Actual Finish reporting in PWA doesn't update MSP 2003 Pro

[Daniel Zitter - Matan Consulting]

I'm working on MSP 2003 with SP2a installed. I set a reporting method in PWA
where the resource reports Actual Start and Actual Finish on his assignments.
For some reason, when a resource updates the Actual Finish, and the project
owner approves the update, the MSP pro opens and tells me that changes have
been made, but in fact the update to the finish date disappears. The systems
works well for Actual Start updates. Any ideas? Could SP2a BE the reason?
Should I have checked the Task option rather than the Assignment option when
choosing to update the "Actual" Dates?

Thanks,

Daniel

 

[Marc Soester]

Hi Daniel,

my understanding is that you shoutl either enter the actual start or the
actual finish, but not both at the same time.

Lets say you actually started on 1.1.06 and have entered 8 hours work on the
2nd and 8 hours work on the 3rd. Now your staff completed this task. All they
need to do is make sure that the remaining work is set to 0, Project Server
will automatically calculate the actual finish ( in our case the 3rd ).

If your staff - for whatever reason - changes the actual finish date now to
the 4th, Project Server says "hey this doesnt add up, I started on the 1st
have 16 hours of work and have no remaining work, that means I have finished
on the 3rd not the 4st" and therefore changes the actual finish back the the
3rd.

You can actually try this in Project Professional on a task. If you play
with the start finish and work / duration you will soon understand that there
is a dependency.

I would make sure that you staff sets the actual start date, entered the
actual work and updates the remaining work, the finish date will
automatically update based on this inforamtion.
I hope this helps

 

[Daniel Zitter - Matan Consulting]

Thanks for your response Marc.
The reporting method you suggested assumes that my resources either update
thier actual work hours per day ,or the percent of thier work completed. The
decision that was made in my organization, was to update only the actual
Start date and Actual Finish date (I know there are many issues regarding
this process, but this can't be changed at this point).
My question is more technical. Why don't the updates change the dates in MSP
Pro?
Even if I only update an actual finish date, the system still doesn't make
the updtae.

Thanks,
Daniel
--
=======================
Daniel Zitter
Enterprise Project Trainer/Consultant
http://www.matan.cc

 

[Marc Soester]

hmmm, that is an interesting one. I see what you are saying. I am not sure if
this works in Project Server. I can imagine that ones PP receives the actual
work and actual start date, that it ignores the actual finish.
Has this ever worked?
(I will need to set up a new environment, because our Timesheet doesnt show
actual finish. In order to use it I would need to republish all Projects)
Sorry mate, I am not sure if I can help, but I will test it and get back to
you

 

[Daniel Zitter - Matan Consulting]

Thanks Marc. It didn't work before SP1, and did after it was installed at one
site I worked at. The past week I tried to check this at three different
sites, and it only worked at one of them. The other sites have SP2a installed
(I don't know if there is a connection, but still it is odd).
I'll try to investigate next week at the site it does work at ,and see if
the setup there is different than the other sites.
Daniel
--
=======================
Daniel Zitter
Enterprise Project Trainer/Consultant
http://www.matan.cc

 

[bobwoo]

I had this similar issue, but I think I have narrowed it down to the resource
must enter 100% in the % work complete column along with entering the actual
finish. If just the actual finish is entered, the system will not "save" this
date. On the other hand, if I just entered 100% in the % work complete, the
system we set the actual finish date for me after the timesheet is approved.