Importing from MS Project
Enterprise teams often have existing project plans in Microsoft Project — the standard for PMO planning in regulated industries. Instead of rebuilding plans from scratch, you can import them directly into MeetLoyd. Summary tasks become milestones, leaf tasks become actionable items, predecessor links become dependency chains, and resources surface as assignment suggestions.
This guide covers the import wizard, element mapping, and what you can do with the imported plan.
Supported Formats
Any MS Project 2010 or later XML export is supported:
| Format | Extension | How to Export |
|---|---|---|
| MS Project XML | .xml | File > Save As > XML Format |
| MSPDI | .mspdi | File > Save As > XML Format (older versions) |
Both formats use the same MSPDI (Microsoft Project Data Interchange) schema.
Binary .mpp files are not supported. Make sure to export as XML Format.
How It Works
The import follows a three-step wizard accessible from the Board tab of any project.
1. Upload and Validate
Navigate to your project's Board tab and click Import MS Project (next to "Add Task"). Select your .xml or .mspdi file. The system automatically validates:
- Well-formed XML with a
Projectroot element - At least one task defined
- All predecessor references point to existing tasks
- No circular dependency chains
If validation fails, you see specific error messages explaining what needs fixing.
2. Preview the Import
After validation passes, you see a preview of what will be created:
| Section | What You See |
|---|---|
| Project name | Extracted from the MS Project file |
| Milestones | Summary tasks with due dates and child task counts |
| Tasks | Leaf tasks with milestone assignment, priority, and dependency count (first 20 shown) |
| Resources | Named resources with email and assignment counts |
| Dependencies | Total predecessor link count |
| Warnings | Any issues found (missing emails, non-standard dependency types, etc.) |
Review the preview carefully before proceeding.
3. Confirm Import
Click Import to create all milestones, tasks, and dependencies in your project. The Board tab immediately shows the imported plan in the Kanban view.
Element Mapping
Summary Tasks to Milestones
| MS Project Field | MeetLoyd Field |
|---|---|
| Summary task name | Milestone name |
| Summary task Finish date | Milestone due date |
| Outline number | Sort order |
Leaf Tasks to Tasks
| MS Project Field | MeetLoyd Field |
|---|---|
| Task name | Task name |
| Finish date | Deadline |
| Priority (0-1000) | Priority (mapped to 4 levels) |
| Parent summary task | Milestone link |
| Predecessor links | Dependencies |
Priority mapping from MS Project's 0-1000 scale:
| MS Project Priority | MeetLoyd Priority |
|---|---|
| 0-200 | Critical |
| 201-400 | High |
| 401-600 | Medium |
| 601-1000 | Low |
Dependencies
Finish-to-Start (FS) predecessor links map directly. Other dependency types (Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, Start-to-Finish) are imported with a warning since MeetLoyd's dependency model focuses on FS relationships.
After Import
Once imported, your project board gains full enterprise capabilities:
Milestone Filtering
Use the milestone dropdown on the Board tab to filter tasks by milestone. Only tasks belonging to the selected milestone are shown.
Swim-Lane View
Toggle to "By Milestone" view mode to see tasks organized in horizontal swim lanes — one lane per milestone, each with mini status columns (Backlog, Todo, In Progress, Review, Done).
Timeline View
Switch to Timeline view for a Gantt-like visualization with tasks as horizontal bars colored by status, milestone diamonds at due dates, a "Today" reference line, and tasks grouped by milestone.
Dependency Visibility
Hover over any task card to see its dependency chain highlighted:
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Blue glow | Upstream dependencies (tasks this one depends on) |
| Orange glow | Downstream dependents (tasks waiting on this one) |
Task cards show dependency names with status dots in a tooltip.
Limitations (v1)
| MS Project Feature | Handling |
|---|---|
| Calendars (working days, holidays) | Not imported |
| Resource leveling | Not imported |
| Baselines | Not imported |
| Custom fields | Not imported |
| Non-FS dependency types | Imported with warning |
| Resources without email | Imported with warning |
All limitations produce clear warnings during preview so you know exactly what was approximated.
Tips
- Export as XML — use "Save As > XML Format" in MS Project, not the binary
.mppformat - Clean up before export — remove completed tasks and inactive resources for a cleaner import
- Use summary tasks — they become milestones, giving your project structure in MeetLoyd
- Add predecessor links — they become dependency chains, enabling visual dependency tracking on the board
- Start with the board — after import, review tasks on the Kanban board, then assign agents via the task drawer
Next: Learn more about BPMN Process Import for importing workflow diagrams, or explore the Project Hub documentation.