These options allow you to control the automatic update of activity status based on Actual Start and Actual Finish dates, to specify that activity progress requires an Actual Start Date, and to enforce a dependency between Activity % Complete and the Actual Finish Date (with the option of auto-update of the Activity % Complete).
See Project Progress Data Accumulation and Calculation for details on progress data accumulation and earned progress.
To specify that activity status auto updates based on actual start and finish dates
By default, the Activity Status controls Actual Start and Finish of an activity. If you select the Auto update activity based on Actual Start/Finish Dates, the Actual Start date and Actual Finish date control the Activity Status. Selecting this box, makes the Activity Status field read-only on the Activity Properties. When this checkbox is deselected, you can change the Activity Status.
The following table describes the interactivity of the Actual Start, Actual Finish, and Activity Status fields when the Auto update activity status based on Actual Start/Finish Dates checkbox is selected:
Actual Start | Actual Finish | Activity Status |
|---|---|---|
Editable (no date selected) | Editable (no date selected) | Read-only. Not Started option is selected. |
Editable (date selected) | Editable (no date selected) | Read-only. In Progress option is selected. |
Editable (date selected) | Editable (date selected) | Read-only. Complete option is selected. |
- Click the Options tab.
- Select the Auto update activity status based on Actual Start/Finish Dates checkbox.
- Click OK.
To specify that activity progress requires an actual start date
You can specify that activity progress information cannot be entered if there is no actual start date for the activity. For example, an actual start date must be specified for users to be able to enter any activity progress, including Activity % Complete and Earned Progress on the Activity Properties.
When the Checking the Activity Progress requires an Actual Start date checkbox is selected, Unifier validates that there is an Actual Start date specified for the activity. If there is no Actual Start date, and this checkbox is selected, users will not be able to enter activity progress data until the Actual Start date is added for the activity.
Note: You cannot select the Activity Progress requires an Actual Start date checkbox if the activity has recorded progress. If there are any progress entries, Unifier will not allow you to select this checkbox until a start date is provided or the existing progress data is deleted.
- Click the Options tab.
- Select the Activity Progress requires an Actual Start date checkbox.
- Click OK.
To enforce dependency between Activity % Complete and Actual Finish Date for an activity
You can enforce a dependency between the Activity % Complete and the Actual Finish Date of an activity. When you select Enforce Activity 100% Complete again Actual Finish, Unifier will require the user to enter the percentage for Activity % Complete as 100%. Conversely, when the user specifies that Activity % Complete is 100%, Unifier will require the user to enter a value for the Actual Finish Date. Also, you can enforce that Activity % Complete is changed to 100% if an Actual Finish Date is entered.
Note: If data has been entered (Activity Finish Data is entered or the Activity % Complete is less than 100%, or vice versa), and then you attempt to select the Enforce Activity 100% Complete against Actual Finish checkbox, the system will prevent you from selecting the checkbox for this option. In this case, you must clear the existing data to be able to select the Enforce Activity 100% Complete against Actual Finish checkbox.
- Click the Options tab.
- Select the Enforce Activity 100% Complete against Actual Finish checkbox.
- Click OK.
Note: Impact on Scope Management: If you have specified a dependency between the Actual Finish Date of an activity and the Activity % Complete, the Activity % Complete value for an activity will automatically update to 100% when an Actual Finish Date is entered for that activity. This can occur when the Activity Status is updated to Complete, whether through a business process or manually.
To auto-update Activity % Complete based on Actual Finish Date for an activity
If you have selected Enforce Activity 100% Complete again Actual Finish, you can further specify that the Activity % Complete value is automatically updated to 100% when the user enters a Actual Finish Date.
- Click the Options tab.
- Select the Enforce Activity 100% Complete against Actual Finish checkbox, and the Auto-Update % Complete to 100% after entering Actual checkbox.
- Click OK.