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Highlighting Activities for Updating
Unlike selected activities, when Progress Spotlight is active, activities remain spotlighted even when you click in another area of the workspace.
For more information about the Update Progress dialog box, see “Estimating Progress Automatically” on page 292.
The Progress Spotlight feature highlights the activities that should have been worked on during a specified timeperiod. You can also drag the data date line to a specific date to highlight the activities that fall between the last data date and the new data date. Once you spotlight activities, you can automatically status them, manually update them.
Use the Progress Spotlight feature Choose View, Progress Spotlight, or click the Progress Spotlight icon to highlight a timeperiod equal to the smallest increment of the displayed timescale from the previous data date. To increase/decrease the highlighted area between the previous data date and the new date by one or more timescale increments, drag the data date line to the right or the left.
Update activities as described later in this chapter, or reschedule the project immediately according to the new data date by pressing F9.
Drag the data date line Click the data-date line; when it changes to an arrow, drag the line to the right until you reach the new data date. The Project Management module spotlights the activities between the last data date and the new data date. Update activities as described later in this chapter, or reschedule the project immediately according to the new data date by pressing F9.
Depending on the density of the timescale above the activity bars, you may not be able to position the data date line on the exact date and time you want to use. In this case, enter the data date in the Update Progress dialog box and have the Project Management module estimate progress as of that date before you update individual activities.
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The Project Management module spotlights activities that should have started, progressed, or finished between the previous data date and the new data date in the Gantt Chart.
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Updating Progress for Spotlighted Activities
If activities are progressing on schedule, you may want to estimate progress for all activities as of the new data date you specify. The Project Management module can quickly estimate activity dates, percent complete amounts, and remaining durations when you use the Update Progress dialog box to update a project.
Estimating activity progress is a quick and convenient way to update your project. The Project Management module estimates progress only for those activities that were supposed to take place. Since progress can occur out of sequence, you may need to update additional activities—especially if you selected activities by dragging the data date line or by using the Progress Spotlight feature. You should also review all incomplete activities to make sure their remaining durations, actual dates, and percent complete amounts are realistic. Once you spotlight activities, you can quickly update the project as “on time.”
You can update projects automatically, update each activity manually, or use both methods.
Estimate progress for all spotlighted activities Spotlight the activities for which you want to estimate progress by dragging the data date line or by using the Progress Spotlight feature. Choose Tools, Update Progress. Select a new data date if the one shown is not accurate.
You can not drag the new data date line to a date that is before the old data date line.
Choose to update all activities scheduled to work during the current update period or only selected activities.
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Click Apply. For each activity in the update, Project Management module estimates percent complete amounts as of the data date, sets dates to actual dates if they fall before the new data date, and estimates remaining durations for activities that are not finished as of the data date. The Project Management module also updates resource assignments based on each activity’s revised percent complete and remaining duration while adhering to Autocost Rules. In addition, the Project Management module takes into account only the first price per unit in the Resource Dictionary, if more than one price per unit for varying through dates exists, when updating resource assignments.
If you estimate progress for selected activities that do not fall within the update period, those activities will show no progress. When spotlighting activities, you can only estimate progress— percent complete, remaining duration, and so on—for activities that are within the update period. If you manually update a spotlighted activity then run Update Progress, the module bypasses the activity and your changes are retained.
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