"Planned % complete" versus "Real % complete" of summary tasks

[van_der_veen_eric]

Dear MS Project Expert,

I am calculating the "planned % complete" with the next formula:
Left(str(IIf([Status Date]<[Start];"0";IIf([Status
Date]>[Finish];"1";ProjDateDiff([Start];[Status Date])/
[Duration]))*100);4)+"%"

I thought, that I was now able to compare the "planned % complete" and
the "real % complete" in my report for management. Unfortunately this
goes wrong in summary tasks. The "real % complete" of a summary task
is being calculated on the average weighted "real % complete" of the
tasks that form together the summary task. The "planned % complete" of
a summary task is being calculated on the Start Date, Duration and
Status Date of the Summary task. In cases where the big tasks are in
the end of the summary task, this wil lead to wrong conclusions.

Help!

Thanks in advance!

Eric van der Veen

 

[Jim Aksel]

This is why you should be using the Schedule Performance Index column (SPI)
in conjunction with a Baseline with costed resources (even if it is $1/hr)
assigned to all tasks. This will properly weight the subordinate tasks.

However, SPI is not really that much better. SPI closes to an "on schedule"
condition (SPI=1.00) at task completion no matter how late you finish.
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Jim

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about Microsoft Project

Dear MS Project Expert,

I am calculating the "planned % complete" with the next formula:
Left(str(IIf([Status Date]<[Start];"0";IIf([Status
Date]>[Finish];"1";ProjDateDiff([Start];[Status Date])/
[Duration]))*100);4)+"%"

I thought, that I was now able to compare the "planned % complete" and
the "real % complete" in my report for management. Unfortunately this
goes wrong in summary tasks. The "real % complete" of a summary task
is being calculated on the average weighted "real % complete" of the
tasks that form together the summary task. The "planned % complete" of
a summary task is being calculated on the Start Date, Duration and
Status Date of the Summary task. In cases where the big tasks are in
the end of the summary task, this wil lead to wrong conclusions.

Help!

Thanks in advance!

Eric van der Veen

Surely it only leads to wrong conclusions if it is being mis-interpreted.
% Complete on Tasks is meaningful but on summaries it doesn't really
mean anything and is not useful, for exactly the reasons you mentioned,
so just ignore it.