MS Project: Tracking Project Progress

Name: MS Project: Tracking Project Progress
Author: Elissa Smith

How to use the Gantt chart to track your progress.

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Course: On-Demand

Hi. In this lesson, we want to look at the tracking Gantt chart and how you can use it to again compare tasks that are ongoing with your baseline plan. Now, in our current project, you'll see that there are a few tasks that are getting marked as complete. I can see that over here in the task indicator column. The blue check mark means that the tasks have been done. How do I mark a task as complete? We just click on the task or select the row number to the side, go up to the task ribbon, come to the schedule group, and then you'll see that there is a set of different task completion percentages at the top. The 100% complete will mark the entire task as being done. Now, what do Gantt bars look like on a task that's been completed? Remember, in the tracking gantt, we're seeing both our baseline and our actual project for each task. So if I come, for example, to a task that's been marked as complete and we zoom in on it a little bit, we'll see here that when we zoom in on this task, that what I'm seeing here is that for the top row, I am again seeing that it's telling me how far complete the task might be. And again, the Gantt bar representing the baseline does not change. And when I hover over either one, it'll help give me information about that. But what about on task, for example, where they have deviated from the baseline for this, I'm actually going to come down to another task and notice on this task that it is deviated from its baseline. So the second row, Gantt bar is the baseline and it will never change. But the top row Gantt bar in this case has adjusted and we can see that this task has gone way beyond its original schedule date. And again, we're seeing that be represented between the baseline Gantt bar and again that top row actual task, Gantt Baronghorne. We can see how this is going to impact tasks further down inside of our project. Thanks so much for watching. Stay tuned for the next lesson when we're going to look at how to view the critical path in an ongoing project.

Intermediate Provider : Elissa Smith 6 Lessons · 16m in Arabic, English

Course Description

Using the intermediate features of the Gantt chart is a good way to track progress and manage ongoing tasks. In this course, you’ll learn to use the resource usage and split-screen views. You’ll also learn what critical path means and how to use it to finish on time and format the critical path bars in your Gantt chart. Finally, you’ll explore how tasks link to other tasks and how to identify any task slippage in your project management process.

What You'll Learn

Use the Tracking Gantt chart to monitor progress and manage ongoing project tasks
Apply the split-screen view to see resource usage alongside tasks
Define what critical path means and turn it on and filter it in your project
Format the critical path bars in your Gantt chart
Trace task paths to see how tasks link to other tasks
View and identify task slippage in your project management process

Key Takeaways

The intermediate features of the Gantt chart help track progress and manage ongoing tasks.
The resource usage and split-screen views let you view resource usage while working with tasks.
Understanding and formatting the critical path supports finishing a project on time.
Tasks link to other tasks, and identifying task slippage is part of the project management process.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this MS Project course cover?

It covers the intermediate features of the Gantt chart for tracking progress, including the resource usage and split-screen views, the critical path and how to format it in the Gantt chart, task paths, and identifying task slippage.

What is the critical path in this course?

The course defines the term critical path and shows how to turn it on, filter it, and format the critical path bars into the Gantt chart so you can use it to finish on time.

What skills will I gain from this course?

The course develops skills in Microsoft Project, milestones, progress indicators, progress monitoring, project management, and project portfolio management.

What topics are taught in the lessons?

Lessons cover Tracking Gantt and ongoing project tasks, resource usage and split screens, turning and filtering the critical path, formatting critical path Gantt bars, task paths, and viewing task slippage.