The ability ot break the tie between %Work Complete and Actual Work

[johnm]

My question centers arround the statement in the remark section of the "Help on % Work Complete" that I have included .

Remarks By default, changes to a task's percent work complete value affect the actual work value. Similarly, changes to the actual work value affect its percent work complete value. You can change this default, and have percent work complete and actual work independent of one another. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calculation tab. Clear the Updating task status updates resource status check box.

Whether I have the "calculation button" checked or unchecked, adding "Actual Work" changes the "% Work Complete", and adding to the "% Work Complete" adds to the "Actual Work" This is contrary to the statement in the remarks paragraph. Is Microsoft wrong? Thanks.

 

[Steve House]

No, it's not contrary. % complete refers to duration, % work complete
refers to work. The link referred to is the connection between % duration
complete and % work complete, not % work complete and actual work.


--
Steve House
MS Project MVP
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

My question centers arround the statement in the remark section of the

"Help on % Work Complete" that I have included .

Remarks By default, changes to a task's percent work complete value

affect the actual work value. Similarly, changes to the actual work value
affect its percent work complete value. You can change this default, and
have percent work complete and actual work independent of one another. On
the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calculation tab. Clear the
Updating task status updates resource status check box.

Whether I have the "calculation button" checked or unchecked, adding

"Actual Work" changes the "% Work Complete", and adding to the "% Work
Complete" adds to the "Actual Work" This is contrary to the statement in the
remarks paragraph. Is Microsoft wrong? Thanks.

 

[Ken Pepin]

I've appreciated the various threads that have explored the subject of the relationship b/w work and duration. I can say with some confidence that I've got the concept

What I want is for a diffeerent variable to change when I enter an actual work value. Rather than Project extending my percentage of effort and changing the duration, I would prefer if Project kept the duration, and adjusted by percentage of effort

I find that examples help

If my baseline estimates that I'll spend 10 hours over the course of a 40 hour week on a task, I (now) can enter that as Duration = 5 days, work = 8 hours, percentage of effort = 25%.
Now, I *really* spend 6 hours, but over 2 weeks. I want it to be the actual % of effort that gives, not play with my baseline % of effort to get that result.

This, I find, more accurately reflects reality

Thanks

-Ke


----- Steve House wrote: ----

No, it's not contrary. % complete refers to duration, % work complet
refers to work. The link referred to is the connection between % duratio
complete and % work complete, not % work complete and actual work


--
Steve Hous
MS Project MV
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQ

My question centers arround the statement in the remark section of th

"Help on % Work Complete" that I have includedaffect the actual work value. Similarly, changes to the actual work valu
affect its percent work complete value. You can change this default, an
have percent work complete and actual work independent of one another. O
the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calculation tab. Clear th
Updating task status updates resource status check box"Actual Work" changes the "% Work Complete", and adding to the "% Wor
Complete" adds to the "Actual Work" This is contrary to the statement in th
remarks paragraph. Is Microsoft wrong? Thanks

 

[Steve House]

You said that you don't want it to change duration but in the example you
gave you did, in fact, dramatically change the duration. Originally the
task was scheduled at 25% for 10 hours work in a 40 hour duration. Then you
said you would really spend 6 hours work over 2 weeks. But 2 weeks is an 80
hour duration. Remember duration is the time the calendar defines as
working time between the first instant that work is performed and the last
instant when it is finished. If you do 10 hours of work over a 40 hour time
period the duration is 40 hours. If you do 6 hours work over a two week
time period, the duration is 80 hours - by the very definition of
"duration." You can get Project to recalculate percentage effort instead of
changing duration easily by making the task fixed duration before posting in
your actual work, if say, you originally scheduled 10 hours work over 40
hours and ended up doing 6 hours work over 40 hours instead. But there is
no way you can get it to call 40 hour and 80 hour durations equal because
they simply aren't. If the last work performed is done at anytime different
from when it was originally scheduled, either earlier or later, the duration
simply has to change.


--
Steve House
MS Project MVP
Visit http://www.mvps.org/project/faqs.htm for the FAQs

I've appreciated the various threads that have explored the subject of the

relationship b/w work and duration. I can say with some confidence that I've
got the concept.

What I want is for a diffeerent variable to change when I enter an actual

work value. Rather than Project extending my percentage of effort and
changing the duration, I would prefer if Project kept the duration, and
adjusted by percentage of effort.

I find that examples help.

If my baseline estimates that I'll spend 10 hours over the course of a 40

hour week on a task, I (now) can enter that as Duration = 5 days, work = 8
hours, percentage of effort = 25%.

Now, I *really* spend 6 hours, but over 2 weeks. I want it to be the

actual % of effort that gives, not play with my baseline % of effort to get
that result.