The ACWP (actual cost of work performed) fields (field: A location in a sheet, form, or chart that contains a specific kind of information about a task, resource, or assignment. For example, in a sheet, each column is a field. In a form, a field is a named box or a place in a column.) show costs (cost: The total scheduled cost for a task, resource, or assignment, or for an entire project. This is sometimes referred to as the current cost. In Project, baseline costs are usually referred to as "budget.") incurred for work (work: For tasks, the total labor required to complete a task. For assignments, the amount of work to which a resource is assigned. For resources, the total amount of work to which a resource is assigned for all tasks. Work is different from task duration.) already done on a task (task: An activity that has a beginning and an end. Project plans are made up of tasks.), up to the project status date (status date: A date that you set [rather than the current date] for reporting the time, cost, or performance condition of a project.) or today's date.
There are several categories of ACWP fields.
Data Type Currency (currency field: A type of field whose content is expressed as a cost. Examples include the Actual Cost and Fixed Cost fields. The maximum value allowed in this field is 999,999,999,999.99.)
ACWP (task field)
Entry Type Calculated (calculated field: A field in which the value is determined by Project based on information in other fields. Project may recalculate the value automatically or when you specify, depending on your choice of calculation settings.)
How Calculated When a task is first created, the ACWP field contains 0.00. As progress (percentage of completion or actual work (actual work: The amount of work that has been performed on a task or assignment. When you enter actual work on a task, the remaining work is calculated using this formula: Remaining Work = Work - Actual Work. Actual work is often referred to as "actuals.")) is reported on the task, Microsoft Office Project calculates the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) (ACWP: Shows actual costs incurred for work already performed by a resource on a task, up to the project status date or today's date.). This is the cost of actual work plus any fixed costs (fixed cost: A set cost for a task that remains constant regardless of the task duration or the work performed by a resource.) for the task to date. By default, how and when ACWP is calculated depends on the assigned resources (resources: The people, equipment, and material that are used to complete tasks in a project.)' Standard Rate, Overtime Rate, Per Use Cost, and Cost accrual settings in the Resource Information dialog box, as well as the actual work reported, fixed costs for tasks, and the status date or today's date. Project can calculate ACWP even if you do not have resources assigned. In this case, the calculations are based on progress (percentage of completion or actual work) and fixed costs to date for the task. If you prefer, you can have ACWP calculated based on your entries in the Actual Cost (timephased) field. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calculation tab. Clear the Actual costs are always calculated by Microsoft Office Project check box.
Best Uses Use the ACWP field in conjunction with the BCWP (budgeted cost of work performed) field to compare actual to budgeted assignment (assignment: A specific resource that is assigned to a particular task.) costs. Use the CV (earned value cost variance) field to see the difference between the two fields. Add any or all of these fields to a task view (task view: A view that displays task information. Task views include three task forms; examples include Calendar, Detail Gantt, Gantt Chart, Milestone Rollup, PA_PERT Entry Sheet, Task Entry, Relationship Diagram, Task Sheet, and Task Usage.) to display the resulting expense of a task based on actual work and the hourly rates of the assigned resources, along with any other costs incurred up to the status date or today's date.
Example You need to report on ACWP as of last Friday. You enter Friday's date as the status date, and then review the costs on a task that has a 10-hour duration (duration: The total span of active working time that is required to complete a task. This is generally the amount of working time from the start to finish of a task, as defined by the project and resource calendar.). The assigned resources earn $20 per hour, and they have reported five hours of actual work as of last Friday, and another five hours as of today. Using the status date, Project calculates that the ACWP up to last Friday is $100. If you used today's date as the status date, the ACWP would be calculated as $200.
Remarks Because the ACWP information is maintained on a timephased (timephased: Task, resource, or assignment information that is distributed over time. You can review timephased information in any available time period in the fields on the right side of the Task Usage and Resource Usage views.) basis, ACWP is calculated from the first actual cost entry to the status date or today's date.
ACWP (resource field)
Entry Type Calculated (calculated field: A field in which the value is determined by Project based on information in other fields. Project may recalculate the value automatically or when you specify, depending on your choice of calculation settings.)
How Calculated If a resource has not yet reported any work on any of the assigned tasks, the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) (ACWP: Shows actual costs incurred for work already performed by a resource on a task, up to the project status date or today's date.) field contains 0.00. As progress (percentage of completion or actual work (actual work: The amount of work that has been performed on a task or assignment. When you enter actual work on a task, the remaining work is calculated using this formula: Remaining Work = Work - Actual Work. Actual work is often referred to as "actuals.")) is reported by the resource on various tasks, Microsoft Office Project calculates the ACWP. This is the cost of actual work plus any per-use costs (per-use cost: A set fee for the use of a resource that can be in place of, or in addition to, a variable. For work resources, a per-use cost accrues each time that the resource is used. For material resources, a per-use cost is accrued only once.) for the resource to date. By default, how and when ACWP is calculated depends on the resource's Standard Rate, Overtime Rate, Per Use Cost, and Cost accrual settings in the Resource Information dialog box, as well as the status date or today's date. If you prefer, you can have ACWP calculated based on your entries in the Actual Cost (timephased) field. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calculation tab. Clear the Actual costs are always calculated by Microsoft Office Project check box.
Best Uses Use the ACWP field in conjunction with the BCWP (budgeted cost of work performed) field to compare actual to budgeted assignment costs. Use the CV (earned value cost variance) field to see the difference between the two fields. Add any or all of these fields to a resource view (resource view: A view that displays resource information. Resource views include the Resource Sheet, the Resource Graph, the Resource Usage, and the resource forms views.) to display the resulting expense of a resource's work on all assigned tasks, based on the resource's actual work, hourly rate, and other incurred costs through the status date.
Example You need to report on ACWP as of last Friday. You enter Friday's date as the status date, and then review the costs for a resource that has a cost of $20 per hour. The resource is assigned to 15 different tasks throughout the duration (duration: The total span of active working time that is required to complete a task. This is generally the amount of working time from the start to finish of a task, as defined by the project and resource calendar.) of the project. You add the ACWP field to the Resource Sheet view to see how much this resource has cost up through last Friday. At the end of the project, you can use the ACWP field to see how much of the budget (budget: The estimated cost of a project that you establish in Project with your baseline plan.) was spent for this resource to help with cost analysis and future planning.
Remarks Because the ACWP information is maintained on a timephased (timephased: Task, resource, or assignment information that is distributed over time. You can review timephased information in any available time period in the fields on the right side of the Task Usage and Resource Usage views.) basis, ACWP is calculated from the first actual cost entry to the status date or today's date.
ACWP (assignment field)
Entry Type Calculated (calculated field: A field in which the value is determined by Project based on information in other fields. Project may recalculate the value automatically or when you specify, depending on your choice of calculation settings.)
How Calculated When an assignment (assignment: A specific resource that is assigned to a particular task.) is first made, the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) (ACWP: Shows actual costs incurred for work already performed by a resource on a task, up to the project status date or today's date.) field contains 0.00. As progress (percentage of completion or actual work (actual work: The amount of work that has been performed on a task or assignment. When you enter actual work on a task, the remaining work is calculated using this formula: Remaining Work = Work - Actual Work. Actual work is often referred to as "actuals.")) is reported by the assigned resource, Microsoft Office Project calculates ACWP for the assignment. This is the cost of actual work plus any per-use costs (per-use cost: A set fee for the use of a resource that can be in place of, or in addition to, a variable. For work resources, a per-use cost accrues each time that the resource is used. For material resources, a per-use cost is accrued only once.) for the assignment to date. By default, how and when ACWP is calculated depends on the assigned resource's Standard Rate, Overtime Rate, Per Use Cost, and Cost accrual settings in the Resource Information dialog box, as well as the assignment's actual work reported and the status date or today's date. If you prefer, you can have ACWP calculated based on your entries in the Actual Cost (timephased (timephased: Task, resource, or assignment information that is distributed over time. You can review timephased information in any available time period in the fields on the right side of the Task Usage and Resource Usage views.)) field. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calculation tab. Clear the Actual costs are always calculated by Microsoft Office Project check box.
Best Uses Use the ACWP field in conjunction with the BCWP (budgeted cost of work performed) field to compare actual to budgeted assignment costs. Use the CV (earned value cost variance) field to see the difference between the ACWP and BCWP fields. Add any or all of these fields to the sheet (sheet: A spreadsheet-like representation [in rows and columns] of task or resource information. Each row specifies an individual task or resource. Each column [field] specifies a type of information, such as start dates or standard rates.) portion of the Task Usage or Resource Usage view (view: The combination of one or more views [Gantt Chart, Resource Sheet, and so on] and if applicable, a table and a filter. Use views to work with information in a variety of formats. There are three types of views: Charts or graphs, Sheets, and Forms.) to display the resulting expense of an assignment based on actual work and the hourly rates of the assigned resources, along with any other costs incurred up to the status date.
Example You need to report on ACWP as of last Friday. You enter Friday's date as the status date, and then review the costs on a task assignment that has a 10-hour duration (duration: The total span of active working time that is required to complete a task. This is generally the amount of working time from the start to finish of a task, as defined by the project and resource calendar.). The assigned resource is $20 per hour, and the resource has reported five hours of actual work as of last Friday, and another five hours as of today. Using the status date, Project calculates that the ACWP up to last Friday is $100. If you used today's date as the status date, the ACWP would be calculated as $200.
Remarks Because the ACWP information is maintained on a timephased basis, ACWP is calculated from the first actual cost entry to the status date or today's date.
ACWP (task-timephased field)
Entry Type Calculated (calculated field: A field in which the value is determined by Project based on information in other fields. Project may recalculate the value automatically or when you specify, depending on your choice of calculation settings.)
How Calculated When a task is first created, the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) (ACWP: Shows actual costs incurred for work already performed by a resource on a task, up to the project status date or today's date.) field contains 0.00. As progress (percentage of completion or actual work (actual work: The amount of work that has been performed on a task or assignment. When you enter actual work on a task, the remaining work is calculated using this formula: Remaining Work = Work - Actual Work. Actual work is often referred to as "actuals.")) is reported on the task, Microsoft Office Project calculates ACWP. This is the cost of actual work plus any fixed costs (fixed cost: A set cost for a task that remains constant regardless of the task duration or the work performed by a resource.) for the task to date. By default, how and when ACWP is calculated depends on the assigned resources (resources: The people, equipment, and material that are used to complete tasks in a project.)' Standard Rate, Overtime Rate, Per Use Cost, and Cost accrual settings in the Resource Information dialog box, as well as the actual work reported, fixed costs for tasks, and the status date or today's date. Project can calculate ACWP even if you do not have resources assigned. In this case, the calculations are based on progress (percentage of completion or actual work) and fixed costs to date for the task. If you prefer, you can have ACWP calculated based on your entries in the Actual Cost (timephased) field. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calculation tab. Clear the Actual costs are always calculated by Microsoft Office Project check box.
Best Uses Use the ACWP field in conjunction with the BCWP (budgeted cost of work performed) field to compare actual to budgeted assignment costs. Use the CV (earned value cost variance) field to see the difference between the two fields. Add any or all of these fields to the timephased portion of the Task Usage view (view: The combination of one or more views [Gantt Chart, Resource Sheet, and so on] and if applicable, a table and a filter. Use views to work with information in a variety of formats. There are three types of views: Charts or graphs, Sheets, and Forms.) to display the resulting expense of a task based on actual work and the hourly rates of the assigned resources over time, along with any other costs up to the status date or today's date.
Example It's Friday, and you need to report on timephased ACWP for a task that has a five-day duration (duration: The total span of active working time that is required to complete a task. This is generally the amount of working time from the start to finish of a task, as defined by the project and resource calendar.), scheduled from Monday through Friday of this week. The two assigned resources each have a cost of $20 per hour, and they have reported eight hours of actual work on the task through Tuesday, and another nine hours of work since then. If you want to see the timephased ACWP as of Tuesday, you enter Tuesday's date as the status date, and then review the ACWP for the task in the Task Usage view. Using the status date, Project calculates that the timephased ACWP up through Tuesday is $80 and $160 (four hours on Monday and four hours on Tuesday, cumulative). If you used today's date as the status date, the timephased ACWP would be $80, $160, $220, $280, and $340 for Monday through Friday, respectively.
Remarks Because the ACWP information is maintained on a timephased basis, ACWP can be graphed from the first actual cost entry to the status date or today's date. In Microsoft Office Excel, you can create such a graph using the AnalyzeTimescaledData macro (macro: An action or a set of actions that you can use to automate tasks. Macros are recorded in the Visual Basic for Applications programming language.).
ACWP (resource-timephased field)
Entry Type Calculated (calculated field: A field in which the value is determined by Project based on information in other fields. Project may recalculate the value automatically or when you specify, depending on your choice of calculation settings.)
How Calculated If a resource has not yet reported any work on any of the assigned tasks, the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) (ACWP: Shows actual costs incurred for work already performed by a resource on a task, up to the project status date or today's date.) field contains 0.00. As progress (percentage of completion or actual work (actual work: The amount of work that has been performed on a task or assignment. When you enter actual work on a task, the remaining work is calculated using this formula: Remaining Work = Work - Actual Work. Actual work is often referred to as "actuals.")) is reported by the resource on various tasks, Microsoft Office Project calculates ACWP. This is the cost of actual work plus any per-use costs (per-use cost: A set fee for the use of a resource that can be in place of, or in addition to, a variable. For work resources, a per-use cost accrues each time that the resource is used. For material resources, a per-use cost is accrued only once.) for the resource to date. By default, how and when ACWP is calculated depends on the resource's Standard Rate, Overtime Rate, Per Use Cost, and Cost accrual settings in the Resource Information dialog box, as well as the status date or today's date. If you prefer, you can have ACWP calculated based on your entries in the Actual Cost (timephased) field. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calculation tab. Clear the Actual costs are always calculated by Microsoft Office Project check box.
Best Uses Use the ACWP field in conjunction with the BCWP (budgeted cost of work performed) field to compare actual to budgeted assignment costs. Use the CV (earned value cost variance) field to see the difference between the two fields. Add any or all of these fields to the timephased portion of the Resource Usage view (view: The combination of one or more views [Gantt Chart, Resource Sheet, and so on] and if applicable, a table and a filter. Use views to work with information in a variety of formats. There are three types of views: Charts or graphs, Sheets, and Forms.) to display the resulting expense of the resource's work on all assigned tasks over time up to the status date or today's date, based on the resource's actual work, hourly rate, and other incurred costs.
Example You need to report on ACWP as of last Friday. You enter Friday's date as the status date, and then review the costs for a resource that has a cost of $10 per hour. The resource is assigned to 15 different tasks throughout the duration (duration: The total span of active working time that is required to complete a task. This is generally the amount of working time from the start to finish of a task, as defined by the project and resource calendar.) of the project. You add the ACWP field to the timephased portion of the Resource Usage view to see how much this resource has cost through last Friday. You might see timephased ACWP values such as $80 (eight hours at $10 per hour) for each day cumulatively through last Friday, that is, $80, $160, $240, $320, and so on. If the resource is assigned at fewer assignment units (assignment units: The percentage of a work resource's time, or units, that the resource is assigned to a task.), or has fewer actual hours of work, you might see lower ACWP values. If the resource has worked any overtime (overtime: The amount of work on an assignment that is scheduled beyond the regular working hours of an assigned resource and charged at the overtime rate. Overtime work indicates the amount of the assignment's work that is specified as overtime work.), you might see higher ACWP values.
Remarks Because the ACWP information is maintained on a timephased basis, ACWP can be graphed from the first actual cost entry to the status date or today's date.
ACWP (assignment-timephased field)
Entry Type Calculated (calculated field: A field in which the value is determined by Project based on information in other fields. Project may recalculate the value automatically or when you specify, depending on your choice of calculation settings.)
How Calculated When an assignment is first made, the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) (ACWP: Shows actual costs incurred for work already performed by a resource on a task, up to the project status date or today's date.) field contains 0.00. As progress (percentage of completion or actual work (actual work: The amount of work that has been performed on a task or assignment. When you enter actual work on a task, the remaining work is calculated using this formula: Remaining Work = Work - Actual Work. Actual work is often referred to as "actuals.")) is reported by the assigned resource, Microsoft Office Project calculates ACWP for the assignment. This is the cost of actual work plus any per-use costs (per-use cost: A set fee for the use of a resource that can be in place of, or in addition to, a variable. For work resources, a per-use cost accrues each time that the resource is used. For material resources, a per-use cost is accrued only once.) for the assignment to date. By default, how and when ACWP is calculated depends on the assigned resource's Standard Rate, Overtime Rate, Per Use Cost, and Cost accrual settings in the Resource Information dialog box, as well as the assignment's actual work (actual work: The amount of work that has been performed on a task or assignment. When you enter actual work on a task, the remaining work is calculated using this formula: Remaining Work = Work - Actual Work. Actual work is often referred to as "actuals.") values and the status date or today's date. If you prefer, you can have ACWP calculated based on your entries in the Actual Cost (timephased) field. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Calculation tab. Clear the Actual costs are always calculated by Microsoft Office Project check box.
Best Uses Use the ACWP field in conjunction with the BCWP (budgeted cost of work performed) field to compare actual to budgeted assignment costs. Use the CV (earned value cost variance) field to see the difference between the two fields. Add any or all of these fields to the timephased portion of the Task Usage or Resource Usage view (view: The combination of one or more views [Gantt Chart, Resource Sheet, and so on] and if applicable, a table and a filter. Use views to work with information in a variety of formats. There are three types of views: Charts or graphs, Sheets, and Forms.) to display the resulting expense of an assignment based on actual work and the hourly rates of the assigned resources over time, along with any other costs.
Example It's Friday, and you need to report on timephased ACWP for an assignment that has a five-day duration (duration: The total span of active working time that is required to complete a task. This is generally the amount of working time from the start to finish of a task, as defined by the project and resource calendar.), scheduled from Monday through Friday of this week. The assigned resource has a cost of $20 per hour, and the resource has reported eight hours of actual work through Tuesday, and another nine hours of work since then. If you want to see the timephased ACWP as of Tuesday, you enter Tuesday's date as the status date, and then review the ACWP for the assignment on either the Task Usage or Resource Usage view. Using the status date, Project calculates that the timephased ACWP up through Tuesday is $80 and $160 (four hours on Monday, and four hours on Tuesday, cumulative). If you used today's date as the status date, the timephased ACWP would be $80, $160, $220, $280, and $340 for Monday through Friday, respectively.