SharePoint (and Project Server) Shenanigans

I am a Project Server and SharePoint consultant but my main focus currently is around Project Server. I have been working with Project Server for nearly five years since 2007 for a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in the UK, I have also been awared with the Microsoft Community Contributor Award 2011. I am also a certified Prince2 Practitioner. This article has been cross posted from pwmather.wordpress.com (original article)

In the latest release of Project Online Desktop Client, depending on the release channel that you are on, you might have noticed the new Planner button in the Task ribbon:

My Office version is on the Office Insider Fast channel so that I get the latest changes first but this will typically be controlled by your IT admins so you might need to wait a while until this feature reaches the Office release channel that you are on.

Hovering over the new button provides the details for this feature:

This feature allows you to create a hyperlink to the linked Planner Plan from the Planner icon in the indicators column. It could be that you have a bucket type task (sprint etc.) in the Project Online project then the detail tasks / activities might be in the linked Planner plan.

Select a task in the project then click the Planner button and a side pane will launch:

Click the “Link to existing Planner plan..” link then you will be able to type the name of the Office 365 Group that contains the Planner plan:

Start typing name of the group then select the correct group, in this example I have one called Pauls Test Plan:

Notice how it also states that it will add the resources assigned to the task into the group. Click the Create Link button:

It then shows that this task is now linked to that Planner plan:

You then get the hyperlink directly to the linked Planner Plan using the Planner icon in the indicators column or using the link in the Link to plan pane.

You can only link one task from the project plan to one Planner plan, if you try and link another task to the same Planner plan you will see this alert:

The resources added to the linked task didn’t get added to the group as suggested but as this feature is only in the Office Insider builds that might come when this is released in the other release channels – maybe!