How to Show Monthly Remaining Work in Microsoft Project
Question details
The user needs a way to display remaining work broken down by month for individual resources.
- Product
- Microsoft Project
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Tracking resource workload and sharing monthly progress reports with project stakeholders.
- Observed behavior
- Microsoft Project calculates Remaining Work for the entire assignment or as a cumulative total, but does not display it natively as isolated monthly values in the Resource Usage view.
Ensure that your task calendars, planned work hours, and actual work values are fully updated and accurate before attempting to calculate remaining work.
Export Resource Usage Data to a Spreadsheet for Monthly Calculation
Since Microsoft Project doesn't natively break down remaining work by individual months, exporting the timescale data to a spreadsheet allows you to calculate Work minus Actual Work for each specific period.
This method is highly recommended if stakeholders need to copy and paste the monthly data, as a spreadsheet format provides better flexibility and readability than raw Project views.
Open your project, navigate to the 'View' tab, and select 'Resource Usage'. Right-click the timescale grid on the right and ensure both 'Work' and 'Actual Work' are checked.
Right-click the timescale header, select 'Timescale', and set the Middle Tier or Bottom Tier units to 'Months' so the data is aggregated monthly.
Select the rows you want to report on, copy the timescale data, and paste it into a spreadsheet program like WPS Spreadsheet or Excel. Alternatively, use Project's 'Visual Reports' or 'Export' feature.
In your spreadsheet, insert a new row beneath your data called 'Monthly Remaining Work'. Use a simple subtraction formula (Monthly Work - Monthly Actual Work) for each column.
Automate Monthly Calculations Using a VBA Macro
If you need to generate this report frequently, a custom VBA macro can automatically extract the required fields and calculate the monthly remaining work.
Analyze Project Data Effortlessly with WPS Spreadsheet
While Microsoft Project is required for scheduling tasks, analyzing and sharing the exported resource data is much easier with a dedicated spreadsheet tool. WPS Office provides a lightweight, free, and highly compatible alternative to Microsoft Office, making it the perfect platform for processing your exported project data and calculating monthly remaining work.
- 1. Download and Install: Get WPS Office for free from the official website and install it on your device.
- 2. Open Exported Data: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the .csv or .xlsx file you exported from Microsoft Project.
- 3. Apply Calculations: Use standard spreadsheet formulas to calculate the monthly remaining work for each resource.
- 4. Save and Share: Save your updated report as an .xlsx file or export it as a PDF to distribute to your project stakeholders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I display monthly remaining work directly in MS Project without exporting?
No, Microsoft Project natively calculates Remaining Work for the overall assignment or as a cumulative running total. To see isolated monthly remaining work, you must export the 'Work' and 'Actual Work' data to a spreadsheet program and subtract the actuals from the planned work per month.
Why does my Remaining Work not match my expectations?
This usually happens if task calendars, resource assignment contours, or status dates are not properly configured. Verify that your planned work and actual work values are accurate, and ensure your project status date aligns with your current reporting period.
How do I view cumulative remaining work in the Resource Usage view?
Right-click the timescale data grid area in the Resource Usage view, select 'Detail Styles', and add 'Cumulative Remaining Work' to the 'Show these fields' list. This will display the running total of remaining work over time, though not the isolated monthly drop-offs.
Are there built-in visual reports for resource work?
Yes, you can navigate to the 'Report' tab and select 'Visual Reports' or 'Resources' to generate charts like the Resource Overview. However, these built-in visual reports still rely on overall remaining work rather than specifically isolated monthly remaining work tabular data.
