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


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Transfer from existing MS Project scheduling

An empty scheduling is already stored and synchronized for a project. Tasks from an existing schedule can be manually selected, copied and pasted into the existing schedule. The tasks in the existing scheduling can be selected as a whole in the table at the top left. The tasks can then be copied with CTRL + C, the synchronized scheduling can be opened via buildagil and the tasks can be inserted with CTRL + V.


It is not possible to store an existing scheduling due to technical limitations.



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" must be 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. Milestones created directly in buildagil cannot be subsequently synchronized with MS Project.



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. For this we need 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 run as if it were 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


If the following troubleshooting does not lead to success, you are welcome to contact support.



Troubleshooting when opening MS Project

If nothing happens when you try to open an MS Project file, there may be several reasons for this. MS Project may not be installed, the necessary authorizations may not be available or the corresponding licenses may be missing. In such cases, you should first check whether the System requirements are fulfilled and the correct licenses are available. Information on the visibility & authorizations of task & scheduling can be found in the following article: Visibilities & authorizations for task & scheduling.


Troubleshooting for error message when opening the MS Project file

When opening an MS Project file, the message "Project cannot open the file" may appear. In this case, the file cannot be loaded even though it is available. This behavior occurs if different Microsoft accounts are used for buildagil and MS Project. It should be ensured that the file is opened with the correct account.



Troubleshooting for failed synchronization of the task list with SharePoint

If the message "Unfortunately, we were unable to synchronize the task list with the Share Point website" appears when opening the file, the file is opened in read-only mode. This can occur if there are no project coordinator or project administrator rights in buildagil. The problem can be solved by assigning the appropriate rights.



Troubleshooting when opening a local MS Project scheduling

It may happen that a local version is loaded instead of the latest online version when opening the scheduling. In this case, the following steps can be checked: To do this, open MS Projects and under "File" > "Open" remove the file in question from the list of recently used files.



Furthermore, the following paths can be checked to find the file that is being opened by mistake. To do this, the paths can be called up via the Run dialog (Windows key + R):


%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.MSO


%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Office\Recent


%LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\AutoRecovery Save of Name_of_Schedule


If the file is located in one of these folders, it can be deleted there.


Troubleshooting when saving MS Projects

If an MS Projects file is not displayed in buildagil or changes to the timeline are not updated on buildagil, this may be because the edited file is not or no longer synchronized with buildagil. You can check in the "File" tab under "Information" whether the "Save and synchronize project" option and the path to the SideAssets are displayed.



If the option and the path are not visible, the file is not synchronized with buildagil.


Troubleshooting if formatting of the timeline is not displayed

If the formatting of the timeline and the associated tasks has been adjusted in MS Project and this is not displayed in buildagil, the reason is as follows: When formatting the timeline, only the coloring of the tasks can be adopted. If, for example, the date format is changed, this adjustment cannot be displayed. The reason for this is that this information cannot be transmitted via synchronization.


Troubleshooting if the timeline is not displayed

If tasks have been added to the timeline and do not appear on buildagil, this may be because the path to the timeline is not being updated correctly. In this case, it can help if the timeline is completely renamed (not just changed). This will force the timeline path to be reloaded.


In this case, please contact Support so that the new timeline name can be stored.


MS Project error, file cannot be opened, access denied

Updated on: 06/03/2026