Chapter 6 Tracking Progress on Tasks

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Chapter 6Tracking Progress on Tasks

• What will we do in this chapter?
• Start Execution phase of project.
• Explore baselines, baseline a project.
• Track progress on tasks
• As Scheduled
• Percentage of Completion
• Actuals
• Explore Variance.

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Execution phase

• Consists of 4 major activities
• Tracking
• Analyzing
• Controlling
• Reporting

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Execution Phase Tracking

• Track progress on tasks so you know when tasks
  are actually completed by their assigned
  resources.

4
Execution Phase Analyzing

• Examine any differences between your original
  plan and how its actually progressing. Monitor
  the differences in schedule or cost to anticipate
  any potential problems.

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Execution Phase Controlling

• Take any necessary corrective actions to keep the
  project on track toward completion on time and
  within budget.

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Execution Phase Reporting

• Keep stakeholders informed. Whether youre
  providing the big picture to your project team or
  high-level progress information to executives,
  you should regularly report various aspects of
  project information.

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Baselines general

• A baseline is a snapshot of key scheduling and
  cost information in your project plan at a
  specific point in time, fields saved are
• Start
• Finish
• Duration
• Work
• Cost

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Baselines - general

• The original project plan, adjusted to
  perfection, is the ideal balance between scope,
  schedule and cost. This plan is usually agreed
  on by stakeholders before project begins
  execution.
• The best time to save your original baseline is
  when the plan has been developed as fully as
  possible, but before you have started tracking.

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Baselines How to

• To save a baseline
• Tools -gt Tracking -gt Set Baseline
• To delete a baseline
• Tools -gt Tracking -gt Clear Baseline

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Baselines - Multiple

• It is possible to save multiple baselines. You
  may want to do this if
• Your project is exceptionally long.
• The execution of your project has started and a
  major change occurs, ie. Funding changes,
  corporate shift in priorities etc.

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Baselines - Viewing

• To view your baselines with views
• Tracking Gantt
• Multiple Baselines Gantt
• Or
• You can insert baseline values into charts using
  Insert -gt Column

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TrackingTracking Tool Bar
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Tracking Track Project as Scheduled

• Use this if actual work is proceeding exactly as
  planned.
• Tools -gt Tracking -gt Update Project
• Select Update Work as Complete Through option
• Enter Complete Through Date

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Tracking Completion Percentage, Actual
Start/Finish, Actual Duration

• Enter percent complete or actuals, MS Project
  calculates remaining values and updates schedule
  if required.
• Select the task to be updated in any task sheet
  view (Gantt chart etc.)
• Tools -gt Tracking -gt Update Tasks
• Enter the percentage complete or actuals for
  the task.

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Tracking Actual Values - Work

• Remember resources must be assigned to tasks to
  have work values.
• Display a task sheet view such as the Gantt
  Chart.
• Click View -gt Table -gt Work
• In the Actual (Work) field of task that you
  want to update, enter actual work value.

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Variance

• The difference between baseline and current
  scheduled information is called a variance.
• Variance can bee seen in various charts (View -gt
  Table -gt Variance), in the project statistics, or
  it can be inserted as a column in charts.