By popular demand, here are a few topics related to using
WBS Schedule Pro with
Microsoft Project.
If you are new to WBS Schedule Pro keep in mind that you do
NOT need Microsoft Project to successfully use WBS Schedule Pro. If you do have Microsoft Project we think you will find the information below useful. If not, scroll to the bottom for
Downloading tips and information on updating your software to the latest version!
How does WBS Schedule Pro work with Microsoft Project?
There are two ways to use
WBS Schedule Pro with
MS Project:
1. Create WBS and Network Charts from existing MS Project plans - WBS Schedule Pro installs buttons into MS Project to integrate the two tools.
Microsoft Project Ribbon
Open an existing MS Project plan and click a button to produce a
WBS or
Network Chart of your MS Project plan in WBS Schedule Pro. As you make changes in WBS Schedule Pro these changes are instantly reflected in the MS Project plan.
2. Use WBS Schedule Pro as a Front-End project planner to MS Project - Create projects
first in WBS Schedule Pro and then transfer these to Microsoft Project.
Many users prefer to start planning projects using the WBS Chart in WBS Schedule Pro and then transfer these to MS Project for advanced scheduling.
Why use MS Project with WBS Schedule Pro?
For WBS Charts - WBS Charts are not available in any version of Microsoft Project. Begin the planning process using the WBS Chart in WBS Schedule Pro. WBS Schedule Pro can also take a MS Project Gantt Chart (with indented Tasks) and convert it into a Top-Down hierarchical view of your project. It's the perfect way to visualize the structure and breakdown of your project.
For Network Charts - The Network Charts in WBS Schedule Pro are simply better than Microsoft Project's Network Chart. If you need to produce Network Charts from your Microsoft Project data, WBS Schedule Pro's Network Charts are much easier to read and print on far fewer pages. There are also numerous advanced features for working with Network Charts that are not present in Microsoft Project.
Because it's easier to use - WBS Schedule Pro makes is easy to plan any project by giving you the tools and intuitive user interface to create and schedule Tasks quickly and easily.
Microsoft Project can be overwhelming at times and WBS Schedule Pro can help overcome many of the complexities of MS Project.
What is Project Online?
The new
Project Online Application from Microsoft is a set of Web-based tools for working with your Microsoft Project data.
Don't let this confuse you,
there is no Online version of Microsoft Project.
The traditional Project Professional and Project Standard Desktop applications that have been around for 28+ years are still needed to perform the majority of your project planning. Plans created in these tools are used to populate the Project Online application where you can use a few cloud-based features to manipulate this data.
WBS Schedule Pro works with the client based Microsoft Project Standard and Project Professional (as it always has). It does not have an interface to Project Online.
Project Online Desktop Client
Project Online Desktop Client is simply the new name for the Project Professional application. WBS Schedule Pro works with all versions of Project Online Desktop Client.
Project Server
WBS Schedule Pro
works with data from all versions of Project Server via Project Professional and Standard (where applicable).
Microsoft recently released Project 2019, the upgrade to Project 2016. There are only a few new features in Project 2019 described by Microsoft here:
Project 2019 Features
WBS Schedule Pro is fully compatible with Project 2019
Project 2019 behaves like Project 2016 internally which means that current versions of WBS Schedule Pro can communicate with it as if it were Project 2016. No special updates are required to make WBS Schedule Pro compatible with Project 2019.
If you have a version of WBS Schedule Pro that works with Project 2016 it will work with Project 2019. If you need help integrating Project 2019 with WBS Schedule Pro, see the section below.
Microsoft Project Integration Issues
WBS Schedule Pro is fully compatible with
ALL versions of Microsoft Project going back to Project 98 (yes, 1998!). This includes both Project Professional and Project Standard.
If you are having issues using the two tools together most integration issues with MS Project can be resolved by following these steps:
Make sure you using the latest version of WBS Schedule Pro. Select File-Check for Updates within WBS Schedule Pro to update. If you don't see the Check for Updates feature, click here for updating tips: Download
Start MS Project and leave it running.
Start WBS Schedule Pro separately (not from within MS Project).
In WBS Schedule Pro, select the Microsoft Project drop down arrow in the upper right corner and select Microsoft Project Setup. Complete the steps.
Close MS Project and close WBS Schedule Pro.
To test the integration, open MS Project, create a small project, save it and click the button in the upper left corner to create a WBS Chart. If this works, you should be all set. If not, check out the MS Project topics here: FAQ
Tip: Using Microsoft Project Filters
You can apply a filter in MS Project and create a chart in WBS Schedule Pro of this filtered data.
Here is how this works:
Open your plan in MS Project.
Click the View tab and select a Filter to display the Tasks you want to see in WBS Schedule Pro.
Click the Goto WBS, Network or Gantt Chart buttons from within MS Project to create a chart in WBS Schedule Pro of the current set of tasks.
When you do this, WBS Schedule Pro creates a chart of the currently "visible" Tasks in MS Project. If it is hidden or not visible in MS Project then it won't appear in the WBS Schedule Pro chart.
Note: This process requires you to click the buttons in MS Project to create a chart in WBS Schedule Pro. If you filter in MS Project and click the Task Bar at the bottom of the screen it will activate WBS Schedule Pro but it will not display the filtered tasks from MS Project.
WBS Chart Pro, PERT Chart EXPERT, and MS Project
WBS Chart Pro and PERT Chart EXPERT are our old products that were replaced by WBS Schedule Pro in 2014 and retired. Neither of these are compatible with versions of MS Project released after 2013.
We highly recommend upgrading to WBS Schedule Pro as it combines all of the features of WBS Chart Pro and PERT Chart EXPERT into one tool and is fully compatible with all versions of MS Project now and into the future.
Need to Download WBS Schedule Pro Quickly or didn't receive the Demo software after signing up?
If you signed up for the Demo and did not receive the email link to download WBS Schedule Pro it may be a security setting or permission issue on your system preventing this.
To Download WBS Schedule Pro now:
This instantly starts downloading WBS Schedule Pro bypassing the signup required on our website.
The latest version of WBS Schedule Pro is 5.1.0024. Go to
File-About to see which version you have.
If you are using 5.1.xxxx but earlier than 5.1.0024, use the
Check for Updates feature to automatically upgrade to the latest version. If Check for Updates doesn't work for you, see here: Update FAQ
If you have 5.0.xxxx you can download 5.1.0024 from our website. Going from 5.0 to 5.1 requires an Uninstall and Reinstall (don't worry, your data is safe). To download the latest version, click here:
Download
This Minor update is
FREE for all users of Version 5.x.
Video Tutorials
Check out our YouTube Videos
Here are our most popular videos to help get you started:
How to Plan a Project in WBS Schedule Pro (6:03)- Basic planning techniques for quickly and easily creating projects in WBS Schedule Pro using a WBS Chart, Network Chart, Gantt Chart and Task Sheet.
