Troubleshooting

Earned Value Fields All Show Zeros

I've displayed each of the earned value tables described in this chapter, and all my tasks show zero values in the earned value fields. What am I doing wrong?

The earned value fields are calculated only up to the status date (or the current date, if you haven't defined a status date). Even then, these fields are zero if you haven't captured data into the baseline that's being used for earned value calculations. Therefore, you should first check the status date by choosing Project, Project Information. You should also check to see which baseline is being used for earned value by choosing Tools, Options, and then selecting the Calculation tab and clicking the Earned Value button. The baseline that appears in the Baseline for Earned Value field should have the date when it was saved next to its name . If there is no date, you haven't captured that baseline.

Displaying Variances in a Consolidated File

I'm using Project Standard, and I've combined all my projects into a consolidated file in order to get an overview of my project portfolio. However, the project-level variances for each inserted project display as zero. How do I get the project-level variances and earned value indicators to calculate in a consolidated file?

Project automatically rolls up the baseline values for all tasks to the built-in project summary task (ID number 0). But when that project is inserted into a consolidated file, the project summary task you see in the consolidated file is a surrogate for the project summary in the source fileit's really a task defined in the consolidated file. Project does not copy the baseline field values to the surrogate summary task in the consolidated file. Therefore, you do not automatically get any of the variances at the project level for the inserted projects.

The quickest resolution of this problem is to follow these steps:

1. Insert all the projects into the consolidated file. Leave each project collapsed (with subtasks hidden).

2. Apply the Baseline table to the view in the consolidated file. Choose View, Table, Baseline. Columns for all the task baseline fields then appear.

3. If you call the first inserted project file by the name Project A for now, open Project A in its own window and display the Baseline table in that file, also. Also display the project summary task (by choosing Tools, Options, selecting the View tab, and selecting Show Project Summary Task).

4. Select the cells in the baseline columns in the first row of the Project A file. Copy those cells to the Clipboard by pressing Ctrl+C.

5. Select those same cells values in the consolidated file on the row for the surrogate task for Project A. Choose Edit, Paste Special, Paste Link.

6. Repeat this procedure for each inserted file.

When you've done this for all the subprojects , you will be able to display and compare variances and earned value indicators for the projects in your portfolio.