How is % complete calculated?

I built one of our first project plans yesterday after getting a working template set up. However, the %age complete on the project is very wrong.

Here's how it's made up

Initiation - 5 tasks in Initiation. All complete. Approximately 15 hours of effort.
Definition - 20 tasks broken down into 5 subtasks. Its 95% complete. Approximately 100 hours of effort.
Implementation - 150 tasks. None complete. Approximately 400 hours worth of effort.
Cutover & Launch - 12 tasks. None Complete. Approximately 50 hours worth of effort.
Handover & Closure - 5 tasks. None Complete. 4 hours worth of effort.

How does it calculate that my project is 61% complete?

More importantly, what can I do to get an actual figure which takes into account the actual effort required? It feels like the product is missing key tools like this.

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John_Foster

Hi @Tony Platts,

The reason why the project shows as 61% complete, is because the % is weighted based on the number of days in a section, so based on this, you have completed the Initiation which covers 341 days of the total of 488 days for the whole project.

I have had similar issues with projects in the past. We have changed the way that the project completion % is viewed and focus more on the sub-sections of a project rather than the top line of the project.

Thanks,
John

Tony Platts

The challenge there is that there was a 4 month gap between the first activities and the client moving forward. And whilst I can understand the concept of focusing on subsections, calculating Earned Value is done at project level.

Tony Platts

I get the feeling that this is going to be another two hidden rows, that mutliply the %complete by the work as a way to factor in Earned Value.

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