In PPM Express, Project Managers can create and manage private Projects that are accessible only to specific users, making them "invisible" to others.
This guide will walk you through the steps to create and manage Private Projects, including how to share access and understand the limitations and special permissions associated with Private Projects.
Enabling Private Projects in Tenant Settings
Private Projects are a feature exclusive to customers on the Enterprise Ultra plan, this feature is included by default. For the Enterprise plan, it's not possible to purchase this feature on top, but it's possible to test it. To arrange testing and get more details, please reach out to our customer success team at customersuccess@ppm.express.
Before creating a Private Project, make sure the feature is enabled on the tenant level.
For this, navigate to the Tenant Settings -> Features and Modules section -> enable Private Projects.
By default, this toggle is turned on, allowing you to create Private Projects.
If you attempt to turn off the creation of Private Projects toggle, the system will check for existing Private Projects. If any exist, the toggle cannot be turned off, and you will see a message that the feature cannot be turned off because at least one private Project exists. All private Projects should be deleted prior to turning the Private Projects feature off.
Creating a Private Project
To create a Private Project, on the Portfolios, Programs, Projects, Roadmaps, or Resources pages, click on the New drop-down menu. To create a Private Project, users should have "Create" permission for Projects.
Select Private Project from the list of options.
The Private Projects are created in the same way as the public ones: Type in the name, select if you want to create a connection, select the layout click Create Private Project.
When creating a Private Project, it will automatically be labeled as "Private" and will only be visible to users who have been granted access.
The “Private” label will appear next to the Private Project name on all pages where it can be seen:
A new field, "Project Visibility", was added to filters and views. You can create a new filter or view and filter the Projects page accordingly.
Private Projects are visible on the PPM Insights page only to users who have the necessary access permissions. The request updates can only be sent to the Private Project manager (if the requester is not a manager of the Project in question).
The Private Projects and their items are also visible on the My Space page to users who have the necessary access permissions.
Managing Access and Permissions
Private Projects have special permissions that differ from public Projects:
- Private Projects are excluded from the View All, Collaborate on All, and Edit All permissions for Projects on the People Management page. So, PPM Express Administrators cannot assign Private Projects to users in the Projects View/Collaborate/Edit settings globally.
- To grant access to a Private Project, you must use the Share Project panel (on the Project Dashboard or Projects page by the ellipsis button next to the Project). Only the project manager, an admin, or a user who has "Edit" permission for the Project can share a private Project with other users.
- A Private Project can be seen by:
- An Admin with the 'View All' permission (they will see all Private Projects);
- The Project manager will see their own private Projects;
- The person with whom the Private Project has been shared (this can be either a user or a team member). If a user has at least View permission for the Private Project, this Project is visible in the list of Projects on the Projects page and can be opened for viewing.
Working with Resources in Private Projects
Private Projects have specific limitations regarding resource management:
- In a private Project, you can only add resources to the Resource Plan as Proposed. The Commit action is disabled.
- Resources added to a private Project's Resource Plan will only be visible within that private Project and not on the Resource Planning and Utilization page or the Resource Utilization section.
- Task assignments, action items, change requests, issues, and risks from Private Projects will only be visible to users with access to those Projects on the My Space page.
Additional Restrictions for Private Projects
Private Projects have several additional restrictions and limitations:
- Private Projects cannot be added to Portfolios, Programs, or Roadmaps. They are also excluded from roadmaps, key dates, and risk imports.
- The OKR, Dependencies, and Time Project sections are disabled for Private Projects.
- Time Tracking is disabled for Private Projects. Users cannot see Private Projects or tasks assigned to them within these Projects on the Time Tracking page.
- Private Projects can be edited in bulk if users have corresponding access to these Projects (but the Programs and Portfolios fields and the Visibility field are not editable).
- Private Projects cannot be archived or cloned. These options are disabled, with corresponding hints explaining the restrictions.
- Private Projects cannot be converted to public Projects, and public Projects cannot be converted to Private Projects.
- Private Projects are searchable and can be used in filters only by users who have access to them.
- Private Projects are not available in OData and are, therefore, not visible in reports. However, they are accessible via API for users with the appropriate permissions. In the API, Private Projects do not have any additional attributes that differentiate them from public Projects. They are available only for viewing or editing. It is currently not possible to create a Private Project through the API.
- Email notifications are not sent to Private Projects users.