Progress Lines - any use? don't work as advertised?

[Trevor Rabey]

I never use the Progress Lines because they never make any sense or really
means anything, and make a mess of the Gantt Chart.
Also, they don't seem to work as advertised.
I have a problem explaining this to people who want to see it.

eg:
Task 0 Bricklaying, Start 10/01/2006

Task 1 lay 10000 bricks, 10 days, bob the bricklayer (std rate = $50/hr) +
10000 bricks (cost per use = $10000)
Task 2 lay another 10000 bricks, same (but could have different Resources),
Task 1 is the FS predecessor to Task 2.

Total Duration is 20 Days
Status Date = End of Day 6
Task 1 should be 60% Complete, ie 60% of Task Duration should have elapsed
and 6000 bricks should be laid.
Show Progress Line on Status Date.
Mark both Tasks 50% Complete in the % Complete (Duration) Column (AD = 5
days, RD = 5 days).
MSP sets Actual Start to Planned Start, then Start = Actual Start.
MSP allows/sets an Actual Start Date in the future of the Status Date for
Task 2.

Normally, I would not track like this.
Normally, I would work through Task by Task and set the Actual Start date
(must be in the past), The update as scheduled (with the Tracking Toolbar)
or input Actual Duration, then Re-schedule Remaining work (with the Tracking
Toolbar) and re-estimate the Remaining Duration, if necessary, whatever etc
to tell a sensible, accurate story for each bar.

Ignoring for a moment that % Complete is not a good way to measure progress
anyway, and ignoring or allowing that Task 2 has out-of sequence progress
which is apparently in the future and therefore impossible...

At this point, before re-scheduling the unused 1 day of Task 1 to forward of
the Status Date, and before correcting the Actual Start of Task 2 to some
appropriate date in the past of the Status Date (ie back to Day 1 in this
example) and allowing Task 2 to split so that the remaining part still
honours the Predecessor relationship, the Progress Line points to the left
of the Status Date by 1 day in Task 1, but does not point to the right by 5
working days in Task 2.

The MSP HELP on this subject states/implies that the Progress Line should
point to the right of the Status Date to show Task 2 "ahead of schedule". It
doesn't.

Are Progress Lines meaningless and useless and buggy and best just left out?
Any suggestions?


Trevor

 

[Rod Gill]

Your gut feelings are right! I believe progress lines to be a waste of space
and programmer effort! The story I heard was that the met the needs of
Japanese project management needs hence their inclusion. No idea if this
story is correct.

As you do, I always believe actual progress should be accurate, so enter an
actual start date etc.

 

[Trevor Rabey]

To get Task 2 "in progress" at the Status Date, I tried overlapping the
Tasks with, say, -7 Days of lag (yuk, but it doesn't
matter how they get simultaneous in this example).
The progress line points left for % Complete up to the SD on both bars.
The progress line refuses to point to the right of the SD for % Complete
past the SD, eg even if I mark both Tasks 80%.
The progress bar will go there, into the future of the SD (separate
problem), but Progress Line only stays at the SD.
I checked my copy of step by step - progress lines not mentioned.

Trevor

 

[Gérard Ducouret]

Hello Trevor,

If you want the Progress Line points to the right of Status Date when the
task is ahead of schedule, you have to go to
Tools / Options / Calculation, and check the box : "Edits to total task %
complete will be spread to the status date"
In fact, I never use the Progress Line which reproduce the old tracking
process which used an elastic on a mural plan.

Gérard Ducouret

 

[Trevor Rabey]

That works!
Actually, I have never really understood that option and reading the ? help
doesn't help.