Activty % complete moves after status date

[Terri]

Can anyone explain WHY Project moves the activity percent complete past the
status date?? My staus is Complete Through Friday 5:00PM, when I set the
status on an activity to Friday at 5:00PM, Project automatically moves the
percent complete through SUNDAY 5:00PM, or if Monday is a holiday, progress
move to Monday 5:00PM

Please don't tell me it is because Sat. & Sun. are not working days. Status
date is Friday, progress SHOULD NOT move past that set date.

The only time this works correctly in Project is on an activity with a 7 day
calendar.

I need a decent explanation for my PM (other than that's just what Project
does) why progress is showing through Sunday when the status date is Friday.

 

[JulieS]

Hello Terri,

Are you referring to the Progress Bar showing in the Gantt chart
which by default draws from the Actual Start to CompleteThrough? I
usually prefer drawing the progress bar from Actual Start through
Stop, which is the end of recorded progress.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project

 

[Terri]

Thank you very much

Hello Terri,

Are you referring to the Progress Bar showing in the Gantt chart
which by default draws from the Actual Start to CompleteThrough? I
usually prefer drawing the progress bar from Actual Start through
Stop, which is the end of recorded progress.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information about Microsoft Project

 

[Terri]

Ok, I changed the progress bar to actual start through stop, now it won't let
me adjust the percent complete. The activity is showing progress to Friday
10:47am not 5:00 pm and I can not change it. Any suggestions?

 

[JulieS]

Changing the format of the bar style should not be changing the
ability to update status. How are you updating the status --
manually changing % complete?

 

[Terri]

I was dragging the progress bar up to the status date, but when I changed the
bar style to Stop, it now won't let me drag the progress bar, if I change
percent complete, it will only take whole numbers so will either pass status
or fall short

 

[JulieS]

Instead of dragging the bar, insert the Stop field into a table and
type data.

The other choice is to select the task or tasks and use Tools >
Tracking > Update Project, and update work as complete through the
status date. Likely this is a better choice as you can update
several tasks with one selection.

I'll add that many of the folks on this newsgroup will encourage you
to use a tracking method which is much more accurate than simple %
Complete -- such as actual and remaining duration or actual and
remaining work.

Julie

 

[Terri]

I can not status entire project as there are sites scheduled in the past that
have not started and the Government does not want them to move from
originally scheduled time frame until they are rescheduled. I depend on the
various military sites to tell me when they can start training or when
training has to be postponed. They do not want the postponed sites to move
forward because then it would reschedule the resources incorrectly.

Thanks for your help.

 

[JulieS]

Terri,

The Tools > Tracking > Update Project command allows you to update
selected tasks only. Select the tasks **before** executing the
command and ensure you select "Selected tasks" from the lower
portion of the dialog.

Julie

 

[Steve House]

There are a couple of options in the Tools / Options menu, Schedule tab that
might help with your issues statusing past-due tasks. There are a pair of
check boxes "Move start of remaining parts before status date forward to
status date" and "Amd move end of completed parts forward to status date"
that if cleared will turn off the automatic rescheduling of those tasks.
Perhaps that will help your issue.

 

[Terri]

Did that a month ago, thanks

There are a couple of options in the Tools / Options menu, Schedule tab that
might help with your issues statusing past-due tasks. There are a pair of
check boxes "Move start of remaining parts before status date forward to
status date" and "Amd move end of completed parts forward to status date"
that if cleared will turn off the automatic rescheduling of those tasks.
Perhaps that will help your issue.

 

[Steve House]

When a site is postponed can you not ask them when they think they'll be
able to start training and tentatively reschedule the tasks according to the
estimate they give you? While you unfortunately may not be in the chain of
command and able to direct them in what they do, when they delay the
training I would expect that it would have a ripple-down effect on many of
the other tasks that are in the schedule, causing many of them in turn not
to be able to start as originally scheduled. Rather than just leaving them
in limbo, shouldn't you be able to negotiate a revised estimate of the
training tasks from the sites responsible so that you can give a heads up to
the downline managers that a) the deliverables they need in order to do
their tasks won't be there when they were originally expected, and b) when
they WILL be available? Otherwise the project schedule is going to spiral
out of control and it becomes mere chance if it will finish on time or
within budget.