I can't show actual hours are more than planned, but task not comp

[snoozer]

I have a task that is going to take 8 hours to complete over 4 days. It is
now day 3 and I have spent 10 hours completing the task, but I am only 75%
done. When I add in my actual hours of 10, is is showing the task as 100%
complete.

How can I show that my hours are over, but I am only 75% done with the task?

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Snoozer,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

When you add Actual Work enter a figure for Remaining Work and let Project
calculate the figures. You might like to have a look at my series on
Microsoft Project in the TechTrax ezine, particularly #25 onwards on
Tracking and Progressing, 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 articles 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

 

[JulieS]

Hi snoozer,

Add the field Remaining Work to the view you are using to track. Add
your estimate of how much remaining work you estimate, that will
calculate the % Complete and % Work complete as well as project a new
estimated finish date.

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

Julie

 

[snoozer]

The problem is that I do not want the estimated finish date to change. The
expectation is that the team would work overtime to complete the task.

I know this is not a good way to track, but the expectation is that we will
finish on a specific date, no matter how many hours we estimated

 

[JulieS]

Hi snoozer,

I'm afraid I don't have the "perfect" answer for you. I still recommend
adding the remaining work and letting Project adjust the projected
finish of the task.

If your resources work overtime you may add the Actual Work and Actual
Overtime Work field to either the Task Usage or Resource Usage view.
Record the Actual overtime on the date it occurred and Project will
adjust the Actual Finish date.

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

Julie

 

[Robert W. Ware]

Snoozer:

You mention that: "the expectation is that we will finish on a specific
date, no matter how many hours we estimated."

My suggestion builds upon the advice already provided by others here in the
discussion...

--------------
Since you don't want the activity's duration to change (based upon your
assumption), I recommend that you TEMPORARILY change the Teask-Type setting
to FIXED DURATION. Then, Input the Actual Work accomplished to-date as well
as the expected remaining work... (based upon these inputs, the duration will
remain the same, yet the percent work complete will get re-computed...)

Once you have enetered the above-mentioned information - reset the Task-Type
to Fixed Work (or Fixed Units), so that in case you lose a resource before
the activity is finished, the duration will be re-calculated by MS Project...

By the way -- anytime you input an Actual Work Value that exceeds the Work
Value, MS Project will calculate that the Activity is 100% Complete --
Consequently, you want to be sure that, as you input your tracking
information, you do not exceed the Work value before inputting your Remaining
Work...

- Robert W. Ware -