Properties view - Variance tab

You use the Variance tab of the properties view to view information on how the currently selected bar or task differs from the state it was in when a specific baseline was produced. Use the left pane of the properties view to select the type of variance information you want to view.

Each row in the dialog displays information in the following columns:

Property: the type of information being compared.
Live: the current value in the live data.
Baseline: the value at the time at which the selected baseline was produced.
Difference: the difference between the live and baseline values.

Click and to navigate through the objects in the bar chart, selecting objects in turn and viewing their properties.

Explanation of the fields at the bottom of the properties view

Field	Description
Cost centre	Select the cost centre for which you want to compare the baseline data against the live data.
Baseline	Select the baseline that contains the data against which you want to compare the live data.

Explanation of the Bar fields

Field	Description
Name	The descriptive name of the bar.
Start	The date and time on which the earliest task on the bar starts.
Finish	The date and time on which the latest task on the bar finishes.
Unschedulable	This check box is selected if one or more of the tasks on the bar is incapable of being rescheduled for any reason. This can be caused by calendar conflicts, or by a task being part of a link loop. Reschedule errors
Priority	The priority of the bar, for example None, Low, Medium or High. Assigning a priority to bars, tasks and allocations
Cost from cost centre	The costs that have been recorded against the bar's tasks, either from a selected cost centre or from all cost centres.
Income to cost centre	The income that has been recorded against the bar's tasks, either to a selected cost centre or to all cost centres.
Actual quantity	The quantity of consumable resource that has been completed on the bar's tasks.
Quantity remaining	The quantity that remains to be completed against the bar's tasks.
Actual work	The amount of work that has been completed on the bar's tasks.
Work remaining	The work that remains to be completed against the bar's tasks.
Actual effort	The amount of effort that has been completed on the bar's tasks.
Effort remaining	The amount of effort that remains to be completed against the bar's tasks.
Milestones done	The number of milestones on the bar that have been completed.
Milestones remaining	The number of milestones on the bar that remain to be completed.
Effort percent complete	The percentage of required effort that has been completed against the bar's tasks.
Work percent complete	The percentage of required work that has been completed against the bar's tasks.
Quantity percent complete	The percentage of required quantity that has been completed against the bar's tasks.
Milestone percent complete	The percentages of milestones on the bar that have been completed.

Explanation of the Task fields

Field	Description
Name	The descriptive name of the task.
WBS code	The WBS code of the task. Work breakdown structure (WBS)
Task ID (WBN)	The WBN (work breakdown numbering) code of the task. WBN task ID numbering
Task ID (WBN) path name	The task's path from the programme chart down the project hierarchy, giving the task ID (WBN) code of each parent task in turn.
Unique task ID	The unique task ID of the task. Unique task ID numbering
Priority	The priority of the task, for example None, Low, Medium or High. Assigning a priority to bars, tasks and allocations
Calendar	The calendar that has been applied to the task.
Use parent calendar	Whether the task has been configured to use the same calendar as its parent task, ie the owning summary or expanded task, or its own calendar.
Start	The date and time on which the task starts.
Finish	The date and time on which the task finishes.
Duration	The duration, in working time, of the task.
Overall percent complete	The percentage of the task that has been completed, calculated using a measurement that is independent of the duration of the task. Calculating progress as an overall percentage complete
Overall % complete weight	The calculated overall percent weighting of the task - the factor by which the overall percentage complete progress of the task should be multiplied when progress is rolled up to the parent task. Calculating progress on parent tasks according to overall percentage complete
Duration percent complete	The percentage of the task's duration that has been completed. Calculating progress as a percentage of task duration
Resume	For part-completed tasks, the date and time on which the uncompleted portion of the tasks starts.
Effort percent complete	The percentage of required effort that has been completed against the task.
Work percent complete	The percentage of required work that has been completed against the task.
Quantity percent complete	The percentage of required quantity that has been completed against the task.
User percent complete	The percentage of the task that has been completed, recorded as a user value which is independent of the task duration and any resource or cost allocations. This field only appears if you have selected the Enter progress shows 'User Percent Complete' check box on the Progress tab of the Options dialog. This method of recording progress has been superceded by the overall percentage complete functionality.
Quantity remaining	The quantity that remains to be completed against the task.
Work remaining	The work that remains to be completed against the task.
Effort remaining	The effort that remains to be completed against the task.
Constraint	Which type of constraint flag, if any, has been applied to the task. Setting a start or finish flag
Start constraint date	For tasks with a constraint flag that constrains the start of the task, the date and time to which the task is constrained to start.
Finish constraint date	For tasks with a constraint flag that constrains the finish of the task, the date and time to which the task is constrained to finish.
Levelling priority	The resource levelling priority that has been applied to the task, where 0 is the lowest priority (the task is more likely to affected by levelling) and 100 is the highest priority (the task is less likely to be affected by levelling).
Can be delayed	Whether the task can be delayed by resource levelling.
Levelling delay	The period by which the task has been delayed as a result of resource levelling.
Effort time unit	The time unit in which effort values are displayed.
Scheduled effort	The amount of scheduled effort that is recorded against the task.
Demand effort	The amount of demand effort that is recorded against the task.
Actual effort	The amount of effort that has been completed against the task.
Effort remaining	The amount of effort that remains to be completed against the task.
Work	The amount of work that needs to be carried out for the task.
Work unit	The unit in which task work is measured.
Effort budget	The amount of effort that is available to be distributed between the resources that are assigned to the task. This information is used when you model permanent resources using the Effort Activity Budget method. Effort Activity Budget modelled permanent resources
Demand status	The status of the task's allocations, ie whether the task is resourced and if so, the status of the resource allocations.

Explanation of the Float/Cost fields

Field	Description
Cost from cost centre	The costs that have been recorded against the task, either from a selected cost centre or from all cost centres.
Actual cost	The amount of cost that has been completed against the task, either from a selected cost centre or from all cost centres.
Cost remaining	The amount of cost that has yet to be completed against the task, either from a selected cost centre or from all cost centres.
Income to cost centre	The income that has been recorded against the task, either to a selected cost centre or to all cost centres.
Actual income	The amount of income that has been completed against the task, either from a selected cost centre or from all cost centres.
Income remaining	The amount of income that has yet to be completed against the task, either from a selected cost centre or from all cost centres.
Total float	The amount of time the task can be delayed without affecting the project finish date; the difference between the task's early finish and late finish dates.
Free float	The amount of time the task can be delayed without affecting any other task or the project finish date; the difference between the task's earliest finish date and the earliest start date of the task's immediate successor.
Placement	Whether the task has been placed ASAP, ALAP or ASAP Force Critical on its bar. Factors that affect rescheduling
Buffer task	Whether the task is a buffer task, ie a task that protects an important date. Working with buffer tasks
Original buffer task duration	The duration that a buffer task or an interruptible task had at the point at which it was defined as a buffer task or an interruptible task.
Critical	Whether the task is on the critical path, as calculated during a reschedule.
Milestone Placement	For milestones, whether the milestone has been placed ASAP, ALAP or ASAP Force Critical on its bar. Factors that affect rescheduling
Given date/time	For milestones, the date and time on which the milestone occurs.
Milestone type	For milestones, whether the milestone is a Start or Finish milestone. Working with milestones
Completed	For milestones, whether the milestone has been completed.
Early start date	The earliest possible time by which the task can start within the logical and imposed constraints of the plan.
Free start date	The latest possible time by which the task can start within the logical and imposed constraints of the plan, without affecting the start date of any other task.
Late start date	The latest possible time by which the task can start within the logical and imposed constraints of the plan.
Early finish date	The earliest possible time by which the task can be completed within the logical and imposed constraints of the plan.
Free finish date	The earliest possible time by which the task can be completed within the logical and imposed constraints of the plan, without affecting the start date of any other task.
Late finish date	The latest possible time by which the task can be completed within the logical and imposed constraints of the plan.

Explanation of the Rollups fields

Field	Description
Cumulative demand effort	The amount of demand effort that is recorded against the task and its subordinate tasks.
Cumulative scheduled effort	The amount of scheduled effort that is recorded against the task and its subordinate tasks.
Cumulative effort time unit	The time unit in which cumulative effort values are displayed.
Cumulative cost	The cost that has been recorded against the task and its subordinate tasks.
Cumulative income	The income that has been recorded against the task and its subordinate tasks.
Actual cumulative quantity	The quantity that has been completed for the task and its subordinate tasks.
Cumulative quantity remaining	The quantity that remains to be completed for the task and its subordinate tasks.
Actual cumulative work	The work that has been completed for the task and its subordinate tasks.
Cumulative work remaining	The work that remains to be completed for the task and its subordinate tasks.
Actual cumulative effort	The effort that has been completed for the task and its subordinate tasks.
Cumulative effort remaining	The effort that remains to be completed for the task and its subordinate tasks.
Cumulative effort percent complete	The percentage of required effort that has been completed against the task and its subordinate tasks.
Cumulative work percent complete	The percentage of required work that has been completed against the task and its subordinate tasks.
Cumulative quantity percent complete	The percentage of required quantity that has been completed against the task and its subordinate tasks.
Cumulative duration	The duration of the task and its subordinate tasks.
Actual cumulative duration	The duration of the task and its subordinate tasks that has been completed.
Cumulative duration percent complete	The percentage of the duration of the task and its subordinate tasks that has been completed.
Calculated progress date	The effective progress date for a summary or expanded task, calculated from the task's percentage complete and duration.

How do I...

The properties view may or may not display a number of tabs that display advanced information. If these tabs are not currently displayed, you can click >> to display them. If they are currently displayed, you can click << to hide them from view.