MS PRoject Calculation

[Shahriar Nour Khondokar]

Work Actual Remain Work Baseline
Work Work Variance Work
Project Summary 715.02 482.5 232.5 80.77 634.25
362 289.75 72.25 48.25
2.5 2.5 0 0.75
80.75 70 10.75 13.5
82.75 82.75 0 -4.25
31.75 30.75 1 23.75
3.25 3.25 0 -1.75
3.5 3.5 0 0.5
3 0 3 0
1 0 1 0
8 0 8 0
2.75 0 2.75 0
5 0 5 0
8 0 8 0
3.75 0 3.75 0
1.5 0 1.5 0
1.75 0 1.75 0
1.5 0 1.5 0
2.25 0 2.25 0
6 0 6 0
10 0 10 0
52 0 52 0
3.5 0 3.5 0
3 0 3 0
9 0 9 0
11.5 0 11.5 0
5.5 0 5.5 0
1.5 0 1.5 0
8 0 8 0

Sum calculated
manually 715 482.5 232.5 80.75


Here is a description of the data shown above:
- Topmost row is the project summary row as seen in my project plan (.mpp)
file
- 1st column: Work column; updated automatically when Actual Work is
entered. 2nd column: Actual Work values entered. 3rd column: Remaining Work
calculated automatically. 4th Column: Work Variance calculated automatically
using Baseline Work (total baseline work currently is 634.25).
- The last row is the sum of the values in the rows above it (without the
Project Summary row) which I have calculated manually.

Here is my question:
As you can see above, Project Summary column for Work is .02 greater than
the value calculated manually. This than affects the Work Variance column:
715.02 - 634.25 = 80.77

We enter Work/time values in .25hr slots ie. data will always end with 0,
..25, .5, .75 and nothing else. Hence, .02 or .77 makes my plan file appear
erroneous though I cant find any errors and that's what is shown by the
manual calculations.

So, can someone explain why is MS Project adding .02 at the end of Summary
Work value?
Is there anything I can do so that this does not happen?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Jack Dahlgren]

It is rounding error equivalent to approximately 1 second. I'd ignore it as
it is meaningless. I'd argue everything to the right of the decimal point is
meaningless.

-Jack Dahlgren