Finding End Date

[RobK68]

I am using project for managing software delivery. I update my plan weekly, update the status date and then each tasks % complete. I have a baseline saved. Why does each task's endate not recalculate based on the new % complete?

What am I doing wrong? I would like for MS Project to tell me the projected end date based on the current % complete compared to the original baseline.

Thanks for your help.

Rob Kantor

 

[PDQBach]

Project cannot tell you what the end date will be for a task. That information comes from information provided by the resource.

Project cannot tell you because there are all sorts of things that Project doesn't know about such as your overtime policy (if the task is late is the resource expected to stay late to get the work done to meet the scheduled date), your resource pool (if you add resources and the task is effort driven then the duration will be changed -- but if that task is a "pregnant woman" type of task then you can put all the resources on it that you want but you won't get a baby for 9 months under normal circumstances).

Project can tell you, assuming you have linked tasks in a predecessor/successor relationship how a successor task will be affected if you make changes to the predecessor.

The status date is used to create the EV information.

 

[RobK68]

Ok, the resource provides me information. I update the %complete. I was expecting Project to extrapolate the new end date based on the % complete and the duration left. If % complete does not effect the end date, what can I update in Project to affect the end date of tasks and their successors?

Thanks,
Rob

 

[PDQBach]

Bottom line: the duration.

If the task is a Fixed Duration task then a decrease/increase in the Duration will cause Work to decrease/increase a proportional amount.

If the task is a Fixed Work task then a decrease/increase in the Duration will cause the resource Units to increase/decrease a proportional amount.

If the task is a Fixed Units task then a decrease/increase in the Duration will cause the Work to decrease/increase a proportional amount.