Re: Work vs Actual Work

Copy/Paste Tasks to Summary File - this was very helpful. We were
experiencing the same problem. In order to eliminate the issue, we created a
COMPLETION FORM that included the Remaining Work, %Complete and Finish Date.
We trained everyone to complete their projects using the form (added button
to toolbar) so that they always set the remaining work to 0.

"Steve House" wrote:

Jano, there's a setting on the Calculation page of the Tools, Options menu
that says "Updating task status updates resource status" With that checkbox
turned on entering an Actual Work value will enter an Actual Duration value
and vice versa. Turning that off allows you to enter both independently.
It sounds like that's what you're trying to do so that when you enter a work
that is different from planned it does not revise the duration. Clearing
that box would allow you to enter Actual Work = 3 hours, Remaining Work = 0,
Actual Duration = 4 days, Remaining Duration = 0 thus making the task both
100% and 100% Work Complete.

--
Steve House [Project MVP]
MS Project Trainer & Consultant
Visit http://project.mvps.org/faqs.htm for the FAQs

"JanoV" <JanoV@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:49FD653C-AC40-45C5-9594-F998536CE72A@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi Mike,

thanks a lot for your interest.
Setting Remaining work to zero was very first idea I tried.
But - setting Remaing work to zero recalculate Duration (and Actual
Duration) - in my example from 4 days to 2,5 days - and this not true -
resource worked on this task during 4 days (planned and actual duration)
with
Actual Work 3 hours. Sorry ...

JanoV


â?zMike Glen" napísal (napísala):

Hi Jano,

Can't you just set remaining Work to zero?

Mike Glen
Project MVP



JanoV wrote:
Hi John,

thanks for your support, answer and time.
I'm project manager for 15 years, certified 10 years ago. I made a
lot of project (mostly for banks) and I implemented project
methodology in several companies. So - I'm sure, I understand project
methodology like dynamic calculations ...

My question again (if you can answer) is - how correctly mark task
finished in MSP?
I found only one way - 100% in field %Completed (such a task is
reported in MSP reports like Completed). But value 100% in field
%Completed recalculate actual work (it's non-acceptable). Change work
to actual work recalculate Duration (it's non-acceptable).
Example task:
- Duration 4 days
- Actual duration 4 days
- Work (planned, baselined) 8 hours
- Actual work 5 hours.
How to finish this task without losing information about Actual work?

That's all ...

Regarding support from Microsoft - I asked local Microsoft support -
no satisfied answer. That's why I'm trying discussion.

Thank you very much.

JanoV


â?zJohn" napÃf­sal (napÃf­sala):

In article <0A7CBC0B-CC11-4430-BB55-B756EF55729E@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
JanoV <JanoV@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi John,

thanks for your answer.
My question is stupid simple - how to correctly complete task
(%Completed=100%) without losing information about entered actual
work, that should be different from Work. I didn't find any usefull
information in help, nor in discussion.
But I agree with you - using MSP is big mistake ... Implemented
logic of calculation is incomprehensible for most of users. And
real support doesn't exist.

Thanks for your time.

JanoV

JanoV,
You have to realize that the value you input to the Work field is
only an estimate. You won't know what the actual work value is until
the task is finished. The same is true of start and finish dates.
That's why Project resets the estimated values to equal the actual
values when a task is complete. It takes your current plan and
aligns it with reality. That results in more a more realistic plan
for the tasks yet to be complete. If you want to preserve the
original estimates for comparison or earned value, you set a
baseline. That's basic project management.

Project is not a quick study type application. To use it effectively,
the user first needs to understand project management principals.
Then the user needs to learn how Project implements and work within
those principals. Unfortunately a fair number of new users start
using Project based on preconceived but incorrect ideas of how it
should work. Then they become very frustrated because the
application doesn't work the way they think it should.

As far as support, if you are looking for support of your ideas on
how the application should work, then no, it doesn't exist. This
forum exists to help users learn how to use Project correctly and
effectively.

John
Project MVP



â?oJohn" napÃf­sal (napÃf­sala):

In article <F3C24950-AFCB-4961-82FF-6FC888FED7BD@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
JanoV <JanoV@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi Joe,

you're right. Update the "Remaining Work" field to zero after
updating "Actual Work" field to .25 hrs will mark task 100%
(%Completed).
But the problem is this:
- field "Work" is also updated to .25 (Work=Actual Work) - not so
big problem, original planned Work should be stored in baseline
- field "Duration" (and Finish Date) is recalculated - and this
is big problem - all successors can be automatically recalculated
and this totally
change project plan.

Is there any way how to complete task without recalculation of
many fields?

Thanks

Jan

Jan,
I think you're missing the point of having a dynamic schedule.
Tasks rarely start or finish on the original planned dates. That's
life. As tasks are completed early or late, the dependent tasks
should shift in time accordingly.

There may be some cases where dependent tasks need a conditional
link. For example, a particular process can't start in the middle
of the day but it also cannot start until a previous task is
completed. In that case an appropriate schedule structure must be
set up to support both requirements. Or in another case, a fixed
amount of time is available during which a task can be completed
but the task work effort is not full time. In that case a fixed
duration type task might be appropriate.

If for some reason you do not want your schedule to be recalculated
based on progress, then you should examine your schedule logic
and/or not use Project at all.

John
Project MVP


Ãf¢Ã,¤ÃfJoe" napÃffÃ,°Ã,©sal (napÃffÃ,°Ã,©sala):

What Julie is trying to say is to update the "Remaining Work"
field to zero
after you put the .25 hrs. in the Actual Work field. This will
mark the
task
100%.

"GreenMonster" wrote:

no matter what I do the "Actual Work" field always populates
with the same
value that it's the "Work" field when I change the %Complete to
100.

If I put .25h in "Actual Work" and chage "Work" to 0 hrs, then
put the
task
at 100% complete, the Actual Work value changes to 0. What am I
missing?

"JulieS" wrote:

Hi GreenMonster,

Try setting the Actual Work to .25h and then enter zero for the
remaining work. When you said the task was 100% complete,
Project assumed it took all 4 hours.

I hope this helps. Let us know how you get along.

Julie
Project MVP

Visit http://project.mvps.org/ for the FAQs and additional
information
about Microsoft Project


"GreenMonster" <GreenMonster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote
in message
news:1AB6759C-B153-42E2-8E50-F735E7245559@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have a task with the following info:

Duration = 1day?
Work = 4hrs
Start = 10/16/06
Finish = 10/16/06

I completed the work today (10/11/06) and it took only 15
mins. I
put
.25
hrs in the "Actual Work" column and then change the "%
Complete" in
the task
info to 100%, the "Actual Work" then changes back to 4hrs
instead of
.25hrs.

Why doesn't "Actual Work" retain the .25hrs that it took to
complete
the task?





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