Problem Tracking Progress using Percentages Complete

[Dougal]

I would like to use percenatage's complete to keep my project plan up to date.

I am however having a problem doing this as follows: -

I have three tasks A, B & C with each task taking 2 hrs to complete. Task C
cannot start until B has finished and B cannot start until A has finished.

After one hour of work I update my plan. I have finished task A & B in
record time and therefore set the percentage complete for task A & B as 100%
complete with only task C remaining.

The plan now shows A & B as 100% Complete with only task C remaining.

Now for my problem......the plan still stipulates that even though I have
detailed that A & B are 100% complete (following resouce levelling and
updating the plan to reflect that 1 hr has now passed) Task C is prevented
from starting for another 3 hrs (i.e. as if I still had 50% of task A to
complete and 100% of task B to complete)?

What I would like to happen is for MS Project to recognise that A & B have
been completed in less time than was originally estimated, and therefore that
Task C can now start earlier?

If anyone can help with the above it would be very much appreciated.

Yours hopefully

Dougal

 

[John]

I would like to use percenatage's complete to keep my project plan up to
date.

I am however having a problem doing this as follows: -

I have three tasks A, B & C with each task taking 2 hrs to complete. Task C
cannot start until B has finished and B cannot start until A has finished.

After one hour of work I update my plan. I have finished task A & B in
record time and therefore set the percentage complete for task A & B as 100%
complete with only task C remaining.

The plan now shows A & B as 100% Complete with only task C remaining.

Now for my problem......the plan still stipulates that even though I have
detailed that A & B are 100% complete (following resouce levelling and
updating the plan to reflect that 1 hr has now passed) Task C is prevented
from starting for another 3 hrs (i.e. as if I still had 50% of task A to
complete and 100% of task B to complete)?

What I would like to happen is for MS Project to recognise that A & B have
been completed in less time than was originally estimated, and therefore that
Task C can now start earlier?

If anyone can help with the above it would be very much appreciated.

Yours hopefully

Dougal

Dougal,
First, I'm not sure you understand the difference between duration time
and work time. Duration time is simply the span of time during which
effort is expended on the task. Work time on the other hand is the
actual time one or more resources will actually spend completing the
task. The two times may or may not be equal depending on resource
assignment levels.

A similar definition holds for % Complete and % Work Complete. The
former relates only to the task Duration, while the latter relates to
the task Work. Normally % Work Complete is a better measure of task
progress, but not always.

In your case if the plan is updated for 100% complete on tasks "A" and
"B" with only 1 hour expended, then the Actual Duration ends up being 1
hour, not the 2 hour original estimate. If you want to indicate that the
task has actually completed early, I suggest you make an entry in the
Actual Finish field that shows task "A" finishing 1 hour after it
started. That will update the Actual Work to 1 hour and the % Work
Complete to 100%. There are probably other ways to get there but this
seems to be the easiest. Then do the same thing with task "B".

What I don't understand is why you are messing with leveling. If the
tasks are in sequence, the resources are automatically spread out to
avoid overallocations. Leveling just throws an unnecessary complexity
into the equation.

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

 

[Dougal]

Thanks John, I really do need to book myself on a training course!

Dougal

 

[John]

Thanks John, I really do need to book myself on a training course!

Dougal

Dougal,
You're welcome.
John

 

[Rick]

Best method I have used is to zero out time remaining for task A therefore
driving task to 100%. Hope this helps!?

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

That's the best method - simply setting a task to 100% complete says the
work was performed and completed in the time that was originally scheduled,
no more and no less. If it actually took more or less than first planned,
one must enter the actual duration and set the remaining to zerp to force it
to 100% complete.

 

[John]

That's the best method - simply setting a task to 100% complete says the
work was performed and completed in the time that was originally scheduled,
no more and no less. If it actually took more or less than first planned,
one must enter the actual duration and set the remaining to zerp to force it
to 100% complete.

Steve,
Zerp? That must be one of those time warp type of things, somewhere
between a nanosecond and a picosecond perhaps..... (as you say, "grin").

John

 

[Steve House [Project MVP]]

LOL

Steve,
Zerp? That must be one of those time warp type of things, somewhere
between a nanosecond and a picosecond perhaps..... (as you say, "grin").

John