PRJ98: Progress Line for Completed Task Is Not Vertical (193300)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Project 98 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q193300

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Project 98, you may see a progress line on a completed task that indicates that the task is behind schedule (the progress line deviates to the left).

CAUSE

This behavior occurs on a task when the following conditions are true:

  • You are displaying progress lines in a Gantt chart view.
  • The task is 100 percent complete.
  • You change the task's duration to a value less than the original duration.
  • The date of the progress line is less than the task's original finish date.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, decrease the progress on the task to less than 100 percent complete (99 percent, for example) and then change the progress back to 100 percent complete.

STATUS

This behavior is by design in Microsoft Project 98.

MORE INFORMATION

Progress points (where the progress line touches the Gantt bar) are drawn based on the timephased cumulative percent complete.

NOTE: To see the cumulative percent complete, follow these steps:

  1. On the View menu, click Task Usage.
  2. On the Format menu, click Detail Styles, and then click the Usage Details tab.
  3. In the Available Fields list, click Cumulative Percent Complete. Then, click Show. Click OK.
After you complete a task, Microsoft Project does not move or recalculate the timephased cumulative percent complete to fit the duration of the task.

Therefore, if the duration changes to less than the original duration, and the date of the progress line is before the original finish of the task, the cumulative percent complete extends past the new finish of the task. This makes the progress line appear differently than expected.

To assure that the timephased cumulative percent complete doesn't extend beyond the status date, and to assure that you don't see deviations to the left when completing tasks, follow these steps:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calculation tab.
  2. Click to select the Edits to total task % complete will be spread to the status date check box. Click OK.
NOTE: Enabling this option also allows progress lines to deviate to the right when task progress is ahead of schedule.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/17/2002
Keywords:kbbug KB193300
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.