dspTrack

Calculate Schedule Status

The Schedule Status for a task indicates whether a task is on time, behind or late.

Using Warn Thresholds, dspTrack™ can give users a nuanced understanding of a task’s schedule status so that resources can be allocated or a project plan can be updated before the plan becomes late.

These thresholds are set at the plan level and expressed as percentages of the entire duration of a task.

Schedule status displays for tasks on the Work List and the Plan Task page. Schedule status is calculated for tasks in both active and inactive plans.

The Schedule Status icon is a circle that displays in a color that indicates the task’s schedule status. A green icon means the task is on time according to the project plan. A yellow icon indicates the task is behind. A red icon indicates the task is late.

NOTE: Work List items added on the Work List Setup page are not associated with projects or plans, and the schedule status is calculated based on the planned finish date. A Work List item’s schedule status is green until the current date is later than the planned finish date, at which point the schedule status is red. It does not turn yellow.

The schedule status is calculated using:

Warn Thresholds
Schedule Status Outlook
The Critical Path
The Current Date/Time

Refer to Set Parameters for Schedule Status Calculation.

Warn Thresholds

Thresholds can be set around the start or end of work on a task.

Pre Start Warn and Post Start Warn Thresholds

If work has not started on a task (the task is in Ready or Waiting on Dependency status), the Pre Start Warn Threshold marks the point in time prior to the planned start date that the task’s schedule status is behind and its Schedule Status icon becomes yellow.

If work on the task has not started, the Post Start Warn Threshold marks the point in time after the planned start date that the task’s schedule status is late and its Schedule Status icon becomes red.

If the Pre Start Warn threshold is set to 0, and the Post Start Warn threshold is greater than 0, dspTrack™ treats the planned start date as the Pre Start Warn threshold. Once the planned start date has passed, if work on a task has not started, the task’s schedule status is behind and its Schedule Status icon becomes yellow.
If the Pre Start Warn threshold is greater than 0 and the Post Start Warn threshold is set to 0, dspTrack™ treats the planned start date as the Post Start Warn threshold. When the Pre Start Warn date has passed, if work on a task has not started, the task will be behind and the Schedule Status icon displays as yellow. When the planned start date has passed, if work on the task has not started, the task will be late and the Schedule Status icon displays as red.
If both Pre Start Warn and Post Start Warn thresholds are 0, dspTrack™ will treat the planned start date as the Post Start Warn threshold. If the planned start date passes and work on a task has not started, the task will move from an on-time status to a late status, and the Schedule Status icon will change from green to red. It will not display yellow.

Pre End Warn and Post End Warn Thresholds

If work has started on a task (the task is in a status of In Progress), the Pre End Warn Threshold sets the point in time prior to the planned finish date that the task’s schedule status is behind and its Schedule Status icon becomes yellow.

If work on the task has started (the task is in a status of In Progress), the Post Start Warn Threshold sets the point in time after the planned finish date that the task’s schedule status is late and its Schedule Status icon becomes red.

If the Pre End Warn threshold is set to 0, and the Post End Warn threshold is greater than 0, dspTrack™ treats the planned finish date as the Pre End Warn threshold. Once the planned finish date has passed, if work on a task has not completed, the task’s schedule status is behind and its Schedule Status icon becomes yellow.
If the Pre End Warn threshold is greater than 0 and the Post End Warn threshold is set to 0, dspTrack™ will treat the planned finish date as the Post End Warn threshold. When the Pre End Warn date has passed, if work on a task has not started, the task will be behind and the Schedule Status icon displays as yellow. When the planned finish date has passed, if work on a task has not completed, the task will be late and the Schedule Status icon displays as red.
If both Pre End Warn and Post End Warn thresholds are 0, dspTrack™ will treat the planned finish date as the Post End Warn threshold. If the planned finish date passes and work on a task has not finished, the task will move from an on-time status to a late status, and the Schedule Status icon will change from green to red. It will not display yellow.

Schedule Status Outlook

The Schedule Status Outlook can also affect the schedule status.

It can be set at the plan level on the Plan page’s Vertical View on the Status Configuration tab or at the task level on the Plan Task page’s Vertical View on the Additional Information tab.

Values are:

Inherit- A task’s schedule status settings are inherited from the plan level. This value is available at the plan task level only.
Optimistic - A task’s schedule status can improve. For example, a task passes the Post-Start Warn threshold and its Schedule Status icon is red. Work on the task begins. The Schedule Status icon for the task changes to green.
Pessimistic - A task’s schedule status cannot improve. The schedule status either does not change or becomes worse. For example, if work on a task has not started and the Pre Start Warn threshold has passed, the Schedule Status icon for that task is yellow. Depending on how work proceeds on the task, the task’s Schedule Status icon remains yellow or changes to red, but will never be green, even if the task is back on schedule.

NOTE: The task’s schedule status can improve if the Status Outlook is updated from pessimistic to optimistic.

Tasks on the Critical Path

Schedule status calculations take the critical path into account. If a task is in the critical path and it is late, all tasks that are also in the critical path that occur after the late task are also late.

A task is in the critical path if it is marked as part of the critical path in Microsoft Project and imported into dspTrack™.

These tasks on the critical path display with a red icon until the earliest, incomplete task in the critical path is back on schedule.

NOTE: If a task on the critical path is late, the task’s plan is also late.

Set Parameters for Schedule Status Calculation

To set parameters for schedule status calculation at the plan level:

Select Project in the Navigation pane.
Click Plans for a project.
Click Vertical View for a plan.
Click the Status Configuration tab.
Click Edit.

View the field descriptions for the Plan page’s Vertical View Status Configuration tab
Enter a value in the Pre Start Warn Threshold field.

NOTE: This threshold is the percent of the task duration prior to the planned start date as compared to the total duration of a task.

For example, there are five days between a task’s planned start date and planned finish date. A user sets the Pre Start Warn threshold to 20 (i.e., 20%). The task is behind and the task’s Schedule Status icon is yellow one day prior to the planned start date for the task.
Enter a value in the Post Start Warn Threshold field.

NOTE: This threshold is the percent of the task duration after the planned start date as compared to the total duration of the task. For example, there are five days between a task’s planned start date and planned finish date. A user sets the Post Start Warn threshold to 20 (i.e., 20%). The task is late, the task’s Schedule Status icon is red one day after the planned start date for the task.

NOTE: If neither a Pre Start Warn or Post Start Warn threshold is supplied, a task’s planned start date is used to determine whether a task is on time or late. In this case, the task’s Schedule Status icon is either green or red, but will not display yellow.
Enter a value in the Pre End Warn Threshold field.

NOTE: This threshold is the percent of the task duration prior to the planned finish date as compared to the total task duration. For example, there are five days between a task’s planned start date and planned finish date. A user sets the Pre End Warn threshold to 20 (i.e., 20%). The task is behind and the task’s Schedule Status icon is yellow one day prior to the planned finish date for the task.
Enter a value in the Post End Warn Threshold field.

NOTE: This threshold is the percent of the task duration after the planned finish date as compared to the total task duration. For example, there are five days between a task’s planned start date and planned finish date. A user sets the Post End Warn threshold to 20 (i.e., 20%). The task is late and the task’s Schedule Status icon is red one day after the planned finish date for the task.

NOTE: If neither a Pre End Warn or Post End Warn threshold is supplied, a task’s planned finish date is used to determine whether a task is on time or late. In this case, the task’s Schedule Status icon is either green or red, but will not display yellow.
Select an option in the Schedule Status Outlook ID list box.

NOTE: Values are:
- Optimistic - A task’s schedule status can improve. For example, a task passes the Post-Start Warn threshold and its Schedule Status icon is red. Work on the task begins. The Schedule Status icon for the task changes to green.
- Pessimistic - A task’s schedule status cannot improve. The schedule status either does not change or becomes worse. For example, if work on a task had not started after the Pre Start Warn threshold has passed the Schedule Status icon for that task is yellow. Depending on how work proceeds on the task, the task’s Schedule Status icon remains yellow or changes to red, but will never be green, even if the task is back on schedule.
NOTE: The Schedule Status Outlook ID setting is required at the plan level and can be overridden at the task level.
Click Save.

To override the Schedule Status Outlook ID setting at the plan task level:

Select Project in the Navigation pane.
Click Plans for a project.
Click Tasks for plan.
Click Vertical View for a task.
Click the Status Configuration tab.
Click Edit.

View the field descriptions for the Plan page’s Vertical View Status Configuration tab
Select an option in the Schedule Status Outlook ID list box.

NOTE: Values are:
- Inherit - A task’s schedule status settings are inherited from the plan level.
- Optimistic - A task’s schedule status can improve. For example, a task passes the Post-Start Warn threshold and its Schedule Status icon is red. Work on the task begins. The Schedule Status icon for the task changes to green.
- Pessimistic - A task’s schedule status cannot improve. The schedule status either does not change or becomes worse. For example, if work on a task has not started and the Pre Start Warn threshold has passed, the Schedule Status icon for that task is yellow. Depending on how work proceeds on the task, the task’s Schedule Status icon remains yellow or changes to red, but will never be green, even if the task is back on schedule.
NOTE: If no selection is made, Inherit is used.
Click Save.