Kick-Starts scenario: simple project and task import preparation

Set isNew column
Input TRUE into rows 3 through 6 for the isNew column.

Set unique IDs
Input a unique ID in each row for the ID column — Typically, integers starting at 1 work well when creating new records.

Set Project Names
Input the names of each project into the setName column.

Set project schedule

Input the ID of the schedule that you want the project to use in the setScheduleID field

Set the project Planned Start Date

Input the date and the time in the setPlannedStartDate column with the time and the date when you want the project to start. If left empty, Workfront imports the project with the current day’s date and a timestamp of that day’s midnight according to the browser’s timezone.

Set Task numbers
Input values into the setTaskNumber column to control the order the tasks will appear in the project plan.

Provide project dates.
Input the Planned Start Date for each project in the setPlannedStartDate column.

Set other needed details.
Fill in other details, such as a description or current status, as needed. Look up the Group IDs for each project on the GROUP Group sheet and input them into the setGroupID column for the respective projects. Look up the Company ID for the projects on the CMPY Company sheet and input it into the setCompanyID column. Look up the User ID for each project owner on the USER User sheet and input it into the setOwnerID column. Look up the User ID for each project sponsor on the USER User sheet and input it into the setSponsorID column.

Set IDs
Input a unique ID in each row for the ID column.

Set Names
Input the task names into the setName column.

Confirm Project ID
Input the ID you set for the Implement Workfront project; review the PROJ Project sheet to make sure it is the correct ID.

Set Users
Go to the USER User sheet to look up the ID for the user assigned to each task and input these values in the respective cells in the setAssignedToID column.

Identify Task relationships
For tasks 2 through 5, input a 1 in the setParentID column. For task 9, input a 8 in the setParentID column. In the setPredecessorString column, input the task number for each predecessor task. In cases where a task has multiple predecessors, like task 8 in this scenario, you will need to use a comma to separate each predecessor task ID. Predecessors can be defined with lags on non-Finish-Start relationships by using the shorthand described in the Creating Predecessor Relationships article.

Set Duration
Set the duration for each task by inputting number of hours, days, weeks, or months for the task in the setDuration field. Then input the duration unit in the setDurationUnit field.

Minutes can also be represented as fraction of an hour (eg., minutets = 5 hours)

Set the amount of effort for each task in the setWorkRequired field. Then input the work unit in the setWorkUnit field. If the Work Required value is different from the duration, you will also need to input an A into the setDurationType field.

Input the whole number representation of the percent complete in the setPercentComplete field for each task. This value should not include the percent symbol (%).

Include a description and other details for each Task you are creating, as needed.

The setPlannedStartDate and setTaskConstraint columns are not used to build out the timeline of this project because we are relying on predecessor relationships. You can input a date for each task instead. If you do this, be sure you also provide a valid task constraint in the setTaskConstraint column. Review the Task Constraintand related articles for details on valid values for this field.

In the case of this scenario, the easiest way to build out the tasks for the other projects you are importing is to copy the tasks you just defined and paste them below, starting on row 12. Then you will:

1. Renumber the values in the ID column.
2. Update the setProjectID column to the value you set for the next project.
3. Update the setParentID and setPredecessorString values to reflect the new IDs assigned to this project’s tasks.
4. Update task assignments and percent complete.
5. Repeat these steps for the next project’s tasks.

Import the Excel File

Follow the directions provided in Import data into Adobe Workfront using a Kick-Start template.