% complete at summary tasks

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.

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

regrds

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

regrds

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[email protected]

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

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

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

Suha,

I am not sure I would rely on the %complete figures on level 1 summary tasks in MS Project; MSP computes average figures, that are much too average in my opinion

Should you insist on this subject, I would create a calculation formula to sum up the desired data all the way up from sub tasks

Hope this helps

Alexandre

Suha,

which MSP are you using? with MSP 2007 SP2, everything is ok

I have built a one sumamry, one subordinate task project, 5 day duration

display Tracking Gantt and Tracking table

let’s start with actual duration and actual work linked, and state the task at 25% complete: % complete and % work complete are both 25%, both on subordinate and summary

then, unlink actual duration and actual work, state the subordinate actual duration at 50% and actual work at 75%: on sumamry task, both % complete and % work complete equal subordinate’s values.

Alexandre

suha,

check in Calculation options that the software is not updating resource work together with task duration

when both updates are linked, MSP updates actual work at the same rate as actual duration, it’s confusing

Alexandre