% complete--inconsistent in views

[TraceyH]

I updated the % complete for Task A in the 'resource usage' view; it now
shows 90%. When I switch back to the Gantt view,the % complete shows 63%.
Why? How can I make them consistent?

 

[JackD]

Assign only one resource per task.

 

[TraceyH]

There is only one resource assigned to the task

Assign only one resource per task.

--
-Jack ... For project information and macro examples visit
http://masamiki.com/project

..

 

[JulieS]

Hi TraceyH,

Here's a possible reason why you are seeing the difference:

When you say you updated the % complete in the Resource Usage view, you may
be updating the % Work Complete and not the % Complete. (I don't know how
you updated the % complete from the Resource Usage view - the % Complete
field is not available as far as I can tell.)

There may be a difference between the % Work Complete (a measure of how much
work on the task is complete) versus the % Complete (a measure of how much of
the task's duration is complete) if you have edited the work on the task.
For example, if I edit the work on a task to put more work per day on the
beginning of a task and say I am 50% Work complete, I would expect that when
I return to the Gantt chart that the % Complete for the task would be
different than the % Work Complete. (I may have done 50% of the work in 40%
of the task duration.)

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie

 

[TraceyH]

Oh...now I see. Shame on MS Project for labeling both columns the same in the
two different views

I did a test. When I entered the '% work complete' on a 10hr task to 90%,
the acutal work changed to 9hrs. On the '% complete', I think although 90% of
the work hrs were used, the task is not necessarily 90% complete. It may be
only 80% complete (earned value) I think since I thought the two columns were
the same, I was updating values in two different places. I will check. I
would like to hear from another perseon if your duration % theory is true

 

[JulieS]

Hi TracyH,
To see what the "true" field is in a view (not just the column title) place
your mouse over the column title and see what the screen tip shows. The real
field name is shown in the screen tip and if you click on the hyperlink in
the screen tip, it will take you to help on that field. You may change the
column title for any field to read whatever you like.
Earned Value fields are different from % Complete fields although the %
Complete field is used in calculations for Earned value fields.

Hope this helps.
Julie

 

[JulieS]

Hi TracyH,
You may also check easily the possible difference between % Complete and %
Work Complete by adding both fields to a task view (such as the Gantt chart
with the tracking table applied.)
Julie

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

Project actually has 3 completion percentage fields - % Complete, % Work
Complete, and % Physical Complete. % Complete refers to duration, % Work
Complete refers to work hours, and % Physical Complete refers to estimated
progress on the deliverable itself. When you were updating using the usage
view, was it the Task Usage or Resource Usage view? What table was
displayed on the left side and where exactly did you enter the progress
information? Was the left side of the screen one of the standard tables or
have you customized it by adding columns? If so, which columns? In the
timephased data on the right side of the screen, there is no field that one
can add to the view that ddresses % progress so where and how was it posted?
And finally, in the Tools, Options menu, Calculation tab, is the checkbox
"Updating task status updates resource status" turned on or off?

 

[Mike Glen]

Incidentally, % Physical Complete was introduecd in Project 2002.


Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[TraceyH]

Hi Steve,

I was updating in the resource usage view. I can't find anything on the
'left' part of my screen but I have the box checked for the 'work' table.
Then from the toolbar I selected format/details/actual work. I also added the
column called 'actual work' into the resource usage view. I enter hours
worked in the column or sometimes in the individual day the work was done in
the timephased data (right) portion of the view.

Lastly, the Updating task status updates resource status box is
checked/enabled.

Thanks to everyone for their support