Milestone Field Descriptions

The fields (columns) in the Milestone sheet provide information about the milestones. MPM displays <Required> in fields that are required. You can display or hide the fields using the Column Hide command on the Format menu.

Most of the WBS fields can be displayed in the Baseline view. However, they cannot be edited and initially they are hidden in the view. For a description of the fields, see WBS Field Descriptions.

The important fields are described on the pages that follow. They are listed in the order they display in the window. To jump to a specific field description, select the field name from the list that follows. You can also scroll through the topic.

Level	Symbol
WBS ID	Complete
Milestone ID	% Complete
Description	Cum BCWP
EVM	Baseline Start
BCWP Base	Baseline Complete
Schedule Date	Last Statused Date
Forecast Date	Base WBS
Weight

Level — Level is a read-only field that displays the hierarchical level of the WBS element and shows the relationship of the element to its parent. The top element, or project level, in the WBS has a value of 1.
WBS ID — The WBS ID is a unique number assigned to each element of the WBS when the WBS is created. You cannot edit this field.
Milestone ID — This is a unique code that you enter for each milestone. It can be up to 10 characters. The ID must be unique across the entire project. The same ID cannot be used for a different work package. MPM does not sort the milestones by the Milestone ID.
Description — On a WBS row, the description is read-only and is taken from the WBS. On a milestone row, the description is a free form field that accepts up to 15 characters.
EVM — Earned Value Method (EVM) is a field on a WBS row that displays the method used to calculate BCWP for the WBS element. You select the method from the drop-down list.

If you delete an EVM from a WBS element, MPM removes all milestones from the WBS. If you assign an EVM to a WBS element that does not currently have any milestones, MPM adds default Start and Complete milestones to the WBS. You can accept, edit, or delete these default milestones.

BCWP Base — BCWP Base is a WBS field that shows which unit is to be used when calculating the BCWP for a WBS element. You can choose from five base units to be used to calculate BCWP:
Hours/Units
Prime Dollars
Total Burdened
Total Cost
Total Dollars

Total Dollars is the default value.

The BCWP Base unit should match the Baseline Estimate Type you selected in the Integrated Planning window. For example, if the estimates are being recorded as Hours, then the BCWP Base unit should also be Hours.

Schedule Date — The Schedule Date is the original date on which a milestone should be completed. The date must fall within the WBS Start and Complete dates. If you enter a Fiscal Period in the field, MPM will use the Fiscal Start date (day, month, year) from the Fiscal calendar.

If you change the Schedule Date and the Forecast Date for the milestone is blank, MPM changes the Forecast Date to match the Schedule Date.

Forecast Date — The Forecast Date is a revised Schedule Date for the milestone. If you enter a Fiscal Period in this field, MPM will use the Fiscal Complete date (day, month, year) from the Fiscal calendar. The Forecast Date defaults to the Schedule Date until it is modified.
Weight — The Weight field displays the milestone weight, where weight represents the amount of an element's cost that is earned when the milestone is met. The field can be changed only if the EVM for the element is Milestone Weights or Milestone Weights with % Complete.
Symbol — Identifies the symbol used for the milestone's schedule/forecast date on the Gantt chart. You pick the symbol from the field's drop-down list box. The default symbol is the Up Triangle.
Complete — A check mark in this field indicates that the milestone has been completed. When a milestone is marked completed, the symbol on the Gantt chart is shaded. To check or uncheck this field, double-click on the field, press the spacebar, or click on the check button at the end of the field.

For EVMs other than No EVM Required, Level of Effort (LOE), Key Event, and Apportioned, when you update the field, MPM updates the milestone's % Complete field appropriately and calculates a new percent complete and cum BCWP for the WBS.

% Complete — This field shows the cumulative percent complete.

On a WBS row, the % Complete field shows the cumulative percent complete for a WBS element if the WBS element has an EVM assigned other than No EVM Required. N/A (Not Applicable) will display for WBS elements that use an EVM of Level of Effort or Key Event.

On a milestone row, if the milestone is checked as complete, the % Complete field will display 100%. If an EVM of Milestone Weights with % Complete is used, this field holds the current percent complete value for each milestone up to 100% and will accept up to three characters of input. If you set the % Complete field to 100%, MPM will place a check mark in the Complete field. If you set the % Complete field to less than 100%, MPM will remove the check mark from the Complete field. If you update this field, MPM will calculate a new percent complete and cum BCWP for the WBS.

The % Complete value displayed is the most recent non-zero month of status, not necessarily the latest percent complete. For example, assume the % Complete values after statusing several months are: Jan 10%, Feb 20%, Mar 10%, and Apr 0%. The percent complete displayed would be March's 10%.

Cum BCWP — The Cum BCWP field displays the most recent cumulative BCWP value for the WBS element when the element has an assigned EVM. If no EVM is selected, or EVM is equal to No EVM Required, the field will be blank.

If a WBS element has been assigned an EVM of BCWP Entry or Earned Standards, you must enter a value in this field to status the element. For an EVM of BCWP Entry, updating the Cum BCWP will cause MPM to calculate a new percent complete for the WBS element. For an EVM of Earned Standards, updating the field will cause MPM to calculate a new percent complete for the WBS element, then apply that percent to the BAC of Hours to calculate a new cum BCWP for the WBS in Hours.

Baseline Start — The Baseline Start field displays the earliest start date of any baseline resources for the WBS. This field is read-only.
Baseline Complete — The Baseline Complete field displays the latest complete date of any baseline resources for the WBS. This field is read-only.
Last Statused Date — The Last Statused Date field displays the date that the work package was last statused (the last day of the fiscal month selected for the As Of Month while statusing). This date is stored by MPM and is read-only. This date is displayed on the Gantt chart as an upside down red triangle above the Gantt bar.
Base WBS — The Base WBS is required when the Apportioned EVM is used. You enter the Base WBS ID by clicking on the button $image\winm0104_wmf.gif$ at the end of the field and selecting a WBS ID from the hierarchy dialog box displayed, or by typing in the WBS ID.

You cannot use any of the following as the Base WBS ID:

A WBS designated as an apportioned effort task
A distributed WBS
The Project Level WBS
The WBS element you are working in

Other Fields

Most of the WBS fields can be displayed in the Milestone sheet. However, they cannot be edited and initially they are hidden in the view. For a description of the fields, see WBS Field Descriptions.