Migrate from Merlin Project to Trello

Each Merlin Project file maps to one Trello Board. We run the Gantt or WBS view export as the primary source and use the project name as the Board title. Project start and end dates migrate as a Board description field. Custom project-level properties export to CSV if the column is visible at export time; we add them to the Board description or to a custom Board field (Power-Up level) during import. Multi-project migrations create a Trello Workspace as the parent container with each Board nested by project name.

Merlin Project Activities map directly to Trello Cards. Activity name becomes Card title, start and end dates map to Card due date and start date (via the Calendar Power-Up), and Activity notes migrate to Card description. Custom Activity properties defined in the project export to CSV map to Card custom fields if visible at export time. Parent-child Activity hierarchy in Merlin's WBS flattens: parent Activities become parent Cards and child Activities become linked Cards; we document the hierarchy in Card description for manual restructuring if the team relies on the WBS structure.

Merlin Project Milestones export as Activity rows with a milestone flag in CSV. We create a dedicated Card per Milestone, assign a milestone label (using Trello Card label color), set the milestone date as the Card due date, and add a checklist item titled 'Milestone: [name]' for clear visual identification. Milestone status (complete or pending) maps to Card completion state. Teams with multiple milestones per project should consider grouping them on a dedicated Milestone Board linked via Card cross-references.

Merlin Project supports Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, and Start-to-Finish dependency types stored as predecessor/successor references in CSV exports. Trello has no native dependency tracking; we document all dependency chains as a written handoff table (predecessor Card ID to successor Card ID with dependency type) and recommend the Butler Power-Up or the Dependencies Plus Power-Up for teams that need automated blocking-card behavior. We flag any critical-path chain specifically in the handoff document for priority manual rebuild.

Merlin Project Resources of type Person map to Trello Board members. We extract distinct resource names from the Resource view CSV export and provision each as a Trello member on the target Board. Resource email addresses are preserved where available in the export; otherwise, the customer's admin adds member emails before migration cutover. Resource type (equipment, material) has no Trello equivalent and is documented as a manual Board organization step using Card labels or custom fields.

Merlin Project Assignments link Activities to Resources with an allocation percentage and work units. We resolve the Assignment at migration time by matching the Activity (Card) to the assigned Resource (Board member) and assign the member to the Card in Trello. Allocation percentage is stored as a Card custom field (percentage) for reference; Trello does not natively track allocation capacity so teams relying on resource leveling must use the Custom Fields Power-Up or a resource management Power-Up for ongoing capacity tracking.

Merlin Project exports Attachments as a CSV list with file names and paths. We map each Attachment row to the parent Activity (Card) and attach the file directly to the Card via the Trello API during import. Attachment types including Documents, images, and linked URLs migrate as-is. If Merlin Project stores attachments in a local file path not accessible during migration, we document the attachment list with the original file path and recommend the customer copy files to a shared cloud location (Google Drive, Dropbox, SharePoint) and attach the URL to the Card post-migration.

Merlin Project custom Activity properties export as additional columns in the relevant view CSV when visible. We capture all custom field values during export prep (by ensuring the export view is configured with all visible columns including custom properties), then create corresponding Trello Card custom fields using the Custom Fields Power-Up (Standard and Premium) or store them as Card labels or checklist items (Free tier). Field type mapping: text to text, number to number, date to date, dropdown to label. Free-tier teams without the Custom Fields Power-Up receive a custom field mapping table for manual Card annotation.

Merlin Project Resources include hourly rates and cost fields for budget tracking. Trello has no native cost-tracking field. We preserve rate and cost data as Card custom fields (number type) if the Custom Fields Power-Up is available; otherwise, we export a resource cost register as a CSV handoff document alongside the Board migration. Budget summaries from Merlin Project's planned vs. actual reports cannot be displayed natively in Trello and require a reporting Power-Up or external spreadsheet for ongoing budget tracking.

Merlin Project Activity and Resource notes export to CSV when the Notes column is visible in the exported view. We import note content as Card comments attached to the corresponding Card, preserving the original timestamp and author name (from the Merlin Project export) in the comment body. Rich text formatting in Merlin notes is simplified to plain text during import. Project-level notes migrate as a Card comment on a designated 'Project Notes' Card on the Board.

Merlin Project scheduling constraints (As Late As Possible, As Soon As Possible, Fixed Date) are stored as Activity-level fields in the export CSV. We map ALAP and ASAP constraints to a custom Card label (e.g., 'ASAP' or 'Flexible') and map Fixed Date to the Card due date field directly. Trello does not natively display constraint type; we add a constraint type note in the Card description. Scheduling conflict indicators flagged by Merlin Project are not exported as data fields; we recommend the customer review the exported project file in Merlin Project before cutover for any unresolved conflict flags.

Merlin Project's Kanban board view cannot be exported to CSV or any interchange format. We ask the customer to screenshot the Merlin Project Kanban view before migration as a reference document. The Kanban column structure maps conceptually to Trello Lists, but the column labels (e.g., backlog, in progress, review) must be manually re-created as Trello Lists on the target Board. The Activities visible in the Merlin Kanban view are already migrated as Cards; the List assignment is the primary manual step. We deliver a screenshot-annotated migration map showing which Merlin Kanban column each Trello List corresponds to.

Merlin Project Mindmap views cannot be exported to any format. We request screenshots of each Mindmap view before migration as reference. The brainstorming structure captured in Mindmaps must be manually re-created in Trello as a combination of Cards, labels, and Lists. We document the Mindmap node hierarchy as a written bullet-point handoff so the customer's team can reconstruct the structure efficiently. Teams that rely heavily on Mindmaps for project initiation may also consider using Miro or MURAL as a separate creative collaboration tool alongside Trello.

The Merlin Project Netplan (network planning) view visualizes the dependency chain between Activities in a PERT-chart-style layout but cannot be exported. The underlying Activities and Dependencies are already captured in the standard CSV exports and migrate as Cards and cross-references. We treat the Netplan view as a documentation artifact: we ask the customer to screenshot the Netplan view, and we deliver a written dependency table that reproduces the network diagram in text form, listing each Activity, its successors, predecessors, and the dependency type. This becomes the primary input for the Butler or Power-Up dependency rebuild.

Merlin Project's built-in reporting generates charts and summaries in-app with no export format. We advise customers to run any needed reports in Merlin Project before migration and take screenshots as a reference set. The underlying data (Activities, Resources, Milestones, Dependencies) is fully migrated to Trello, so reports can be rebuilt using Trello's native Board statistics, the Custom Fields Power-Up for numerical reporting, or third-party reporting tools that query Trello's API. We deliver a report inventory checklist listing which Merlin Project reports exist and what Trello or Power-Up feature replaces each one.