Actual and Forecast Start/Finish Dates for Cost Progress

Actual Start/Finish Dates

PM Compass checks the actual dates that you entered using the Enter Cost Progress form against the forecast dates specified for the work package.  

• If the Actual Start/Finish dates that you entered for a work package are later than the Forecast Start/Finish dates, the Actual Start/Finish dates are displayed on a red background in the grid.  

• If the Actual Start/Finish dates that you entered for a work package are earlier than or equal to the Forecast Start/Finish date, the Actual Start/Finish dates are displayed on a green background in the grid.

You can only modify the Actual Start/Finish dates if the Allow Editing Actual Dates option was previously selected on the Progress Tab of the System Settings form.

Forecast Start/Finish Dates

PM Compass checks the forecast dates that you entered if they are earlier or later than the forecast dates specified for the work package.

• If the Forecast Start/Finish dates that you entered are earlier than the original Forecast Start/Finish dates, the new Forecast Start/Finish dates are displayed on a green background in the grid.

• If the Forecast Start/Finish dates that you entered are later than the original Forecast Start/Finish dates, the new Forecast Start/Finish dates are displayed on a red background in the grid.

Date Rules

These rules apply to Cobra regardless of whether the option to require actual dates is selected or not.

• The milestone forecast date = MS actual finish date when milestone is 100%.

• If the work package Actual Start date field is blank and the milestone Actual Finish date field is not blank, set the work package Actual Start and Forecast = earliest milestone Actual Finish.

• If the work package Actual Finish date field is blank and all milestones = 100%, set the work package Actual Finish and Forecast Finish = latest milestone Actual Finish.

• If the milestone Actual Finish date is earlier than the work package Actual Start date, set the work package Actual Start and Forecast Start = milestone Actual Finish.

• If the milestone Actual Finish date is later than the work package Actual Finish date, set the work package Actual Finish and Forecast Finish = milestone Actual Finish.

• Work package dates are not disabled so you can change the dates on the General tab of the Enter Cost Progress form. The validations remain in effect even if the work package Start date changes and milestones exist.

• If the Require Actual Dates option is selected on the Progress tab of the System Settings form, the option applies to the milestones and uses the Status date or milestone Finish date.

• If the Allow Editing Actual Dates option is selected on the Progress tab of the System Settings form, the option applies to the milestones and the updated dates are copied to the work package. For example, the earliest Finish date of the milestone becomes the actual Start date for the work package.

• The Finish date cannot be earlier than the Start date.

• You cannot enter an Actual Finish date if there is no Actual Start date.

• When you enter an Actual Start date, the Forecast Start date is updated with the Actual Start date that you entered, and the Forecast Start date field is disabled. The status then changes to In-progress.

• When you enter an Actual Finish date, the Forecast Finish date is updated with the Actual Finish date that you entered, and the Forecast Finish date field is disabled. The status then changes to Completed.

• The forecast date cannot be earlier or the same as the status date.

• The work package is automatically updated by the milestone or Status step. If the milestone is given an actual date, the work package also gets an actual date and the status is updated to In-progress.

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