The Synchronization Model
One of the most important concepts in MSP Planner is the Explicit Synchronization Boundary.
Unlike many tools that silently overwrite data in the background, MSP Planner treats your professional plan as a separate "Thinking Space." This prevents your planning experiments from accidentally disrupting your team's daily work in Jira.
Flexible Field Mapping: Your Jira, Your Fields
To ensure MSP Planner fits your specific organizational setup, it uses a Flexible Field Mapping system. You are not locked into a fixed set of Jira fields for your schedule.
- Customizable Semantics: You can map the timeline's built-in fields (like Finish Date, Work, or Status) to any custom field in your Jira project.
- Zero-Friction Setup: Map your existing fields once in the configuration, and the timeline will automatically drive those fields during synchronization.
- Consistency: This ensures that the professional plan and the team's tickets stay in sync, regardless of how your Jira instance is configured.
How it Works: The "Push & Pull" Flow
MSP Planner uses a review-oriented synchronization model. Data only moves between the timeline and Jira when you explicitly trigger it.
1. The "Pull" (Host -> Timeline)
When you "Pull" data:
- The app fetches the latest updates from Jira.
- These changes are surfaced as Sync Notifications (indicated by the "Host Newer" icon), driven by server-originated timestamps to ensure absolute reliability.
- You review the changes in a dedicated interface and decide whether to merge them into your plan. This ensures that sudden changes in Jira don't silently shift your approved baseline.
2. The "Push" (Timeline -> Host)
When you "Push" data:
- The app takes the calculated dates and assignments from your professional plan.
- It updates the corresponding fields in the Jira issues.
- This ensures that the team's tickets now reflect the approved project schedule.
Intelligent Reconciliation & Conflict Resolution
To avoid data loss and "ghost updates," MSP Planner employs a sophisticated reconciliation engine.
The Sync Review Dialog
When a Conflict is detected (both the plan and the host have changed), you are presented with a side-by-side review dialog. You can see exactly which fields differ and choose the winning value for each field individually:
- Keep Schedule Value: Preserves your planning decision.
- Adopt Host Value: Accepts the update from Jira.
The "No-Op" Reconcile
To prevent unnecessary notifications, the tool performs a No-Op Reconcile when the host is "newer" but the actual monitored field values are identical. In this case, the app simply advances the sync boundary and returns the status to Synced without altering any data.
Sync Status Indicators
In the timeline grid, the Sync Status column provides real-time visibility into the alignment between your plan and Jira:
| Icon | Status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ✅ | Synced | The plan and the Jira issue are in perfect agreement. |
| 🔵 | Host Newer | The Jira issue has been updated on the server since the last sync. A "Pull" is recommended. |
| 🟡 | Local Newer | You have made changes in the plan that haven't been pushed to Jira yet. |
| 🔴 | Conflict | Both the plan and the host have changed since the last sync. Manual resolution is required. |
| ➕ | Create | The row is a schedule-only task that can be converted into a real Jira issue. |
From Planning to Execution: Converting Tasks
The ➕ indicator marks a "Project Task"—a row that exists only in your professional plan. Once a task's scope and timing are approved, you can convert it into a Reference Task. This creates a real Jira issue and establishes the live link, effectively moving the task from the "Planning Space" into the "Execution Space."
Why this is better than Automatic Sync
Automatic synchronization often leads to "Data Flapping," where a planner moves a date and a developer changes it back, creating a loop of updates. By using explicit sync, you get:
- Safe Experimentation: You can move tasks around to see "What if?" scenarios without changing the actual Jira tickets until the plan is approved.
- Controlled Communication: You only push changes to the team once the schedule has been vetted by the PMO or stakeholders.
- Conflict Resolution: If a task was changed in both places, the app flags a conflict for you to resolve manually, ensuring no data is lost.
Pro Tip: Batch Synchronization
You don't have to sync tasks one by one. Use the Synchronize toolbar to perform a batch operation on all selected tasks or the entire project, ensuring your whole project is aligned in one click.