Track progress: Detailed techniques
In this chapter from Microsoft Project 2016 Step by Step, learn how to properly track actual work against the original plan to identify variance—and adjust plan when necessary.
In this chapter
Update a baseline
Track actual and remaining work for tasks and assignments
Track timephased actual work for tasks and assignments
Reschedule incomplete work
Building, verifying, and communicating a sound plan might take much or even most of your time as a project manager. However, planning is only the first phase of managing your projects. After the planning is completed, the implementation of the project starts—-carrying out the plan that was previously developed. Ideally, projects are implemented exactly as planned, but this is seldom the case. In general, the more complex the plan and the longer its duration, the more opportunity there is for variance to appear. Variance is the difference between what you intended to happen (as recorded in the plan’s baseline) and what actually happened (as recorded by your tracking efforts).
Properly tracking actual work and comparing it against the original plan enables you to identify variance early and adjust the remaining portion of the plan when necessary.
This chapter guides you through procedures related to updating a baseline, tracking actual and remaining work for tasks and assignments, tracking timephased actual work for tasks and assignments, and rescheduling incomplete work.