Percentage Required and summary tasks

[dushu]

I have set-up a schedule with many tasks and summary tasks with
resources and everything. While tracking the project I set the
percentages for the individual tasks - and microsoft project
automatically assigns the percentage complete to the summary tasks. My
question is:

1) How does MSP calculate the percentage for the summary task -
Summary Tasks do not seem to show the percentage complete accurately.
The individual tasks all have the required percentage complete - but
the summary taks either shows delay (and in some cases ahead of
shedule) Please see screenshot at

http://www.ccaalumni.org/Summary.jpg

2) Where can I get a percentage required as per the baseline for each
task ?

Regards,
Dushyant Ahuja

 

[John]

I have set-up a schedule with many tasks and summary tasks with
resources and everything. While tracking the project I set the
percentages for the individual tasks - and microsoft project
automatically assigns the percentage complete to the summary tasks. My
question is:

1) How does MSP calculate the percentage for the summary task -
Summary Tasks do not seem to show the percentage complete accurately.
The individual tasks all have the required percentage complete - but
the summary taks either shows delay (and in some cases ahead of
shedule) Please see screenshot at

http://www.ccaalumni.org/Summary.jpg

2) Where can I get a percentage required as per the baseline for each
task ?

Regards,
Dushyant Ahuja

Dushyant,
Over the years many users have questioned the "accuracy" of the percent
complete value shown for summary lines. First of all, remember that
summary lines are not tasks. They should not have resources assigned and
normally they should not be linked. They are simply a summary of the
performance tasks under them. The formula used by Project to calculate
summary line percent complete is as follows:
summary % Cmpl = (sum of subtask actual durations)/(sum of subtask
durations) x 100%

With regard to your second question, I don't quite understand what you
mean? Are you thinking of something similar to BCWS (budgeted cost of
the work scheduled), or what?

John
Project MVP

 

[dushu]

Thanks John,

I'll remove the resources from tasks and see if that makes a
difference.

The second question basically relates to a simple query by my project
manager: As per the baseline schedule what should be the percent
complete for any specific task today?

Regards,
Dushyant Ahuja