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Compare Actuals to Baseline

In this exercise, youll use several views to evaluate whether the project is on track.

1. Open Home Construction Project 5D.

This file reflects the recorded progress on your project thus far. Next, take steps to compare
baseline values with actual values.

2. Choose View >Task Views from the ribbon.

3. Click the down arrow next to Other Views and choose Task Sheet.

The Task Sheet displays the Task List with additional columns for costs, including a Variance
column. The Variance column presently shows the project is $2,240 over baseline. You can
identify where variance occurs by scanning down the Variance column. Tasks with positive or
negative variance all show values in this column as either greater than or less than zero.

This view is actually showing a table called the Cost table overlaid on top of the Task Sheet.
You can modify the information displayed on the Task Sheet by selecting any of several tables.

Next, display the Variance table on top of the Task Sheet view.

4. Choose View >Data from the ribbon.

5. Click the down arrow next to Tables and choose Variance.

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6. Choose Summary Task 16 On-site work then scroll down so that Task 16 is near the top of the
screen.

Examine the Variance table shown below, paying particular attention to the columns starting
with Baseline Start. The table displays variance data based on actual values entered earlier. As
you can see, starting at Task 16 variance from the baseline begins to appear. Because these
values are positive, they represent a delay in the completion of project tasks.

Switch back to the default Gantt Chart view. You next want to graphically identify tasks that
have a variance from the baseline.

7. Choose View >Task Views >Gantt Chart .

8. With Summary Task 16 still selected, choose Task >Editing >Scroll to Task to display
the Summary Gantt bar for Task 16.

The Gantt bar on the right shows Summary Task 16 and its subordinate Tasks 17 and 18,
however the default Gantt Chart view does not show any graphical variance information.

Now change the view to the Tracking Gantt view to graphically compare baseline values to
actual values.

9. Choose View >Task Views from the ribbon.

10. Click the down arrow below Gantt Chart and choose Tracking Gantt.

11. If necessary, choose Task >Editing >Scroll to Task to display the Summary Gantt bar
for Task 16.
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Next change the Timescale from days to weeks. Doing so will make it easier for you to see any
variance from baseline in the Tracking Gantt view.

12. Choose View >Zoom >Timescale.

13. Click the down arrow below Timescale and choose Weeks from the menu.

Review the project plan below, focusing from Task 13 downward. The Tracking Gantt view uses
two different Gantt bars to display information about each task. The dark-gray colored bar
represents baseline data. Blue or red bars represent current schedule information based on
actual values previously entered.

Tasks 13 to15 show no difference between the gray bars and the blue bars. This means there
was no variation between baseline and actual values for these tasks.

Starting at Task 17 you can begin to see a difference between the baseline values in gray and
the actual values in blue. After Task 17, the differences become more pronounced. These gaps
represent variance in the project plan.

Next, display the Detail Gantt view, and apply a filter to this view in order to focus on tasks on
the critical path.
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14. Choose View >Task Views from the ribbon.

15. Click the down arrow below Gantt Chart and choose More Views.

16. Follow the steps below to display the Detail Gantt View.

A. Select Detail Gantt from the alphabetical list of views.

B. Click Apply, at bottom-center.

The Detail Gantt view is similar to the default Gantt Chart view with two important differences.
The Detail Gantt view displays tasks on the critical path as well as slack time. Slack is an
element of the critical path and it is displayed as a horizontal line in front of the Gantt bar.

17. If necessary, scroll down so that Task 16 is near the top of the screen.

To see how slack and the critical path interact, change the timescale again.

18. Choose View >Zoom >Entire Project .

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With the entire project displayed, you can easily see the amount of slack in this part of the
project plan. Slack is represented by a leading horizontal line to the left of a Gantt bar. When
slack is shown next to a blue bar, it is called f r ee slack and it represents the amount of time
that a task can be delayed before its successor task is delayed. In the illustration below Task
20 can be delayed 1.5 days before it delays its successor, Task 21.

19. Scroll down so that Task 40 is near the top of the screen, then select it..

20. Choose View >Zoom >Timescale.

21. Click the down arrow below Timescale and choose Weeks from the menu.

22. Choose Task >Editing >Scroll to Task to display the Gantt bar for Task 40.

Examine the Gantt bars on the right side of the Detail Gantt view. Some of the Gantt bars are
red. Red Gantt bars mean these tasks are on the critical path. Recall that when a task is on the
critical path, then a delay in that task will cause a delay in the completion of the project. As you
can see, Tasks 46 to 55 are all on the critical path.

Next, focus on just the tasks on the critical path, so youll now apply one of many predefined
filters.
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23. Choose View >Data >Filter

24. Click the down arrow and choose Critical from the menu.

All tasks except those on the critical path are filtered from the Detail Gantt view. Take a
moment to review these tasks, then clear the filter.

25. Choose View >Data >Filter .

26. Click the down arrow and choose [No Filter] from the menu.

27. Save and close the file.