Microsoft Project 2007 - Actual Finish fields (back)
The Actual Finish field shows the date and time when a task or assignment was actually completed.
There are several categories of Actual Finish fields.
Data Type Date (date field: A type of field whose content is a date. Examples include the Baseline Start and Early Finish fields.)
Actual Finish (task field)
Entry Type Calculated or entered (calculated or entered field: A field in which the value is determined by Project based on information in other fields. Information that you enter in the field yourself overrides calculated values.)
How Calculated The Actual Finish field contains "NA" until there is zero remaining work or you set the task's % Complete field or the task or assignment's % Work Complete field to 100. When the work complete reaches 100 percent, Microsoft Office Project sets the Actual Finish field to the status date or scheduled finish date. If you enter the actual finish date, the scheduled finish date changes to match the actual finish date.
Best Uses Add the Actual Finish field to the sheet portion of the Task Usage or Resource Usage view when you want to display, filter, or edit actual finish dates for assignments. If you enter actual work or percent complete, you can have Project calculate the actual finish date for you according to the status date or scheduled finish date. You can also type the actual finish date in this field.
Examples Jamie has just completed an assigned task. In the Task Usage view, you add the % Work Complete and Actual Finish fields. Next, you enter 100 in the % Complete field. Project recalculates the date in the Finish field, and changes the "NA" in the Actual Finish field to the status date or the scheduled finish date.
Sean has also completed an assigned task. In the Actual Work field, you enter the time Sean has spent on this assignment, which is the same as the total work assigned to Sean. Project recalculates the date in the Finish field, and changes the "NA" in the Actual Finish field to the status date.
Finally, Chris completed an assigned task last Friday. In the Actual Finish field, you enter last Friday's date. Regardless of the information in the % Work Complete field or the Actual Work field, the Actual Finish field contains last Friday's date, and sets the % Work Complete field to 100.
Remarks When you specify that a task is 100 percent complete, Project automatically adjusts the actual finish date based on either the current status date or the scheduled finish date. The date that is used depends on your calculation preferences. To examine and set these preferences, click Options on the Tools menu, and then click the Calculation tab. Based on your calculation preferences for this project, select or clear the four check boxes starting with the Move end of completed parts after status date back to status date check box.
To set the status date to a date other than today's date, click Project Information on the Project menu, and then enter the date you want to use in the Status date box.
Actual Finish (resource field)
Entry Type Null (Null field: A field that displays no actual information but that sets up the field for information elsewhere in the view, particularly in the Task Usage or Resource Usage view.)
Best Uses Add the Actual Finish field to the Resource Usage view when you want to display actual finish dates for assignments. No information is displayed in the Actual Finish resource field; it merely makes the corresponding Actual Finish assignment field information available.
Example You are reviewing actual finish dates for tasks assigned to various resources. You add the Actual Finish field to the Resource Usage view. No information appears in the Actual Finish field next to the resource names. However, the actual finish dates for their assignments appear in the Actual Finish assignment rows below each resource name.
Actual Finish (assignment field)
Entry Type Calculated or entered (calculated or entered field: A field in which the value is determined by Project based on information in other fields. Information that you enter in the field yourself overrides calculated values.)
How Calculated The Actual Finish field contains "NA" until there is zero remaining work or you set the % Complete or % Work Complete field to 100. When the work complete reaches 100 percent, Project sets the Actual Finish field to the status date or scheduled finish date. If you enter the actual finish date, the scheduled finish date changes to match the actual finish date.
Best Uses Add the Actual Finish field to a task view when you want to display, filter, or edit actual finish dates for tasks. If you enter total actual work or percent complete, you can have Project calculate the actual finish date for you according to the status date or the task's schedule. If you want more control over the information in this field, you can type the actual finish date in this field.
Examples The "Develop estimate" task has just been completed. You add the % Complete field to the Tracking Gantt view, and then enter 100. Project recalculates the date in the Finish field, and changes the "NA" in the Actual Finish field to the status date or the scheduled finish date.
The "Write proposal" task is also now completed. In the Actual Work field, you enter the time the assigned resources have spent on this assignment, which is the same as the total work for the task. Project recalculates the date in the Finish field, and changes the "NA" in the Actual Finish field to the status date or the scheduled finish date.
Finally, the "Conduct client meetings" task was completed last Friday. In the Actual Finish field, you enter last Friday's date. Regardless of the information in the % Complete, % Work Complete, or Actual Work fields, the Actual Finish field contains last Friday's date. The % Complete and % Work Complete fields are set to 100, and the actual work value equals the value in the Work field.
Remarks When you specify that a task is 100 percent complete, Project automatically adjusts the actual finish date based on either the current status date or the scheduled finish date. The one used depends on your calculation preferences. To examine and set these preferences, click Options on the Tools menu, and then click the Calculation tab. Select or clear the four check boxes starting with the Move end of completed parts after status date back to status date check box according to your calculation preferences for this project.
To set the status date to a date other than today's date, click Project Information on the Project menu, and then enter the date in the Status date box.