LESSON 8-1: Executing the Project

This tutorial describes how to:
• Update Actual activity information at regular intervals 
• Define an updating period
• Reschedule the project
• Use Progress Spotlight to update the project on the activities page
• Update activities by entering: actual start date, remaining duration; resource assignments actual and remaining units
• Update progress using my activities or a mobile device

[MUSIC PLAYING]
1. Update activity information.
After the project is underway, the schedule must be updated at regular intervals to track the work completed and the work remaining. Updating requires entering the actual dates, durations, and resource usage for the activities that have been worked on.

2. Updating period.
Start by defining an updating period. The updating period extends from the current day to date, the date to which actual performance data is reported, and from which future work is scheduled to a date in the future. A complex project with multiple overlapping float paths may require more frequent updating then a less complicated project.

3. Reschedule the project.
After actual data for activities in the updating period is entered, reschedule the project using the next work day after the end of the updating period as the new data date. Change the day to date each time you schedule to start the new updating period. Update the project on the activities page.

4. Progress Spotlight.
Use progress spotlight to highlight the updating period. By default, the updating period is the minor time scale increment on the Gantt chart. But you can adjust the exact length of the period by dragging the edge of the spotlight left or right. Use the status detail window to enter actual starts and finish dates for completed activities

5. Update activities still in progress.
For activities still in progress, enter the actual start date and the remaining duration. In the resource assignments detail window, update actual and remaining units for resources assigned to the activity. The calculations tab in the project's summary and settings provides an option to automatically update resource's actual units when the activity's remaining duration changes.

6. Update progress using my activities or a mobile device.
Resources and activity owners can also update progress using my activities or a mobile device. After activities are updated, reschedule the project. This enables us to see how the project is doing against the original plan and if it needs corrective action to finish on time.