Hard to imagine a deliverable with no resources. Help me out a little here with an example.
In addition, I find that the projects I work on dont track on a day-by-day basis but, rather, on a week-by-week basis. That may have an impact on my viewpoint.
Finally, I work in the software industry. Even with substantial experience, development estimates -- particularly in projects integrating several pieces of software or where there is an extended development effort -- are often off (both ways) by significant amounts and that I am tracking (for lack of a better term) "re-estimation variances"!
Member for
19 years 11 months
Member for19 years11 months
Submitted by Trevor Rabey on Fri, 2008-04-25 00:13
Are you sure you dont want to re-think the first part?
Whether resources are assigned has nothing to do with it.
They might be assigned or might not be.
eg:
5 day task monday to friday.
today and the status date is end of thursday.
Actual duration is 3 days, monday, tuesday, wednesday.
remaining duration is 2 days.
suppose thursday is left as unused duration to the left of the status date.
the projected finish date of the task appears to be end of friday.
thursday is one of the days of the 2 days remaining duration.
but thursday is gone, never to return.
the only way to use the 2 days of remaining duration is for them to be on friday and monday.
if you re-schedule with the 3rd button on the tracking toolbar the correct picture is achieved and it shows the projected finish date as monday.
if you dont re-schedule you are having a delusion that the task will be done over 2 days, one in the past and the other tomorrow.
Getting the real planned finish date seems to me to be a good enough reason to be particular about this, and after all it only takes one click to change the picture from ridiculous to realistic. Why settle for "good enough" (it isnt) if it is wrong?
Member for
18 years 3 months
Member for18 years3 months
Submitted by L.E.N. Lewis on Thu, 2008-04-24 10:47
The idea of leaving uncompleted work in the past needs some clarification. As long as the task does extend into the future then there is no reason to force the entire remaining duration into the future. That is only valid when a resource is assigned 100% to the task. If a resource is assign at, for example, 10% to a task there is every reason to believe that there will be durations where no work is done and durations when some work is done. 10% does not mean 10% every day; it means no work on some days and lots of work on others.
There is also the issue about benefits gained by keeping the schedule scrupulously accurate. My experience is that when things are going wrong with a project (which is much of the time) greater benefits accrue to the project when the PM is focused on fixing the problems and keeping the schedule "good enough" than in having a schedule which is an absolutely perfect reflection of the past and a potentially good reflection of what will happen in the future.
Member for
22 years 9 months
Member for22 years9 months
Submitted by Alexandre Faul… on Mon, 2008-04-21 07:11
2 of the most common mistakes made by "planners" using MSP are:
1) recording Actual Duration, Cost and/or Work for Tasks in the future of the Status Date without apparently any regard for the necessity of recording the obvious fact that the Actual Start Date of the Task cannot be the same as the planned Start Date and must be in the past (and if the Task is finished, the Actual Finish Date too)
2) showing partial completion of a Task in the past but then leaving the unused planned Duration in the past, when it can only be done in the future.
These are mistakes caused by mis-understanding the entire process of planning and tracking as well as a lack of familiarity with MSP, ie its all on the user end of the process so how is it in any way the fault of MSP?
What you are trying to do, or have been asked to do, is not only silly, it is impossible due to the nature of time and the laws of physics in this universe, as you suspect.
If you plan to do a Task tomorrow but someone tells you it is already done, I am sure that you know it was not done tomorrow. Sure, you can record Actual Duration, Actual Cost and Actual Work against the Task even though it is in the future, and MSP will not prevent you from doing this or warn you about it. Why should it since it is so obvious that yesterday is the past, today is the present and tomorrow is the future.
What is missing from the information for the update is the two facts that you need, ie the Actual Start and Actual Finish Date for the Task, both of which must be in the past. Find out what these are and put them into the Actual Start and Actual Finish Date fields in the Tracking Table, then put in the Actual Work and Actual Cost.
Member for
22 years 9 months
Member for22 years9 months
Submitted by Alexandre Faul… on Sat, 2008-04-19 05:07
Member for
18 years 3 monthsRE: Reporting on Actual Work Performed
Hard to imagine a deliverable with no resources. Help me out a little here with an example.
In addition, I find that the projects I work on dont track on a day-by-day basis but, rather, on a week-by-week basis. That may have an impact on my viewpoint.
Finally, I work in the software industry. Even with substantial experience, development estimates -- particularly in projects integrating several pieces of software or where there is an extended development effort -- are often off (both ways) by significant amounts and that I am tracking (for lack of a better term) "re-estimation variances"!
Member for
19 years 11 monthsRE: Reporting on Actual Work Performed
Are you sure you dont want to re-think the first part?
Whether resources are assigned has nothing to do with it.
They might be assigned or might not be.
eg:
5 day task monday to friday.
today and the status date is end of thursday.
Actual duration is 3 days, monday, tuesday, wednesday.
remaining duration is 2 days.
suppose thursday is left as unused duration to the left of the status date.
the projected finish date of the task appears to be end of friday.
thursday is one of the days of the 2 days remaining duration.
but thursday is gone, never to return.
the only way to use the 2 days of remaining duration is for them to be on friday and monday.
if you re-schedule with the 3rd button on the tracking toolbar the correct picture is achieved and it shows the projected finish date as monday.
if you dont re-schedule you are having a delusion that the task will be done over 2 days, one in the past and the other tomorrow.
Getting the real planned finish date seems to me to be a good enough reason to be particular about this, and after all it only takes one click to change the picture from ridiculous to realistic. Why settle for "good enough" (it isnt) if it is wrong?
Member for
18 years 3 monthsRE: Reporting on Actual Work Performed
Trevor is mostly right.
The idea of leaving uncompleted work in the past needs some clarification. As long as the task does extend into the future then there is no reason to force the entire remaining duration into the future. That is only valid when a resource is assigned 100% to the task. If a resource is assign at, for example, 10% to a task there is every reason to believe that there will be durations where no work is done and durations when some work is done. 10% does not mean 10% every day; it means no work on some days and lots of work on others.
There is also the issue about benefits gained by keeping the schedule scrupulously accurate. My experience is that when things are going wrong with a project (which is much of the time) greater benefits accrue to the project when the PM is focused on fixing the problems and keeping the schedule "good enough" than in having a schedule which is an absolutely perfect reflection of the past and a potentially good reflection of what will happen in the future.
Member for
22 years 9 monthsRE: Reporting on Actual Work Performed
Trevor
I agree with you, these mistakes should be avoided at any time
On the other hand, why not to use MS Project tools to track such mistakes?
Alexandre
Member for
19 years 11 monthsRE: Reporting on Actual Work Performed
Alex,
2 of the most common mistakes made by "planners" using MSP are:
1) recording Actual Duration, Cost and/or Work for Tasks in the future of the Status Date without apparently any regard for the necessity of recording the obvious fact that the Actual Start Date of the Task cannot be the same as the planned Start Date and must be in the past (and if the Task is finished, the Actual Finish Date too)
2) showing partial completion of a Task in the past but then leaving the unused planned Duration in the past, when it can only be done in the future.
These are mistakes caused by mis-understanding the entire process of planning and tracking as well as a lack of familiarity with MSP, ie its all on the user end of the process so how is it in any way the fault of MSP?
Member for
17 years 6 monthsRE: Reporting on Actual Work Performed
Hello
Just to say many thanks for the responses so far. I will follow the instructions on the filter and see what response I get.
Kind regards
Tony
Member for
22 years 9 monthsRE: Reporting on Actual Work Performed
Trevor,
as far as logic is concerned, you are 1000% right
the problem is that, at the difference of P3or PM5/6, MS Project makes it possible to update and complete an activity ahead of the data date
therefore it is understandable that Tony be requested to show such tasks
sillyness is a part of MS Project
Alexandre
Member for
19 years 11 monthsRE: Reporting on Actual Work Performed
Tony,
What you are trying to do, or have been asked to do, is not only silly, it is impossible due to the nature of time and the laws of physics in this universe, as you suspect.
If you plan to do a Task tomorrow but someone tells you it is already done, I am sure that you know it was not done tomorrow. Sure, you can record Actual Duration, Actual Cost and Actual Work against the Task even though it is in the future, and MSP will not prevent you from doing this or warn you about it. Why should it since it is so obvious that yesterday is the past, today is the present and tomorrow is the future.
What is missing from the information for the update is the two facts that you need, ie the Actual Start and Actual Finish Date for the Task, both of which must be in the past. Find out what these are and put them into the Actual Start and Actual Finish Date fields in the Tracking Table, then put in the Actual Work and Actual Cost.
Member for
22 years 9 monthsRE: Reporting on Actual Work Performed
Tony,
do your mean "Actual Hours" for tasks in progress or completed ahaead of the data date or current date?
if so, I would create a filter where
1. actual work > 0
2. % complete between 1 and 99
3. schedule finish > data (or current) date
this filter will not display the offending tasks only, but your query should be much easier
Alexnadre