Import an ongoing project

The walkthrough

The video shows how to import a project that is already under way from an Excel file, so you can carry on in KairoProject without starting over.

1. You start from the Excel file that describes your ongoing project. The import also accepts CSV and JSON files.
2. You launch the import in KairoProject.
3. The project is created from your data, in a few clicks.
4. You carry on running the project directly in KairoProject.

Prepare your file

Headers are read from the first row of the first sheet. Case and accents are ignored. Only the "Nom" (name) column is required; all the others are optional. Headers are matched in French or English, as listed below.

Column	Accepted headers	Expected content
Nom (required)	Nom, Nom de la tâche, Tâche, Task, Name	Name, unique within the file (duplicates are rejected).
Durée	Durée, Durée (h), Duration, Hours, Heures	8, 2h, 3j, 1sem. No unit = hours; empty = 8 h.
Prédécesseurs	Prédécesseur(s), Predecessor(s)	Task names from the file, separated by ; or ,.
Ressources	Ressource(s), Resource(s)	Resources or teams already in the portfolio, separated by ; or ,.
Phase	Phase	A phase of the portfolio's domain. If unknown, the task is imported without a phase (warning).
Restant	Restant, Reste à faire, ETTC, Remaining	Remaining work, same format as duration. Empty = full duration; 0 = task done.
Terminée	Terminée, Terminé, Done, Completed	oui, x, ✓, 1, true… for done; non, 0 or empty otherwise.
Date de fin réelle	Fin réelle, Actual end	dd/mm/yyyy or yyyy-mm-dd. Missing on a finished task: today's date is used (warning). A future date blocks the import.
Début réel	Date de début réelle, Actual start	Same date format. Only used for finished tasks.

Good to know before importing

• Dates: US formats, two-digit years and Excel serial numbers are rejected rather than guessed. If Excel shows "3-oct-26", switch the column to dd/mm/yyyy text before saving.
• Unrecognised columns (costs, % complete, status, planned dates…): ignored, with a warning naming them.
• Rows: completely empty rows are skipped, and errors give the row number as you see it in Excel.
• No project column: the project name, actual start, deadline, ASAP/ALAP mode and calendar are entered in the import window, not in the file.
• CSV: same columns; the separator is detected automatically.

Carry on without stopping anything

A project that is under way cannot pause while you change tools. The import lets you keep moving: the project is not interrupted, and you do not have to re-enter the tasks and data already in your file. From the moment it is imported, you benefit from KairoProject's expert steering on a project that has already started.

What to know about the buffer

The buffer protects the project's end date. At import time, no history is available, so consumption starts at zero. Your next progress updates then feed the buffer and the fever chart, and tell you when to step in. To learn how to read them, see the guide What is CCPM?.

What comes next

Once the project is imported, you can check its tasks, adjust dependencies and assign your resources. If you would rather start from scratch, watch Create a new project and then Add tasks.

Frequently asked questions