If you are not leveraging the ‘Status’ Field, you don’t really know Microsoft Project.
What is the Status field
The Status field is a system-calculated task field that shows whether a task is Complete, On Schedule, Late, or Future Task. It is calculated based on the Start date, Finish date, Todays date* (actually Status date) and the % Complete of the task.
How Microsoft Project calculates Status
– Complete is set when a task reaches 100% complete.
– Future Task appears when the task start date is after the todays date.
– On Schedule is set when the % Complete covers at least through the day before the status date.
– Late is set when the timephased cumulative percent complete does not reach midnight on the day before the status date.
Let’s Demonstrate
Today is Thu 10/2/25.
Task One is 100% Complete, so the Status is shown as ‘Complete’
Task Two is ‘On Schedule’ to finish today
Task Three is planned to start tomorrow, so the Status is shown as ‘Future Task’
Task Four is easy to see why this task is ‘Late’. The % Complete is 0% telling Microsoft Project that no progress has been made.
Task Five is 50% Complete. However, Microsoft Project is still showing this task as ‘Late’. You can see a gap between the dark blue completed progress bar and the vertical today line.
Task Six is identical to Task Five, but the % Complete has been updated as of today at 80%. Microsoft Project shows this as ‘On Schedule’.
Practical ways to leverage Status to manage your schedule
1. Add the Status column to your views
2. Filter and Group by Status for focused reviews
- Create filters: Late tasks only, Future Task only, or show On Schedule to confirm healthy areas.
- Create groups by Status to drive review meetings: cover Late first, then On Schedule, then Future Task.
3. Use Status to Align Schedule with Reality
- For Late tasks, evaluate: Is the Start date accurate? Is the Duration accurate? Is the % Complete accurate. These should all align with reality.
- For Future Task items, confirm resource availability and readiness; treat them as planned upcoming work, not errors.
Tips and Traps
- *Tip: As opposed to leveraging the default ‘Todays date’. It is possible to input a ‘Status date’ and Microsoft Project will then use this date in the calculations.
- Trap: Forgetting to clear or reset the ‘Status date’ will make you crazy!
- Caution: Only focus on this Status field at the Task level. I have seen many times in which the Summary Task calculation just did not appear accurate.
Closing recommendation
Make Status a standard column in your templates and status reports. Leverage this field to help you keep your schedule in line with reality. Use Filters or Groups based on Status to structure every schedule review and corrective-action session.
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