, the process is even easier than going from Microsoft Project to Visio. If you build draft schedules in Visio as timelines or Gantt Charts, it’s easy to bring that information into Microsoft Project for further work.
As long as Microsoft Project and Visio are both installed on your computer, you can transfer timeline data from Visio to Microsoft Project or vice versa. For example, consider a simple project you built as a Visio timeline to present at a project selection committee meeting. The project was approved, and now you want to use the Visio timeline to build the basic schedule in Microsoft Project. When you export a timeline from Visio into Microsoft Project, intervals turn into tasks with start dates, finish dates, and durations.
To export information from a Visio Timeline to Microsoft Project, follow these steps:
In Visio, open the timeline drawing and select the timeline shape.
Choose Timeline, Export Timeline Data.
In the Export Timeline Data window that appears, navigate to the folder in which you want to save the exported project file, type the project file name in the File Name box, make sure that the Save As Type box is set to Microsoft Project File, and then click Save.
A message box appears telling you that the project has been successfully exported. Click OK.
Open the exported file in Microsoft Project.
When you export timeline information to Microsoft Project, the start and finish dates that you export set task constraints of Start No Earlier Than for all the tasks. The easiest way to change these to As Soon As Possible is to insert the Constraint Type column into the Task Sheet.
Right-click a column heading in the Task Sheet and then click Insert Column on the shortcut menu. In the Field Name box, click Constraint Type and then click OK. In the Constraint Type column for the first task, click As Soon As Possible. Then, drag that value down through the rest of the tasks.
To export project information from a Visio Gantt Chart into Microsoft Project, follow these steps:
In Visio, open the Gantt Chart drawing.
Select the Gantt Chart frame and then choose Gantt Chart, Export. The Export Project Data Wizard launches.
On the Export My Project Data Into The Following Format screen, select Microsoft Office Project File and then click Next.
On the Specify The File To Enter Project Schedule Data screen, click Browse, open the folder in which you want to save the exported project file, type the project file name in the File Name box, and click Save.
Back in the wizard, click Next.
On the final wizard screen, review the export properties and click Finish to export the data. A message indicates that the project has been successfully exported. Click OK.
If you want to change any properties, click Back until you get to the appropriate screen.
In Microsoft Project, open the project file you just created.
Copy Elements Between Microsoft Project and Visio
As described in Chapter 16, you can copy Visio diagrams and paste them into Microsoft Project schedules or copy portions of a Microsoft Project schedule and paste them into Visio diagrams. For example, you could build a Visio organization chart to show the reporting structure of a team and embed it in the Notes box of the Resource Information dialog box for the resource who acts as the team lead. You could also take a picture of a Microsoft Project view and embed it in a Visio file, for instance, to show the high-level project schedules for each business unit in a Visio organization chart.
Using the Copy command in Visio in conjunction with the Paste Special, Paste As Picture command in Microsoft Project, you can embed a Visio diagram in a vacant area of your Gantt Chart or in the Notes box of the Task Information or Resource Information dialog boxes.
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