Migrate from Redmine to Microsoft Project

Each Redmine Project maps to one Microsoft Project plan (MPP file or Project for the web project). Subprojects in Redmine become summary tasks or separate linked subprojects in MS Project depending on the customer's preference. We extract project metadata including name, identifier, description, homepage, and public/private flag. Parent-child project hierarchy is preserved by either creating nested projects (Project for the web) or summary tasks (MPP file).

Redmine Issues map directly to MS Project Tasks. We extract subject as Task Name, description as Notes, start_date as Start, due_date as Finish, estimated_hours as Estimated Hours (if using Project custom fields), done_ratio as Percent Complete, and priority as a numeric priority flag. Parent Issues become Summary Tasks with child Issues as subtasks. The Redmine tracker (Bug, Feature, Support) is preserved in a custom Task field since MS Project has no native tracker equivalent. Issue ID is stored in a custom field for cross-reference.

Redmine Versions (milestones) map to MS Project Milestones (zero-duration tasks with a milestone flag) or to summary tasks grouping related issues. We map version name to milestone name, version description to Notes, and version due date to the milestone Finish date. Versions without a due date are mapped as summary tasks. Active versus closed status is preserved in a custom field.

Multiple Redmine Time Entries for a single Issue aggregate into one task duration entry in MS Project. We sum hours per Issue per User and assign to the corresponding Task as hours in the Task Usage view. Activity type (development, design, research) is stored as a text field on the assignment. Time entries without a linked Issue are flagged during discovery for manual mapping to a task or exclusion.

Redmine Users map to MS Project Resources. We extract first name, last name, email, and admin flag. The admin flag maps to a custom Resource field. Redmine does not store hourly cost rates, so resource rates must be provided by the customer or defaults set. Generic Resources (equipment, rooms) can be created for non-user entities if needed. Inactive Redmine users are mapped to inactive Resources.

Redmine Issue assignee (user_id) maps to MS Project Task assignment on the corresponding Task. We resolve the Redmine user to the MS Project Resource by email match. Multiple assignees on a single Issue are split into multiple Task assignments with an equal or customer-specified split of the task duration. No assignment mapping exists for Issues with no assignee; these tasks are created as unassigned.

Redmine Issue Relations (blocks, blocked by, follows, precedes, duplicated by) map to MS Project Task Dependencies (Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, Start-to-Finish). Redmine relation types map as follows: 'precedes' becomes Finish-to-Start; 'blocks' and 'blocked by' become Finish-to-Start with direction adjusted; 'relates to' becomes Finish-to-Start. Lag time is preserved where applicable. Relations referencing Issues in different Redmine projects are mapped to cross-project dependencies in MS Project if both projects are included in migration.

Redmine Custom Fields defined per Issue are mapped to MS Project Task Custom Fields where possible. Text, numeric, date, boolean, and list (enumeration) custom field types have direct equivalents. User-type and Version-type custom fields require lookup resolution or are mapped to text fields with the referenced value as a string. Multi-select list fields in Redmine are mapped to text fields with comma-separated values. Custom Field definitions are retrieved via /custom_fields.json before any data extraction begins.

Redmine file attachments (stored on the filesystem under /files) are enumerated during discovery, copied from the Redmine server, and re-uploaded as hyperlinks on the corresponding MS Project Task Notes field or as files in a linked SharePoint document library. The destination approach is agreed upon during scoping. File content is not embedded inside the MPP file due to size constraints.

Redmine Trackers (Bug, Feature, Support, and any custom trackers) do not have a native equivalent in MS Project. We create a Task-level custom text field named 'Redmine_Tracker' and populate it with the original tracker name from each Issue. This preserves the categorization for reporting and filtering in Microsoft Project. Custom tracker definitions (tracker-level custom fields) require manual recreation in MS Project if needed.