Issues with Microsoft Project 2013

It's not an "issue". That's the way it works.

"appears as if the task has no delays"? I am not sure how you want it to appear, but any comparison between what was planned and what happened must start with a baseline (or a previously saved copy of the file from before the update).

I originally assumed that the planned time would remain the same on the schedule if it was changed in Actual start and Finish. This would be an easier way to look at delays etc.

Thank you Trevor

rogerKalloo,

What you should have done is to set a baseline after your plan was developed but before any activities were started. A baseline captures several parameters of the plan (e.g. Start, Finish, Cost, etc.). Baseline data is used to show earned value metrics and other basic performance parameters like Start Variance, Finish Variance, etc.

When you enter actual start and finish dates, Project automatically updates the current plan to reflect reality, that's how it works. The user can set up to 11 different baselines as "stakes in the sand" for measuring how well the plan is proceeding.

John

Roger --

The mantra to keep in mind when using Microsoft Project is this: "Actuals always replace estimates." That explains the behavior you are seeing in your projects, and this behavior cannot be changed, as it is the default behavior. What you need to do is to save a Baseline in your project before you begin entering progress. The Baseline will capture the original planned Start and Finish dates, Duration, Work, and Cost estimates. You can then use the task Variance, Work, and Cost tables to analyze your project variance, and you can use the Tracking Gantt view to visualize the schedule variance. Hope this helps.