Articles on: Scheduling
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Scheduling


Systemanforderungen: System requirements Microsoft Project


Scheduling with MS Project

The purpose of scheduling with MS Project is to manage milestones centrally as target dates and to move the dependent elements (e.g. Tasks & topics) consistently. This means that the due date of the linked elements cannot be moved at will. Synchronization between Microsoft Project and buildagil takes place automatically when the file is saved.


Synchronization with buildagil when making adjustments to the scheduling takes up to 2 minutes after saving.


Important points when collaborating with a linked scheduling system:

  • Synchronization between MS Project and buildagil takes place automatically when the file is saved. It is better to save too much than too little
  • If MS Project reports a synchronization conflict, "Keep project version" should always be selected



  • Activities should not be moved within the hierarchy using copy-paste, as this can cause the reference to the activity in buildagil to be lost. Moving should always be done using the crosshairs
  • The schedule in MS Project can only be edited by project administrators and project coordinators. For more information on the visibility & authorizations of task & scheduling, see the following article: Visibilities & authorizations of task & scheduling
  • An empty scheduling is already stored and synchronized for a new project. It is not possible to store an existing scheduling due to technical limitations. Tasks from an existing scheduling can be manually copied into the existing schedule using copy-paste if required


Scheduling, milestones, buildagil synchronization, edit schedule, process postponement

Editing the scheduling

The scheduling can be opened directly from buildagil in MS Project.



The following message may appear when opening the scheduling, which can be confirmed.



When the scheduling is open, the tasks can be defined. In order for the task to be visible in the timeline and also in the scheduling of buildagil, the task must be selected with the right mouse button and "Add to timeline" selected. In order for the activity to be displayed as a milestone, it must first be "Added to timeline" and then selected as "Use as target date". The milestone can then be synchronized with buildagil.



The milestones then appear in the task planning timeline. Tasks can now be planned for the milestones.



The milestone can be opened to display the status and the assigned tasks.



The assigned tasks can be displayed in a list via the status.



In the task list, you can see whether a task has been planned for a milestone by clicking on the "lightning bolt symbol" when it is due. You can find more information on task planning in the following article: Task planning.



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Manual planning with milestones

If no MS Project plan is used, milestones can be created manually in task planning. Tasks can then be aligned with these target dates. A new milestone can be created directly in the task planning.



Tasks can now be planned for this target date or milestone. To do this, the required milestone can be selected as the target date for the desired task during planning instead of a due date.



Scheduling with multiple timelines

Additional timelines can be created and named as additional views in MS Project. These can be made visible in buildagil if desired. The first timeline is displayed by default.



A new single view can be defined in the "Other views" options.




Here, the timeline can be selected in the "Screen" column and named in the "Name" column. Any processes and milestones can now be assigned to the timeline.



To display the other timelines on buildagil, you can contact support. To do this, we need the name of the timeline. We will be happy to set up the timeline display for you.



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Use on macOS

Opening a scheduling with MS Project on a macOS device is not possible as MS Project is not available for macOS. However, there are some alternative methods to use MS Projects on a Mac.


One option is to use a virtual machine on a Microsoft server. A Windows environment can be set up on a virtual machine to enable access to MSProject.


Another option is to use Parallels Desktop for Mac. This software makes it possible to run a Windows environment directly on the Mac so that MS Project can be executed as on a Windows PC. Further information and the download option can be found on the Parallels website: Parallels for Windows on Mac.


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Troubleshooting when opening MS Project

When opening an MS Project file, a message may appear stating that the file cannot be opened. This message occurs if different accounts are used for buildagil and MS Project. In this case, access is denied even though the file exists. It should be ensured that the file is opened with the correct Microsoft account.



MS Project error, file cannot be opened, access denied

Updated on: 27/10/2025