Automatic completion of the Actual work field

[ciara]

I currently use microsoft project 2003 and have an issue
around the actual work field.
I seem to turn off the automatic filling of this field.
I do not want project to ever fill this field as I fill it
in from team timesheets - does anybody know how to switch
this facility off.

Thanks

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

If you do not use %complete nor %work complete (which cause recalculation of
Actual Work), nor change calendars for past days, Actuals do remain as
entered, don't they?

 

[Guest]

Thanks for help on this - not sure it is the solution
though as I have never filled in the % complete or % work
complete - not sure what you mean by change calendars for
past days ? Would you mind explaining this a bit more so
I can assess if this is my issue.
Thanks a mil.

 

[JulieS]

Hello Ciara,

In Tools --> Options Calculation tab uncheck "Updating
task status upates resource status."
From help:
"Updating task status updates resource status

Automatically updates resource status, such as actual and
remaining work and cost, whenever you update task status,
such as percent complete, actual duration, or remaining
duration.

For example, if you update a task's percent complete, the
% Complete field for the resource and assignment are
automatically calculated to reflect that task's percent
complete.

Selecting this check box also causes the reverse to be
true: if you update resource status, then task status is
automatically updated.

If this check box is cleared, you must enter values in
the Actual Work field for resources in order to have an
accurate picture of the actual work and actual cost. By
default, this check box is selected.

Whether this check box is selected or cleared, once a
task is 100 percent complete, work on assignments is also
marked complete."

Is this what you were looking for?

Hope this helps.
Julie

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

When you change a day for which actual work has been recorded, into a
non-working day, actual work is shifted and may change on certain other days
depending on the task type.
I'd really like to know which other actions could change actual work!

HTH

 

[Guest]

Thanks for this but unfortunatley that box is already
unchecked and I still seem to have the issue.

I may be wrong but the common scenarion seems to be that
the planned end date has passed and project automatically
assumes all planned time was completed on the project and
updates the actual work field. Not sure if that is the
scenario but it does seem more and more likely that this
is what is happening - I'm sure it is one of the check
boxes that controls this but I cant seem to locate which
one.

Thanks for your help on this

Ciara

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

That is a function, but it is not automatic.
You have to go to Tools, Tracking, Update Project, to find it.
To do it you can also use a button on the tracking toolbar.
But again, that is not automatic, at least not in Project Standard or
Professional
Are you using Project Server?
Do you fill it in manually from sheets or is there a program doing that? I
once wrote such a program for a customer and it indeed put all past work
into Actual Work (but that was progrmamed by me in VBA, it is not an MSP
function).

HTH