% complete Vs Actual hours

[madeleine]

Hi

I'm hoping that someone can help me. I've recently started using
project for more than just tracking the progress of projects e.g.
actually planning resources and putting earned value information in
there.

I can't seem to obviously work out how to break the link between hours
and percentage complete. By this I mean there are a planned number of
hours and a planned duration, I would like to be able to enter and see
the fact that a planned number of hours has been spent but the %
complete is not where it was planned to be.

If I enter actual hours then the % complete is automatically entered,
if I try to lower the % complete then the actual hours are brought
down. Is there anyway to stop this and to highlight the fact that the
project is not where it should be without project trying to fix it
automatically?

Thanks

Madeleine

 

[Gérard Ducouret]

Madeleine,

Don't enter any % to track progress. Instead enter Actual Work (as you do)
and, if necessary, reevaluate the Remaining Work.
You could *display* the "% Work Complete" instead of the "% Complete" which
is a % of duration, not work.
Hope this helps,

Gérard Ducouret

 

[madeleine]

Thanks Gerard, and maybe I'm being dense but I think my problem then
would be;

I know what % complete the task is, I also know that the actual hours
don't appear to relate to the % complete based on the original planned
duration, however before I run off to get extra budget and extra hours
I just want to look at the information that I have i.e.

I know my % complete
I know my actual hours
I know my planned hours
I know my planned dates

I would like to be able to look at those 4 facts to determine what to
do.

I would like to be able to show that given the current % complete and
the actual hours spent, the task dates will need to change, or the
resourcing will, but I can't change it without agreement.

I used to do it in Excel using macros I was hoping that I would be able
to do it in project and save myself some time and pain.

Thanks for your time and input it is much appreciated.

Madeleine

 

[James G]

Madeleine,
I don't know if you're using MSP 2000 or 2002 onwards. If 2002 onwards,
then you have the option of using "Physical % Complete" against each task
(via the Task Information window) to compute the Earned Value. This
completely segregates the % Complete and % Work Complete from the EV
calculations. However, if you are using MSP 2000, you don't get the option of
Physical % Complete and it reverts to the conventional method.

Personally, I've always preferred to use the man-hours (Work) to compute the
completion value - but that depends upon the type of project.

 

[madeleine]

Aha

That would explain it, I've got MSP 2000.

Thanks for your help.

Regards

Madeleine