Nancy asks, “I have been a project controller for about seven years. I have a problem that I cant figure out. My % Complete column has stopped calculating. Also, the Actual Duration and Remaining Duration are not being updated either. Actual Duration is always zero even though its well into the task. So Remaining Duration equals Duration. What would cause that?”

Answer: This one is really puzzling. After reviewing the MPP file sent, I wasn’t able to see why the % completed doesn’t calculate. I have checked the settings which, are all fine. Then I exported the project into an XML file and re-imported it ( just in case the schedule is corrupt); but this didn’t change the behavior (which is a bummer).

I’ve also noticed that some % completed updates actually work. Task 31, for example, works fine, but Task 3 doesn’t work at all in regards to the % complete. It seems that a combination of settings and corruption could create this effect. So here’s how I suggest you make it work. (I assume this isn’t a Project Server environment, but only an MPP file.)

1. Save the project as an XML file.
2. Open the XML file in Microsoft Project and create a new project.
3. Go to tools | option. Within the Calculate Tab select “Updating Task Status updates Resource Status.”
4. Save the project.

Nancy replies: “Well, thank goodness! It’s in a Project Server environment, so I skipped steps 1 and 2. It still worked. Thank you so much!”