Manually Enter Task Progress in Microsoft Project – A Step by Step Guide

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When managing your project schedule in Microsoft Project, tracking task progress accurately is essential for reliable forecasting of the future. While there are multiple ways to enter task progress in Microsoft Project, I recommend a simple, straightforward method that will help you maintain control over your project timeline. In this blog post article, I’ll walk you through how to manually enter task progress using the best practices I personally follow. Let’s get started!

If you would rather watch a YouTube video on this subject, click here or click the thumbnail below.

Step 1: Set Up the Tracking Gantt View

Set up the Tracking Gantt view by completing the following steps:

Apply the Tracking Gantt View.
Right-click on the “Select All” button (the blank button in the upper left corner of the task sheet) and select the “Tracking” table on the shortcut menu.
Customize layout of the Tracking table by inserting and/or arranging the columns in the following order:
- Start
- Actual Start
- Percent Complete
- Remaining Duration
- Actual Finish
- Finish
- Resource Names

Step 2: Enter Task Progress Data

When updating your project schedule on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, use the following process for each task with this customized Tracking Gantt view:

Enter the Actual Start date – Input the date when the team member actually began work in the “Actual Start” field.
Update Percent Complete – Enter the estimated percentage of task progress in the “Percent Complete” field.
Update the Remaining Duration – Enter the estimated time left to complete the task in the “Remaining Duration” field.
Enter the Actual Finish date – Once the task is complete, enter the date when the team member actually finished the task work in the “Actual Finish” field.
Add task notes, as needed – For any task requiring additional documentation, add a note explaining any variances or updates.

Tips for Accurate Progress Tracking

Here are a few tips for entering task progress using the preceding methodology:

For completed milestones, simply enter “100%” in the “Percent Complete” field.
Only enter 100% in the % Complete field if the task started and finished as originally scheduled. Otherwise, enter the Actual Finish date, which will automatically calculate the completion percentage.
When you adjust the Remaining Duration value, this will increase or decrease the % Complete value automatically. Increasing Remaining Duration will DECREASE the % Complete value, while decreasing Remaining Duration will INCREASE it. There is no way to stop this behavior because the % Complete value is a Duration-based calculation.

Save Your Custom Tracking Table for Future Use

After customizing the Tracking table for use with my best practice methodology for tracking task progress, you can save this customized Tracking table for use with all current and future projects by completing the following steps:

Click the “File” tab, click the “Info” tab in the Backstage, and then click the “Organizer” button.
In the Organizer dialog, click the “Tables” tab at the top of the dialog.
On the “Tables” page of the dialog, select the Tracking table on the RIGHT SIDE of the dialog (your custom Tracking) table and then click “Copy” button.
When prompted in a dialog to replace the existing Tracking table, click the “Yes” button.
Click the “Close” button to close the Organizer dialog.

Wrapping Up

By following this methodology, you’ll be able to track your project tasks more effectively, ensuring that your schedule remains accurate and up to date. If you have questions, please add them in the “Leave a Reply” section below. Or if you watched the video, add your questions or comments there. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and leave “Likes” if you like the videos.

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Hello there, esteemed Microsoft Project enthusiasts! It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself as Dale Howard Microsoft Project MVP, a seasoned veteran in the world of Microsoft Project. With a remarkable track record of being awarded the prestigious Microsoft Project MVP (Most Valuable Professional) title for an incredible 20 years in a row, I am humbled to share that I currently hold the distinguished position of being one of only 11 Project MVPs across the entire globe. To say that this achievement is exciting would be an understatement. It is a testament to my unwavering dedication, passion, and expertise in the Microsoft Project domain.

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https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_project
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