Task Updates using Web Access

[Nehal]

Is there any easy way to have resources update tasks
using web access?
They have to use some strange combination of %complete
and remaining hours to accurately depict whats going on.

The % complete works great when things are on schedule.
If not it is complex to follow.

For Eg Task A given to Resource 1 for 4 days.
If this task takes 5 days to complete how does this
resource update web access. (it is easier to update this
in Project Pro 03 - thick client).

Thoughts?

Nehal

 

[Sean]

Nehal:

Try one of the other tracking settings. In '03 you have
three (i) % complete and remaining work, (ii) actual work
and remaining work, and (iii) actual hours worked.

It sounds like you want a timesheet style mechanism. Try
option iii.

Good luck!

 

[mark]

Don't want to sound ungrateful for an answer, but I don't
think the solution addresses the question - at least not
as I read it. So here's what I read into the
question: "What do I do when a resource completes a task
with more/fewer hours than scheduled? How do my end-users
communicate to Project that they are halfway done, but
have only used 25% of the time allotted?"

If that's NOT what the original poster meant, I need
answers to the questions I wrote above.
TIA
Mark

 

[Francisco Alcala]

You can use one of the other two tracking options, as Sean said in his reply. If you want to keep the % complete reporting, and want to know when the task really started and/or finished, then publish the "Actual start" and "Actual finish" fields and allow the resources to edit these fields. You do so by using the "Tools > Customize > Published fields" option in Project Pro, select the fields and mark them as editable. Save and publish.

Greetings.

 

[Francisco Alcala]

Yes! Sean's answer addresses the question!

Suppose you use method (ii) for reporting, and you have a task that was scheduled with 8 work hours. Using your example, the resource has worked for 2 hours (25% of the 8 scheduled hours), so, he registers 2 hours at Actual work. Project calculates 6 hours of remainig work, and a 25% complete.

Now, the resource updates the remaining work cell and writes 2 hours. Now, Project changes the task's work to 4 hours instead of 8, and calculates a 50% advance. If you saved a baseline, then baseline work for this task is still 8 hours.

Method (iii) gives you the same results, with the addition of being able to register how the working hours were distributed every day, allowing Project to know the actual start and finish dates. However, this method requires more discipline and tracking by the resource and the Project Manager.

Greetings.