MS Project Made Easy Tutorial 6, How To Update A Schedule

Microsoft Project is a tool that allows us to effectively run our projects. In this video Tom Stephenson explains the fundamentally important process of how to Update A Project Schedule. The only reason to develop schedules is so that we can update and recover them. As Eisenhower said plans are nothing but planning is everything. Included in this discussion is setting a baseline, setting a status date, using the tracking screen, mark on track, variance screen, and customizing the tables for ease of use during the updating process. Using a simple bathroom renovation we update the project. Other important icons and methods discussed include splitting the task, and application of the tracking Gantt chart when reviewing the variance table, placement of notes to record why activities were delayed.
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Other Videos in this series include:
MS Project Made Easy

Great explanation! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.

[Wisdom_heritage]

you tutorials are so helpful that i cant express in words sir.

[ammadkhan]

Great explanation sir, really helpful. Thank you. Also wanted to ask that, mark on track only works for status date?

[CalvinMasaseplus]

Hi Tom, thanks a lot for the great tutorials I find them very rich and very helpful. I have a question, I see on your Resource Cost Sheet, ABC Plumbing is showing $0 actual cost but it has been assigned to Rough in Plumbing on item 10, does the actual cost for a cost resource update automatically or you do it differently? Many thanks.

[markpalm]

Great Tom. Could you pls clarify the meaning of %complete? It has to do purely with time (e.g. days compared to baselined duration of activity) or means the accomplished earned value of works (money)until the status date? And what is the meaning of %physical completion column?(shown empty in 13:00 next to % compl.)Thanks for your patience!

[darrengodden]

Hi Tom, at 12.00 minute mark approx. you talk to manually updating the Duration field in the Tracking Gantt view. Is updating the Duration field, the same as updating the Actual duration field, or should I only use duration field? In my testing if I update Actual Duration field it also updates Duration field, but when I update Duration field it did not update Actual Duration field. Thank you.

[milner]

Thanks, Tom. A question, though... when selecting the earned Value view... I see columns such as Earned Value and Actual Cost generated, but yet, Planned value/BCWS still appears zeros. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again

[paulfallon]

Hi Tom
Can you help, I have been working on my schedule for quite a while now prior to the commencement of the Job it is a full house renovation
I had only managed to assign 2/3rds of the resources prior to setting the base line last week, the schedule hasn’t been updated yet after over a week of progress on site, I had continued to assign more resources to the schedule over the weekend, but have noticed that there is considerable sum
of money showing in the variance column ‘ I am assuming that this is a consequence of me adding more resources after setting of the base line ‘
My question is should I set a new base line after I have finished the the full assignment of all the recourses

[ig]

Hello Dear Tom. recourse on a summary task (PM) is not worked when you tracking the project. I assigned PM on a Summary Task but it is not calculated and still shows in variance column

[douglasdanje]

What about updating a plan with LOE activities please