calculate % complete based on other fields

[Tomcat]

Is there away to modify percent complete to only calculate summary percent
complete for certain tasks. For example if I have 6 subtasks 1,2,3,4,5,6, I
would like to compute percent complete at the summary level in three
different ways, for all six tasks, for odd numbered tasks and for even
numbered tasks. Any help would be much appreciated

 

[Gérard Ducouret]

Tomcat,
To display the percentage complete for only the even numbered tasks, you
could use a formula like this :
IIf(([ID] Mod 2)=0,[% Complete],0)
For the odd numbered tasks, the formula would be :
IIf(([ID] Mod 2)>0,[% Complete],0)

But I'm afraid that to sum up these % at the summary level, you'll have to
use a VBA procedure.

Gérard Ducouret

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

I'm really curious what kind of WBS would lead to the need to compute
percentages like you're asking for. Subtasks generally represent work done
on various components of the summary. How about rearranging the tasks so
that you have two levels of summary instead of just one - make two new
subtasks of the summary and then move what are presently the odd numbered
tasks to make them subtasks of NewSummary1 and the tasks that are presently
the even numbered subtasks to be subtasks under NewSummary2. Your result
would look like...

Summary Task
Sub-Summary 1
Odd Task 1
Odd Task 2
Odd Task 3
Sub-Summary 2
Even Task 1
Even Task 2
Even Task 3

Just guessing at your situation of course but I'd bet good money that this
would be a more accurate description of the actual workflow you have (and
that is what a WBS is supposed to describe - not administrative organization
information such as what tasks are assigned to what departments or resource
responsibilities but rather the deliverables being created and the actvities
required to create all their component parts and assemble them into the
whole.) And now Project's standard out-of-the box calculations would give
you the broken down progress information for the odds, the evens, and the
bunch that you're looking for.

 

[Tomcat]

Thank you for the reply. I thought of this but essentialy and your right it
would give me an answer, but then I don't know how to show the tasks in the
Gantt chart view the way I want to which is an alternation of an odd task and
an even task. Is there away to modify this? And ideally I like to show
three bars with in one summary bar which are total percent complete, percent
complete for odd tasks and percent complete for even tasks.

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

What is it about odd and even tasks that make them unique across the
project? If I'm looking at a summary "Lay down foundation" and it has its
subtasks "dig hole", "erect forms", "tie rebar", "install imbedded piping",
"pour concrete", "finish concrete", "remove forms", etc, it's purely luck of
the draw which of those tasks are even numbered and which are odd numbered
in the WBS. As the plan evolves and tasks are added or removed, the
numbering of a given activity may change dramatically from one day day to
the next. There's nothing that says if "tie rebar" starts out with an odd
number in the task list it will always have an odd number and yet the
progress information that's important in managing the project is "how long
have we been working on tieing rebar so far and how much time will it be
before we're done?" That is what % Complete is measuring and the progress
on the rebar in turn effects what we know about the progress on the
foundation as a whole.
--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

 

[Tomcat]

The reason is because the WBS was created that way. All even tasks are
structural work on the unit being built such as build a wall. All even tasks
are outfitting tasks such as install piping. They alternate because the
process of building the unit alternates with some structural work being done
followed by some outfitting work which is followed by more structural work
and so on. And I want to be able to show the progress on a unit as a summary
of these subtasks. And I want to show this is how we are doing with
structural work, outfitting work, and as a whole. Thanks for your help

 

[Gérard Ducouret]

Tomcat,
With these explanations, the problem is quite simple.
Insert a Flag(x) field such as Flag1 in the Tracking table for ex.
Rename it "Structural".
Set this field to "Yes" for the structural tasks
By default, "No" means "Outfit".
Create a new grouping : Project / Group by / More groups / Field :
Structural
Apply

That's all

Gérard Ducouret

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

Sounds like your structure might be based on time sequencing rather than
process sequencing. By that I wonder if your summary tasks are time units
such as "Work for June" and the subtasks all the tasks taking place during
that month? Or perhaps the summary is "Work for the Engineering Group" with
all the tasks done by resources from those departments listed as subtasks
under it. If either is the case, you might want to reconsider your WBS
because at least in my experience such structures always leads to headaches
in the end. Your issue with progress recording for "odd and even" tasks
will be just the tip of the iceberg I'm afraid. I'd strongly suggest you
consider putting the tasks relating to structural work under a summary
"Build Structure" while those related to outfitting be put under an "Outfit
Structure" summary, perhaps even with sub-summaries such as "Install
Piping", "Install HVAC", "Install Wiring", etc and the various activities
required to install those key deliverables listed as subtasks under their
appropriate areas. The sequencing of tasks is most correctly driven be the
predecessor/successor links and is not dependent on their relative positions
in the task listing. There's nothing that says task 100 can't come before
task 50 in time or for that matter produce a deliverable that task 50 needs
in order to start, thus making 100 both a predecessor and an antecendent of
50.
--
Steve House [MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs