What is the Most Accepted Method to Status a Schedule?

[JJ]

In my 10 years of scheduling, I have come across several ways of
getting status for a schedule. Usually, I just go with whatever the
"norm" is in the company that I am working for. I have seen the
following methods for getting status:
1) Request dates (actual or forecast) and % Complete
2) Request Remaining Work and Finish Dates
3) Request Remaining Duration (regardless of Finish Dates)
4) Request Finish Dates and alter Remaining Duration to hit Finish
Date

The IMSs are usually resource loaded, used for Earned Value, status is
taken weekly, and Actual Costs are NOT captured in the IMS. In #'s
2-4, the "% Complete" Value is statused to time now, which is usually
the Friday of the previous week.

So... is there an preferred or more accepted method of getting status
for an IMS?

Thanks!
JJ

 

[salgud]

In my 10 years of scheduling, I have come across several ways of
getting status for a schedule. Usually, I just go with whatever the
"norm" is in the company that I am working for. I have seen the
following methods for getting status:
1) Request dates (actual or forecast) and % Complete
2) Request Remaining Work and Finish Dates
3) Request Remaining Duration (regardless of Finish Dates)
4) Request Finish Dates and alter Remaining Duration to hit Finish
Date

The IMSs are usually resource loaded, used for Earned Value, status is
taken weekly, and Actual Costs are NOT captured in the IMS. In #'s
2-4, the "% Complete" Value is statused to time now, which is usually
the Friday of the previous week.

So... is there an preferred or more accepted method of getting status
for an IMS?

Thanks!
JJ

Not sure what an "IMS" is, but I'm guessing something like "Internal
Measure of Success". Based on my experience (over 30 yrs), I favor 3 or 4
or some combination thereof. I've found that resources find it easier to
fudge % Complete than remaining work or duration, so I prefer that %
Complete be calculated based on Actual Work and Remaining Work. (I'm really
referring to % Work Complete here, not Project's virtually useless %
Duration Complete)
If there's a large discrepancy between Remaining Work and Remaining
Duration, as there often is in some kinds of work, then both should be
tracked and the schedule updated accordingly.
I don't know why Actual Costs are not captured, other than sometimes, in
some systems, it's difficult to capture them. Obviously they're needed for
EVA.
Hope this helps in your world.

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi JJ,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

My position on getting and entering progress data is described in my series
on Microsoft Project in the TechTrax ezine, particularly #27 on entering
progress data., 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 article 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

 

[Jim Aksel]

We request remaining work hours requird to do the job and an expected finish
date. We back out duration from that information. Additionally, we use
Physical%Complete because the %DurationComplete regresses when duration
expands. Earned Value rules do not allow the regresion of %Complete.

FYI: IMS=Integrated Master Schedule
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Jim

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