Everything you need to open a Microsoft Project file, lock the plan and track it through to handover.
Open any .mpp file saved by Microsoft Project 2010 or later: double-click it in Finder, choose File › Open, or tap it in the Files app on iPad. MPP Studio edits the file where it is, so a schedule in iCloud Drive or a shared folder stays there.
To start from scratch, choose File › New (⌘N). MPP Studio saves new schedules as .mpp files that open in Microsoft Project. On iPad, Open Sample Plan on the launch screen gives you a plan to explore.
The Schedule shows the task outline beside the Gantt chart. The grid works like Project’s: move with the arrow keys and ⇥, press ↩ or just start typing to edit a cell, and press ↩ again to save and move on.
To link two tasks, drag the ring at the end of a bar onto another row. To link the selected task to the one above it, press ⌘L; to remove its predecessors, press ⇧⌘L. Later tasks reschedule as soon as you let go.
The critical path, the tasks that move the finish date, is drawn in red. Turn it off or on with ⇧⌘C.
When the programme is agreed, lock it so the plan can’t drift.
While the plan is locked you can still record progress and save the file. Choose Unlock Plan… to edit the plan again.
Each day, enter Actual Start, Actual Finish and % Complete in the grid or the Inspector. MPP Studio reschedules the remaining work and shows the float against the plan.
The sidebar shows the forecast against the baseline, so you can see at once whether the programme is on track. Press ⌘T to bring today into view.
Show the Inspector with ⌥⌘I. It shows the selected task’s schedule, status, constraint, deadline, predecessors, successors, resources, custom fields and notes, and you can edit all of them there.
Switch sections from the sidebar or the keyboard: Schedule ⌘1, Resources ⌘2, Calendars ⌘3, Project Info ⌘4. Changes are saved into the same .mpp file.
Choose File › Print (⌘P) to open the system Print dialog. On Mac, tick Fit to one page in the dialog for a one-sheet programme; on iPad, choose the one-page print command. Save as PDF works on both.
Press ⌘/ in the app to show this list.
| COMMAND | SHORTCUT |
|---|---|
| New Project | ⌘N |
| Save · Save As… | ⌘S · ⇧⌘S |
| Print… | ⌘P |
| New Task Below · Above | ⌘↩ · ⇧⌘↩ |
| New Milestone Below | ⌥⌘↩ |
| Delete Task | ⌘⌫ |
| Indent · Outdent | ⌥⌘→ · ⌥⌘← |
| Link to Task Above · Remove Predecessors | ⌘L · ⇧⌘L |
| Show/Hide Inspector | ⌥⌘I |
| Show/Hide Sidebar | ⌃⌘S |
| Filter Tasks | ⌘F |
| Zoom In · Zoom Out · Fit Project | ⌘+ · ⌘− · ⌘0 |
| Go to Today | ⌘T |
| Timescale: Days · Weeks · Months | ⌃1 · ⌃2 · ⌃3 |
| Critical Path · Baseline | ⇧⌘C · ⇧⌘B |
| Schedule · Resources · Calendars · Project Info | ⌘1 – ⌘4 |
| Settings | ⌘, |
| Keyboard Shortcuts | ⌘/ |