% complete at summary tasks

Mon, 2012-01-16 14:58

#1

Ellen Lehnert, Mi...

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Summary tasks are meant to be subtotals. The percent complete (duration or work) will only be correct at the summary level when the detail tasks underneath are either 0% completed or 100% completed. If you mark the detail tasks completed, the percentage rolls up to the summary tasks.

Keep in mind that there are 2 types of percent complete. The buttons of percentages you see on the tools bars are percent duration complete and will mark tasks completed as planned. There is also a percent work completed with is located on the Work table. You can have 100% or the duration of a task occur with 0% percent of the work being completed. These values can be separated if necessary.

The best practice is:

Allow the summaries to be subtotals without resources assigned and they are not tracked.

Detail tasks will have resources assigned and are tracked.

As a result of the resources and detail tasks being tracked, the percentages will roll up to the summaries.

Ellen Lehnert, Microsoft Project MVP, PMP

tips and trick articles = www.lehnertcs.com.

Sun, 2011-12-25 11:04

#2

Marwan Hmood

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Similarly, I sometimes get 0%complete for summary with actual %completes for activities below. Any comments and fixing solutions are appreciated.

regrds

Sun, 2011-12-25 11:03

#3

Marwan Hmood

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Similarly, I sometimes get 0%complete for summary with actual %completes for activities below. Any comments and fixing solutions are appreciated.

regrds

Fri, 2011-12-23 11:38

#4

Krishna prasad Ph...

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Can you help meinthis regards -

While tracking the project schedule i am finding problem. Some activities taking more duration then it was planned, so while updating the schedule i have entered actual start, remaining duration. Then the % completion is taking automaticallty. But the project summery task % completion is showing very much higher then it actually completed. How to solve this. Is there any other process to do the correct tracking. It will be very much help to me if anybody can answer me.

Krishna

Thu, 2011-12-22 13:39

#5

Krishna prasad Ph...

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Can anybody explain me - While tracking the project schedule i am finding problem. Some activities taking more duration then it was planned, so while updating the schedule i have entered actual start, remaining duration. Then the % completion is taking automaticallty. But the project summery task % completion is showing very much higher then it actually completed. How to solve this. Is there any other process to do the correct tracking. It will be very much help to me if anybody can answer me.

Krishna

Thu, 2011-12-22 13:05

#6

Krishna prasad Ph...

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Can anybody explain me - While tracking the project schedule i am finding problem. Some activities taking more duration then it was planned, so while updating the schedule i have entered actual start, remaining duration. Then the % completion is taking automaticallty. But the project summery task % completion is showing very much higher then it actually completed. How to solve this. Is there any other process to do the correct tracking. It will be very much help to me if anybody can answer me.

Krishna

Wed, 2009-07-08 08:49

#7

suha guzel

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If anyone interested to "summary progress", pls check below link and see the difference between yellow progress lines and the % complete column gives different results. For me, progress lines are more accurate, but i cannot reflect them into figures...

http://rapidshare.com/files/250996453/example_for_ms_project.mpp

Tue, 2009-07-07 21:58

#8

suha guzel

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Trevor,

The thing is software’s logic for computing summary progress or rollup formulas.

If anyone could tell me VB formula of "complete through" or "summary progress" information, i would create a custom field and solve the problem.

(software itself computes what i need, but somehow does not want to show it as a field but only shows in gannt chart visually)

Tue, 2009-07-07 20:38

#9

Rafael Davila

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Trevor,

I believe you only downloaded the first file with no resource assigments and no Work. To be compared to the second one with no resource assigment but Work assigment.

http://rapidshare.com/files/251199220/example_for_ms_project_r.00.mpp

http://rapidshare.com/files/251199321/example_for_ms_project_r.01.mpp

My prior posting had resource assigment as well as Work assigment.

http://rapidshare.com/files/250417660/Project1.mpp

I also posted Suha file.

http://rapidshare.com/files/250996453/example_for_ms_project.mpp

All these for comparison purposes.

Trevor you are awake when it is time to go to sleep, reminds me of a Sugar Glider I had a few years ago, he never recovered from the jet lag.

Best regards,
Rafael

Tue, 2009-07-07 19:52

#10

Trevor Rabey

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For a start, it has nothing to do with the Work.
This is easy to see in a test because the tasks and the summaries progress are exactly the same even if there is no Resource sssignments and no Work associated with the Tasks or the Summaries or the plan at all.
In Rafael’s sample file there is no Resource sssignments and no Work.

Tue, 2009-07-07 01:41

#11

suha guzel

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"See the post from earlier today about some good reasons for not using %
Complete (it sucks) and the much better option of Actual Start, Actual
Duration, Remaining Duration, Actual Finish etc :
Updating tasks - difficulties because the percentage changes after
rescheduling..."

Trevor, i see these your words, and so glad to see someone who thinks that % complete sucks.. Is there any formula or custom field which computes the summary % not from work (manhour) of subtasks but from the actual dates?

Thank you for your help,

Fri, 2009-07-03 18:40

#12

Rafael Davila

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Trevor thanks for your links.

I copied the text under your posted links into a text document for future reference. I was figuring out the math using an excel workbook but your reference makes it so much easier I did go the easy way.

After looking other web sites we got to accept the original design of this site is second to none, is welcoming and easy to follow.

Best regards,
Rafael

Fri, 2009-07-03 18:31

#13

Trevor Rabey

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http://forums.techarena.in/microsoft-project/1086796.htm

Thu, 2009-07-02 18:32

#14

Trevor Rabey

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http://groups.google.com.au/group/microsoft.public.project/browse_thread...

Thu, 2009-07-02 16:31

#15

Rafael Davila

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suha

How about using %work complete? Compare the two following files. The first one from the original file showing Work and %Work Complete, the second after entering some values directly at this table.

http://rapidshare.com/files/251199220/example_for_ms_project_r.00.mpp

http://rapidshare.com/files/251199321/example_for_ms_project_r.01.mpp

If not, then this will make it two strikes, don’t worry the following will be fowls not counting as a third strike/out.

You got to understand we love baseball, “Pitorro” (our illegal Rum), Vodka and 007 Russian Girls. Our basketball team defeated USA NBA Dream team, how about yours? This was even better than when the Coyote got the Road Runner.

Will keep in touch,
Rafael

With patience we will kick Microsoft Project

Thu, 2009-07-02 13:56

#16

suha guzel

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Rafael, forget about resource... if you checked the below file, i think my point is very clear.

http://rapidshare.com/files/250996453/example_for_ms_project.mpp

the question has nothing to do with allocating resource or not.. in my schedule i have resources allocated with cost, but problem still there..

Thu, 2009-07-02 10:24

#17

Rafael Davila

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As per your initial posting.

"%Complete field for summary tasks works in a manhour(work) logic"

You mentioned man-hours so I interpreted you was interested in using man-hours as your measure for progress. To use man-hours you have to resource load the schedule.

Using task durations as a measure of progress to me makes no sense, it does not account for how cost/labor/resource intensive is each task; as a matter of fact computations under duration summary task are misleading. I have seen other postings complaining and even suggesting MS Project math being erroneous or misleading should not even be available.

Maybe we are still in misunderstanding. But we are no to give up at just a single loop.

By the way if you see our response somewhat slow it is due to the fact that usually at the end/beginning of the month we are somewhat busy updating our schedules.

Best regards,
Rafael
Hi there !

Thu, 2009-07-02 09:26

#18

suha guzel

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Rafael, great thanks for assistance in sample file..

I don’t think we got to have resources loaded to activities..

Did you check the file? Is my point clear?

Thu, 2009-07-02 05:11

#19

Rafael Davila

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The following link is where you can download Suha sample job in order to see if this can be used as a way to communicate the issues.

http://rapidshare.com/files/250996453/example_for_ms_project.mpp

Those willing to jump in and help a PP member please do so.

Suha, please download the posting to make sure it is the correct one, the one I got is not resource loaded. If we got to start resource loading your sample in order to get manhours, then let us know and let it be, we will follow.

Best regards,
Rafael

Tue, 2009-06-30 15:28

#20

Rafael Davila

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Suha

Seems like a PP Policy to avoid using e-mail me requests. I also understand PP cannot setup a file sharing site without any exposure to copyright issues. Maybe the best thing they can do is suggest using these file sharing sites without even mentioning by name a single one, and warn about their policy against piracy.

I would suggest you go to rapidshare and setup a collector’s account under the free zone; you have the option to upload the file even without becoming neither a collector’s account nor a premium account member.

Just click on the upload button, select your file, wait until upload and copy the link, maybe they will e-mail you the link, not sure. I prefer the collector’s account, once set up it is just at a click of the mouse.

Please try using the file sharing site to see if everyone else follows using rapidshare and help us with your model program.

www.rapidshare.com

By the way did you downloaded my sample file, downloading is always free. They even pay me points for your downloads in my free collector’s account.

Best regards,

Rafael
rafael.davila@onelinkpr.net

Tue, 2009-06-30 15:06

#21

suha guzel

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Rafael.. i appreciate your enthusiasm for practicing ms project on examples.. for this reason, i prepared a model program, showing my point..

however, i don’t have a rapidshare account.. would you mind uploading it if i send you by e-mail?

thank you in advance

Tue, 2009-06-30 14:22

#22

Rafael Davila

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suha

I uploaded a basic project loaded with a single resource, you can download it from the following link and maybe working through it we can improve communication.

http://rapidshare.com/files/250417660/Project1.mpp

Take a look at the Gannt Cart as well as the calculation options I selected in order to keep separate time from cost calculations.

I am new to MS Project but maybe someone else will jump into the thread if the file improves communication. At times it is impossible to express what the issues are unless the other side can see what you are doing.

Best regards,
Rafael

Tue, 2009-06-30 12:27

#23

suha guzel

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Hi Darren, thank you for your effort for helping me..

But, what you propose, i tried hundred times, including the "average of first sublevels", rollup formula options of the software are not sufficient.. Average of first sublevels gives so irrelevant result, at least for me..

If you are a building construction guy and if you tell your client that you finished the 80.000 sqm R/C construction, he expects to see at least %30-40 completion in tables, ok let’s say not 50%..

But software gives me a 9% percent completion..

In fact, software computes the "summary progress".. But does not want to give us summary progress as figure, only displays it visually on gantt chart..

If someone tells me how to see summary progress and completethrough fields, the rest would be done by me..

Tue, 2009-06-30 10:53

#24

Darren Kosa

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Hi Suha,

Using your example, do you really think that because 500 tasks have been completed in a 2500 task schedule that you then report that the project is 50% Complete?

It seems a little off, but if you think that it is correct then why don’t you report it as such? If you don’t want to show % Complete then insert the Physical % Complete column and manually input 50% in there. No need for any formulae that you think is inaccurate.

A win-win situation no?

Another option I can think of is to use this formula to customise a spare number field (I used Number1).

[Actual Duration]/[Duration]*100

When customising the Number field you need to ensure that the Rollup radio button is selected for the ’Calculation for task and group summary rows’ option and that you choose Average First Sublevel from the drop-down menu.

You then use this formula to customise a spare text field (I used Text1).

[Number1] & "%"
When customising the Text field you need to ensure that the Use formula radio button is selected for the ’Calculation for task and group summary rows’ option.

Hopefully this should be a closer representation of the % Complete you require.

Regards,

Darren

Mon, 2009-06-29 02:32

#25

suha guzel

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Rafael,

This link refers to MS Project 2003 i think. I am using MS Project 2007. Anyway explanation of formula does not help because the thing is how to change the formula :)

Software itself calculates the more precise progress and displays it on gantt chart as "summary progress".. However, no way to reflect this visual display into figures..

I will tell my case in detail i think you will get it.

I have about 500 activities for R/C structure and 2000 activities for finishing works.. R/C structure is completed and duration is let’s say 6 months. Finishing works did not start yet and duration is also 6 months starting from today.

What progress would you expect from a software? about %50 yes?

But MS Project gives it in %complete column as %10..

I am not so brave to show it to clients..

Fri, 2009-06-26 16:24

#26

Rafael Davila

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How Percent Complete Is Calculated for Nested Summary Tasks

Microsoft Project calculates the Summary Level Percent Complete value based on its immediate subordinate tasks (summary and detail tasks). This method of calculation can cause the percent complete for a higher-level summary task to differ from a calculation done by hand if only the detail tasks and not the subordinate Summary tasks are used.

follow the link

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/101495

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Rafael

Fri, 2009-06-26 07:12

#27

suha guzel

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alexandre i tried what you advise me but i did not get the same result.. thank you for your help..

however my point is different.. i have more than one subordinate task under one summary task.. the thing is, how to sum up different progresses of subtasks, by which method? % complete uses a method which i cannot rely on..

Thu, 2009-06-25 10:42

#28

suha guzel

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no alexandre,

i understand your point but it does not help..
the thing you mention only changes the calculation method for task progresses.. my question is on summary progress..

btw i checked your advise, but no way out ((

Thu, 2009-06-25 09:58

#29

suha guzel

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i found that i can see a more realistic progress than % complete, which is called "summary progress", only in gantt chart by using bar styles.. however, this is just a graphical display, no values to see in a column..

Planning Planet

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