Progress Overview

Use Progress to progress schedule or cost data and approve the information before updating the schedule or cost system. Scheduled alerts and workflow facilitate the process by notifying users when they need to update or approve progress.

The Progress type is provided with the system and preset. Progress entries are generated automatically and used to store the progress for the activity and work package until it is approved. Then the Update Source step action places the value into the source system.

Progress is different from other workflow types in the following ways.

It is not displayed on the menu. The option Show Workflow on Menu in Workflow Type Configuration cannot be selected.
It does not appear in the List View.
The Form Designer isn’t relevant because there is no Progress form.
It is not available in the list of workflow types when creating a new Progress entry.
Workflow cannot be edited when there is any in-progress workflow for a progress entry.
It cannot be copied to create another workflow type with the Progress category.
It cannot be deleted or made inactive.
It is not available for a user to select in the Create Workflow workflow action.
Workflow can be edited even when there is in-progress workflow.
It allows the user to schedule when the system checks to see if progress entries should be created.

Progress is entered at the lowest level, either against activities in the schedule or work packages in the cost system. For example, if a work package contains milestones, the milestones are progressed. Similarly, only the lowest level activities can be progressed. Progress is approved and rejected at the activity or work package level.

The user who enters the progress is defined in a code on the activity, work package, or control account; not the resource assigned to the activity. For example, a CAM does not have to be the resource assigned to the activity in order to progress the activities that are associated with the control account. The users who enter and approve progress are defined by a system setting that identifies what user fields contain the assigned user, and the assignments stored in those fields in each project.

Review Configure Progress for the steps needed in order for Progress to function correctly.

Important: When you enter progress, you have to submit progress for all entries in your list regardless of whether or not you enter progress for every record. This shows the approver that you have completed your progress for this period and they can log in and approve everything. For example, you have a list of four tasks and you enter progress for the first two. The other two tasks are scheduled to start next week. Even though you don't enter any progress for those two tasks, you still have to select and submit them for approval. If you only submit the first two, the two that start next week display as pending progress entries.

Tip: The easiest way to make sure you submit everything is to click Select » Select All on the progress grid toolbar before you click Submit.

To see all progress entries that are in the system waiting for progress, run the Pending Progress report. This report should be the first step taken to determine why the progress view isn’t showing records.

Important Progress Concepts

The following are important concepts relating to progress.

You cannot enter remaining quantities on activities that are considered subprojects (or parent activities).
Progress is approved and rejected at the activity or work package level. You cannot reject a single ETC on an activity, nor can you reject a single milestone or assignment % complete below the work package.
The work package manager field is stored in the same manager field on the CAWP table. It can be updated in Cobra.
You cannot create progress entries when the EVT is a planning package.