Project Story is an AI-powered reporting solution for PPM Express that automatically generates clear, concise project reports using GPT-4, turning key data insights into visually appealing reports for easy sharing with stakeholders.
Beyond just generating content, Project Story offers flexible customization and reusable templates that simplify reporting and make it easy to maintain consistency across multiple projects.
When Project Story is first opened for a project, a default report is generated automatically. This report includes a standard set of fields, such as project status, risks, and key details. For more information, please refer to the article How to Enable and Use Project Story via Presentation Mode in PPM Express.
Project Story features vary depending on the subscription plan:
In the Enterprise Ultra plan, full functionality is unlocked, including templates, PDF export, automatic regeneration, and scheduled email delivery.
In the Enterprise plan, you can view reports and manually regenerate them once per day. However, exporting to PDF and saving templates are not available.
Report settings are available in the top-right corner of the page. The complete list of settings is displayed; however, the available options may differ based on your plan, either Enterprise Ultra or Enterprise.
- Save as Template
- Configure Report
- Schedule Distribution
- Change Template
- Export as PDF
- Regerate Report
Save as Template
The Save as Template option allows users to save a customized Project Story report layout as a reusable template. Once saved, the template appears in your personal list (Settings -> Change Template) and can be reused across other projects, helping to maintain a consistent reporting format.
When a template is applied, all configured fields, sections, and layout settings are automatically reused, simplifying the reporting process and ensuring standardization across your portfolio.
Important: Templates are private and can only be reused by the user who created them. If another user or Project Manager opens a report where a template was previously applied, they will see the report in the saved layout. However, they won’t have access to the template itself for use in other projects.
Configure Report
Users with edit permission for the project can use this report as-is or customize it to suit their needs.
To customize the report, open the report settings from the top-right corner of the report and select "Configure Report."
Users can customize both the content and layout of the Project Story report by enabling or disabling specific sections and rearranging them using drag-and-drop functionality. By default, all sections are included in the report.
Each section also offers Layout Settings, accessible via the ellipsis button in the top-right corner. Here, users can choose the most suitable layout style for that section.
In the Details section, users can tailor the report by adding, removing, or reordering individual fields using the drag-and-drop functionality.
Schedule Distribution
The Schedule Distribution feature in Project Story for PPM Express enables Project Managers to automatically deliver project status reports via email in PDF format. This ensures that key stakeholders consistently receive the latest project updates, on time and without manual effort.
You can configure the following settings:
Recipients – Specify the email addresses of stakeholders who should receive the report.
Distribution Schedule – Define the exact day and time for the report to be sent.
PM Notification – Enable a reminder to be sent to the Project Manager 24 hours before the report is distributed. This helps ensure the project is reviewed and updated in PPM Express so the report reflects the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Pause Distribution – Temporarily stop scheduled email deliveries without deleting the setup.
For more details, please refer to the Automating Project Story Report Delivery with Schedule Distribution in PPM Express article.
Change Template
By default, two report templates are available: Multi-page and Single-page.
The Multi-page template displays each project section separately, one after another. You can scroll through the report to view detailed information for each section.
The Single-page template presents all key project details on a single page, offering a quick, compact overview.
A Multi-page report is applied to all projects by default.
If any custom reports have been created, they will also appear on this page and can be selected for use.
Custom templates are private and only visible to the user who created them.
Export as PDF
Project Story reports can be exported as PDF files. This is especially useful for sharing static reports with external stakeholders or for archiving purposes.
Updating the Report: Manual and Scheduled
There are two ways to regenerate the report:
Manually: By clicking the Regenerate Report button. Depending on your subscription plan, manual regeneration may be limited to once per day (e.g., in the Enterprise plan).
Automatically: Project Story offers daily automated report regeneration to ensure that project data stays current and up to date. By default, daily regeneration occurs at 07:00 AM, based on the time zone configured in the PPM Express tenant settings.
However, to optimize performance and reduce unnecessary system load, regeneration only occurs under specific conditions.
A Project Story report will be regenerated automatically only if the following conditions are met (1,2,3 or 1,3,4):
Project Story Has Been Opened at Least Once
The report must have been opened in Presentation Mode at least once. If a project has never had Project Story opened, it is excluded from daily regeneration.Project Story Was Viewed in the Last 7 Days
The system checks whether the Project Story report was accessed within the past 7 days. If it hasn’t been opened recently, regeneration is skipped.Project Status Is Active
Only projects with an active status — Not Started or In Progress — are considered for regeneration. Archived or completed projects are excluded.Schedule Distribution Is Enabled
If Schedule Distribution is configured for a project (the report is scheduled to be emailed), then regeneration will occur regardless of the last time the report was opened. This ensures recipients always receive up-to-date content.