Remaining Duration and % Complete

[JJ]

I want to include % Complete and Remaining Duration when request a
status update from people responsible for tasks on a schedule. Since
each one affects the other, how do I implement the status I receive
such that I fulfill both requirements.

For example:
Task A Duration: 20-day task
Task Status after Week 1:
Task A % Complete = 25%
Task A Remaining Duration = 25 days

How should this be implemented in Project?

 

[davegb]

I want to include % Complete and Remaining Duration when request a
status update from people responsible for tasks on a schedule. Since
each one affects the other, how do I implement the status I receive
such that I fulfill both requirements.

For example:
Task A Duration: 20-day task
Task Status after Week 1:
Task A % Complete = 25%
Task A Remaining Duration = 25 days

How should this be implemented in Project?

I think that's a bad combination to ask for since they'll probably
conflict. Besides, %Complete is very subjective. I prefer to ask for
actual hours and remaining hours. Then just add the new actual hours
to the previous ones, enter the remaining hours, and you have a more
realisitic picture of the task.

Hope this helps in your world.

 

[Jim Aksel]

I agree with Dave, we ask for Remaining Work (hours) and then confirm a
completion date. We usually do not ask for remaining duration since it is
sometime difficult to calculate. So, remaining hours and finish dates. We
translate that to durations among the schedulers.

To answer your specific question, enter remaining duration first, then
%Complete.

 

[Trevor Rabey]

actual duration
% Complete is always = -------------------
total duration

if you change % Complete that will change actual duration correspondingly,
but then if you change remaining duration that must be a change to total
duration so the % Complete must change.

Perhaps you mistake % complete for how much of the task is done rather than
% of duration.

We never use % Complete since it will always be calculated for us by MSP

 

[Steve House]

Trevor said it but to phrase it another way, "% Complete" is by definition
the Actual Duration / Total Duration. If your task is 25% Complete AND the
remaining duration is 25 days, 25 days represents 75% of the new total
duration of 25/.75 or 33.33 days. Your baseline may be 20 days but you've
discovered either more work is required than originally estimated or work
isn't able to proceed as fast as previously thought for some reason.