How to explode a project into subprojects?

[BelBearvan]

I have inherited a massive schedule incorporating aspects from numerous local
areas requiring input from each seperately. This is a perfect use of a
master/subproject application. Unfortunately the schedule is a single file
with in excess of 3,000 relationships/interconnections between the areas.
I need to explode each area into it's own subproject file for individualized
updating/tracking with the master holding them together.
Unfortunately, cut and paste into a new blanf file fails to maintain the
relationships between the new files. It just drops any that are not within
the selected cut section.
Trying to manipulate the relationship fields in excel (adding appropriate
file and path) has also failed as it is not possible to paste it back into
Project.
Is there any way to explode this project and still maintain the relationships?

 

[John]

Bel,
It sounds like you are gonna have a lot of fun. I don't know of any
simple way to break out the individual subprojects and maintain the
links but it certainly can be done. Personally I would develop a VBA
macro to automate the process. What you want to do is essentially the
reverse of a macro I wrote that converts a dynamic consolidated master
into a static master with linkages preserved.

However if you don't have experience with VBA there may be a less
automated process but it will require more effort and may be prone to
error. I haven't actually tried this so this pseudo process is just an
outline (but it more or less emulates what I did in my macro).
1. Use a spare number field to create a reference pointer for each line
in the master. The Unique ID might work but without trying it, I'd set
up my own reference number.
2. Review the master and identify which standard predecessors will
become or include external predecessors. This limits the next few steps
to a smaller set of data to deal with.
3. Use a spare text field to capture the reference pointer number on
lines that will need an external predecessor.
4. Delete the normal predecessor(s) that will become external but leave
predecessors that will remain internal to the new subproject.
5. Use Save As to save as many versions of the existing master as you
want to break into subprojects
6. In each subproject, delete all lines except those that are relevant
to the new subproject. Note that internal predecessors will renumber
automatically in the new subprojects.
7. Create a master file and insert each subproject.
8. Use the reference pointer information and the text information to
establish the external links. Concatenate the existing predecessor field
string with the stored link information and remember to include the file
path in the external predecessor portion of the string.


Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP