How do I compare actual to planned completion times

[Jeff Budau]

The schedule is my plan. How do input the actual completion dates in a way
that allows me to compare the actual to originally planned schedule.
Presently I alter the finish date, but then I lose in the file what I had
planned. If I input "actual finish" (after I have inserted the column), it
automatically changes my "finish" so I lose what my original schedule was.
I'd like a "this is the way we planned" versus "this is the actual" view
somehow. Is this doable?

By the way, I am a ROOKIE user (in case you hadn't noticed)

 

[JulieS]

Hi Jeff,

Don't worry about your "rookie" status. We were all there once, and at
times, I still feel like I am there ;-)

To answer your question: Once you have planned the project and have the
schedule and work as you hope it comes out, save a baseline through Tools >
Tracking > Save Baseline. This will copy the start, finish, work, duration,
cost information into Baseline Start, Baseline Finish, etc.

Then as you start to track, the baseline data serves as the "planned"
information and you can compare the actual data back to planned. Project
will calculate variances from baseline and you can view that information in
a number of tables: Work, Cost, Variance etc.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie

 

[Gérard Ducouret]

Hello Jeff,
What you are looking for is the Baseline of your project :
When your project is scheduled accordingly with the needs of the client,
you'll do the following:
Tools / Tracking / Save baseline.

NB : MS Project 2003 is abble to save 11 different baselines.
Hope this helps,

Gérard Ducouret

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Jeff,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

You might like to have a look at my series on Microsoft Project in the
TechTrax ezine, particularly #25 on Tracking, at this site:
http://tinyurl.com/2xbhc or this:
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMFrame.asp?CMD=ArticleSearch&AUTH=23
(Perhaps you'd care to rate the article before leaving the site,
Thanks.)

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: <http://www.mvps.org/project/>

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

 

[Jeff Budau]

To all three respondents.

Thanks a lot. This was exactly what I was looking for. My company has
hooked me up with some online resources, so with any luck, I should at least
be able to look things up. The baseline is saved and I was able to view the
tracking gantt.

Once again, thanks all.

Jeff Budau

 

[Mike Glen]

You're welcome, Jeff

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

 

[JulieS]

Hi Jeff,

Glad to have helped and thanks for the feedback. Please post again with any
further questions as you wander through the wonderful world of Project

Julie