Project Setup
Progress Summary
Activity Progress Register
| # | WBS / No. | Activity Description | Weight (%) | Planned Start | Planned Finish | Planned % | Actual % | Progress (Plan vs Actual) | Variance (pts) | Status |
|---|
Progress by Activity — Planned vs Actual
Physical Progress S-Curve
About this physical progress dashboard
This dashboard works out overall project physical progress from a weighted activity register and compares it against where the programme said you should be. It is built for project managers, planners, resident engineers and cost control staff who have to report a single defensible progress figure each month and be able to show how it was arrived at.
How progress is calculated
Overall progress is the weighted average of the individual activities. Each activity carries a weight representing its share of the total work, and its percentage complete is multiplied by that weight. An activity worth 20% of the project that is half done contributes 10 percentage points to the total. The register keeps a running weight total so you can confirm it sums to 100%.
Planned against actual
- Planned progress — where the programme says you should be at the data date, derived from each activity's schedule dates
- Actual progress — where you really are, from measured field data
- Progress variance — actual minus planned, in percentage points
- Activities behind / ahead / complete — counted against your tolerance
Because both figures are weighted the same way, the comparison is like for like. The data date drives the planned side, so moving it re-baselines the comparison without touching your field data.
Getting the weights right
Weightage is normally based on cost or man-hours, because those reflect effort. Basing it on duration is the common mistake — a long activity consuming very little resource would then dominate the progress figure and mask what is actually happening. Weights must total 100%, and the dashboard shows the running total so a mis-keyed weight is visible immediately.
The tolerance setting
The on-track tolerance is the band, in percentage points, within which an activity counts as on programme rather than ahead or behind. Set it to reflect how tightly the works are genuinely controlled: raising it reduces the number of flagged activities, which flatters the report without changing reality.
Physical progress is not cost progress
This dashboard measures work completed, not money spent. The two routinely diverge — spend can run ahead through advance payments and procurement, or behind through slow certification. Read this alongside the cash flow S-curve, or use earned value analysis to separate schedule performance from cost performance formally.
Frequently asked questions
How is physical progress calculated on a construction project?
Overall physical progress is the weighted average of the progress of each activity. Every activity is given a weight reflecting its share of the total work, its percentage complete is multiplied by that weight, and the results are summed. An activity worth 20 percent of the project that is half done contributes 10 percentage points to the overall figure.
What is activity weightage and how do you assign it?
Weightage is each activity's share of the total work, and all weights must add up to 100 percent. It is normally based on cost or on man-hours, because those reflect effort rather than duration. Assigning weights by duration is a common mistake: a long activity that consumes very little resource would then distort the whole progress figure.
What is the difference between planned and actual progress?
Planned progress is where the programme says you should be at the data date, calculated from each activity's start and finish dates. Actual progress is where you really are, based on measured field data. Both are weighted the same way, so the difference between them is a like for like comparison of schedule performance.
What does progress variance in percentage points mean?
Progress variance is actual progress minus planned progress, expressed in percentage points rather than percent. A variance of plus 8.6 points means the project is 8.6 percentage points ahead of where the programme said it would be at the data date. A negative figure means it is behind.
What is the data date used for?
The data date is the as-of date the whole calculation is measured against. Planned progress is worked out by looking at how far each activity should have advanced by that date according to its schedule dates. Change the data date and the planned figure moves with it, while actual progress reflects the field data you have entered.
What is the on-track tolerance setting?
The tolerance is the band, in percentage points, within which an activity counts as on track rather than ahead or behind. Setting it to 3 means an activity within 3 points of its planned position is treated as on programme. Raising the tolerance reduces the number of activities flagged, so it should reflect how tightly the works are genuinely being controlled.
How is a physical progress S-curve different from a cost S-curve?
A physical progress S-curve plots work actually completed, measured by weighted percentage, while a cost S-curve plots money spent. They usually diverge, because spend can run ahead of production through advance payments and material procurement, or behind it through delayed certification. Reading them together is what tells you whether a variance is a real production issue or a payment timing one.
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