% Complete vs. Work Complete in Project?

[SignalwL]

I typically manually update tasks as a value in %complete or Work Complete as
I do not have the time to enter actuals for individual tasks. How can I have
Project reflect those values beside the roll-up task? Is there a way to
compare where I am vice where I should be at a certain time?

 

[John]

I typically manually update tasks as a value in %complete or Work Complete as
I do not have the time to enter actuals for individual tasks. How can I have
Project reflect those values beside the roll-up task? Is there a way to
compare where I am vice where I should be at a certain time?

SignalwL,
I assume when you say, "...reflect those values beside the roll-up
task", you mean you want to see the updated %Complete and %Work Complete
automatically show up in the Summary Line data. All you have to do is to
make sure calculation is set to automatic (Tools/Options/Calculation
tab).

As far as comparing current schedule performance to expect schedule
performance, that is the main purpose of the earned value (EV) metrics
(BCWP, BCWS, ACWP, SPI and CPI). However before you can make use of
those metrics, which are automatically calculated by Project, you need
to ensure a baseline has been set. For more information on EV metrics,
check the Project help file.

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

 

[SignalwL]

John, Thank you VERY much for your help! It looks like it's time to go buy
another book!

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

Adding a comment, make sure you keep in mind that % Complete and % Work
Complete are two totally different measures. They may be the same number
but it's by no means cast in stone that they must be. For instance, if you
have a task starting Mon at 8am and ending Fri at 5pm, assuming the standard
calendar, its duration is 40 hours. Work could be contoured so there's 1
hour done Mon morning, another hour each morning on Tue, Wed, and Thur, then
finishing up working all day Friday for a total of 12 hours of work
distributed over the 40 hours duration. Thurs evening at 5pm with
everything on schedule it's 80% Complete with 33% Work Complete.

 

[John]

John, Thank you VERY much for your help! It looks like it's time to go buy
another book!

SignalwL,
You're welcome. Project is quite different from other applications in
that it has a lot of non-intuitive attributes and relies heavily on a
good understanding of Project Management principles. Books can be
helpful but the best way I have found to truly learn Project is through
hands-on experience.

Good luck with your learning experience. If you have further questions,
we are here to help.

John
Project MVP