Integrate PPM tasks with Agile Manager projects

The integration between PPM tasks and Agile Manager projects enables project managers, program managers, portfolio managers, or project stakeholders to view real-time status and progress of agile projects that are run in Agile Manager from within PPM projects.

This section details on how to set up and use the integration.

Add an Agile Manager instance

An Agile Manager instance is an environment where the Agile Manager connector conveys the data from Agile Manager to PPM.

What integrations does an Agile Manager instance support?

When you add an Agile Manager instance, you will see several icons shown next to the instance name. They are indicative of what kind of integrations an Agile Manager instance can support.

Icon Meaning
TS The agile instance supports time sheet integration: you can import effort from Agile Manager to PPM time sheets.
WP The agile instance supports work plan integration: you can link an Agile Manager project with a PPM work plan task.

Add an Agile Manager instance as an administrator

  1. From the PPM menu, select Open > Administration > Integrations.
  2. Navigate to the Enterprise Agile pane.
  3. In the Instances section, Agile Manager line, click the add icon (+).

  4. Provide the required information.

    Field (*Required)

    Description

    *Instance Name

    Specify a unique name for the instance.

    The instance name should not exceed 50 characters. Do not contain such special characters as <>.

    *Base URL

    URL of the Agile Manager server you want to integrate with PPM.

    Format of the URL: http(s)://<server_address>.

    If you have customized the Agile Manager server, make sure you include the port number in the URL as well:

    http(s)://<server_address>:<port>/

    Proxy Host

    Host name of the proxy if you have configured proxy for PPM Server to access the Internet.

    Proxy Port

    Port of the proxy if you have configured proxy for PPM Server to access the Internet.
    Use Global Proxy Whether or not to use the proxy specified in the parameter HTTP_PROXY_URL.
    *Client ID The client ID to use when connecting to Agile Manager.
    *Client Secret The password for the client that is connecting to Agile Manager.
    *Username

    The user name of the Agile Manager permanent account. It exists to make sure the service External Work Plan Update does not stop running because of expired user accounts.

    Not required for upgraded users unless modifying the existing instances.
    *Password

    The password of the permanent account. It exists to make sure the service External Work Plan Update does not stop running because of expired user accounts.

    Not required for upgraded users unless modifying the existing instances.
  5. Click Save.

  6. (Available in PPM 10.0.3 and later versions) Click Test Connection to test the connection with the instance.

    If a message appears stating that connection failed, click OK on the message, and then resolve the connection issue.

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Set PPM project as hybrid project

Only tasks in a hybrid project where only part of the project is done using agile methodology can be linked to Agile Manager projects.

For details, see Set PPM project as hybrid project.

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Link a PPM task with an Agile Manager project

When you link a PPM task with an Agile Manager project, the Agile Manager project becomes a sub-project of the PPM hybrid project.

To link a PPM task with an Agile Manager project as a project manager:

  1. Open the hybrid project work plan.

  2. Open a target task.

    Tasks that can be linked with an Agile Manager project must meet the following requirements:

    • The task is a leaf task.
    • The task is not a milestone.
    • The task has no manually entered actuals. Tasks with actuals only synced from time sheets can be linked with an Agile Manager project.
    • The task is not already linked to an RFC in Service Manager.
    • If the project is already integrated with Microsoft Project, using either MSP plug-in or MPP file, the work plan should be fully controlled by PPM (under PPM-controlled mode) if you want to map the project tasks to Agile Manager projects.
  3. In the Hybrid Project tab, click Start Mapping.
  4. In step 1, select an Agile Manager instance, and click Next.

  5. In step 2: User Configuration, provide the following information to decide what to import to the linked task, and click Next.

    Field (*Required) Description
    *Username The user name you use to log on to the Agile Manager server.
    *Password The password you use to log on to the Agile Manager server.
    *Domain This filed loads after you fill the Username and Password fields. It is based on the account information you provided.
    *Project Select a project to link. It is based on the domain you selected.
    *Workspace

    Select a workspace in Agile Manager to link. It is based on the project you selected.

    Note: You can see all workspaces including the ones you do not have access to. Connectivity error occurs if you select a workspace you have no access to.
    If you want to map the task with an existing release, fill the following.
    *Release Select a release to link. It is based on the project you selected.
    Sprint Select a sprint to link. It is based on the release you selected.
    Level of Details to Synchronize

    Select the level of data imported from Agile Manager to the PPM task.

    If you select a sprint in the Sprint field, the available options in this field are:

    • User stories: Each user story of the selected sprint will be imported to the task.
    • Sprint total only: Only the selected sprint will be imported to the task, with the effort in all user stories rolled up to the sprint level.

    If you leave the Sprint field blank, the available options in this field are:

    • All (Sprints & User Stories): Every sprint including the user stories of the sprint will be imported to the task.
    • Sprints only: Only every sprint will be imported to the task, with the effort in all user stories rolled up to the sprint level.
    • Release total only: Only the selected release will be imported to the task, with the effort in all sprints rolled up to the release level.
    If you want to map the task with a new release, fill the following fields.
    Create a New Release Check this option if you want to create a new release.
    *Name Name of the new release.
    Description Description of the new release.
    *Start Date Start date of the new release.
    *End Date End date of the new release.
    *Sprint Duration

    Specify a number for the sprint duration. The number combined with the sprint duration unit constitutes the sprint duration.

    For example, if you select 2 for the sprint duration and "week" for the sprint duration unit, each sprint in the new release lasts 2 weeks.
    *Sprint Duration Unit

    Select the duration unit of a sprint. Available choices are Day and Week.
    Release Information

    Show Sprint Burn Down Chart

    Show Release Burn Up Chart

    Show Theme Status Chart

    Show Feature Status Chart

    		 Select the charts you want to display in the Hybrid Project tab after the mapping is established.

  6. Confirm the user configuration and click Submit.

    The one-one mapping relationship is established, with the mapping information displayed right away.

    The linked task has the Agile Manager logo in the front of its name, indicating it is linked to an Agile Manager project.

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View Agile Manager project data from within PPM

After an Agile Manager project is linked to a PPM task,

  • You wait for the background service External Work Plan Sync to import the agile project's entities to the PPM project. These imported entities are listed under the linked task as leaf tasks.

  • You cannot edit the imported entities in the PPM project. However, their changes are synchronized from Agile Manager to PPM every time after the External Work Plan Sync service runs.

When one of the conditions occurs

External Work Plan Sync service would

  • PPM project is deleted

  • PPM workplan is deleted

  • PPM task is deleted

Delete the mapping.

  • PPM Project is completed or canceled

  • The linked PPM task is completed or canceled

  • PPM is integrated with MSP using MSP plug-in, and PPM project is set to Microsoft Project control mode or shared mode

  • PPM task is mapped to a RFC

Skip synchronization on the mapping. Next time the service runs, it checks the state again.

The linked agile entity is deleted

Skip synchronization on the mapping and save the status.

Network connection issue or user authentication issue

Stop synchronization for all the mappings on the specific server and save the status.

The following table describes the one-one mapping of project process information between PPM and Agile Manager.

Data in PPM Data in Agile Manager
Task name

Release name or sprint name
Schedule start Sprint's start time
Schedule finish Sprint's finish time
Actual start If user story's creation time is within the sprint period, it is user story's creation time. Otherwise, it is sprint's start time.
Actual finish

If complete percent is less than 100%, it is empty.

If complete percent is 100%, if task's last modify date is within user story’s schedule time, it is task's last modify date, otherwise, it is user story’s schedule finish time.

Scheduled effort

Total estimated hours of all tasks in a user story

Percent complete Invested hours / (invested hours + remaining hours)

Status

  • In Planning
  • In Progress
  • Completed
  • New
  • In Progress or In Testing
  • Done

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Unlink Agile Manager project from PPM task

To unlink an Agile Manager project from a PPM task:

  1. Go to the Hybrid Project tab of the Task Details page for the linked task.

  2. Next to the Agile Manager instance information, Click Unlink.

    A warning message pops up.

  3. Click OK.

    The link between the Agile Manager project and PPM task is cancelled immediately.

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