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How to View Actual Timesheet Hours in Project Online
Question details
Users need to accurately view the actual hours worked from timesheets in Project Online and Project Desktop, avoiding discrepancies caused by automated percentage-complete calculations.
- Product
- Project Online
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Tracking project progress and comparing actual work against planned work using timesheet data.
- Observed behavior
- Actual hours in Project Desktop may differ from Project Online timesheets when progress is auto-calculated using planned work and percentage complete instead of approved timesheet data.
Ensure that all team members have submitted their timesheets for the reporting period and that the project manager has properly approved and imported them into the system.
Verify Approvals and Add Actual Work to Usage Views
Check the timesheet approval status and adjust your Project Desktop views to display the actual time-phased work correctly.
Timesheet data will only reflect in your project file once it has been successfully approved and imported. Using the Task Usage or Resource Usage views is the most reliable way to verify these hours time-phased by day or week.
Log into Project Online as an administrator or project manager and verify that all submitted timesheets have been approved and the updates have been published to the project.
Open your project in Project Desktop. Navigate to the 'View' tab on the ribbon and select either 'Task Usage' or 'Resource Usage' to see a detailed breakdown of tasks and resources.
Right-click anywhere on the time-phased grid (the calendar area on the right side of the screen) and select 'Actual Work' from the context menu. This will display the actual hours imported from the timesheets.
Compare the newly displayed time-phased Actual Work values with the originally submitted timesheets to confirm that the synchronization was successful.
Set a Baseline and Status Date
Establish a project baseline and status date to properly evaluate actual timesheet work against your original planned estimates.
Manage Project Data and Track Hours with WPS Office
While WPS Office cannot fix internal synchronization issues within Microsoft Project Online, it offers a robust, free spreadsheet tool perfect for tracking timesheets, managing project milestones, and calculating actual hours manually without unexpected auto-sync errors.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Visit the official WPS Office website to download the free suite and install it on your device.
- 2. Open a Timesheet Template: Launch WPS Spreadsheet, go to the Template Library, and search for 'Timesheet' to find a ready-to-use time tracking document.
- 3. Track and Export Hours: Input your team's planned and actual work hours, calculate totals automatically, and save the file in .xlsx format for easy sharing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Project Desktop show different actual hours than my submitted timesheets?
This discrepancy usually occurs when project progress is being calculated based on the planned work and a percentage complete, rather than syncing directly with the approved timesheet data.
How do I view actual work in the time-phased grid?
In Project Desktop, switch to the Task Usage or Resource Usage view. Right-click the time-phased grid area on the right and select 'Actual Work' from the context menu to display the hours.
Does marking a task as complete automatically update actual hours?
If a task is marked 100% complete, Project may default to using the initially planned duration and work as the actual values. It is highly recommended to manually verify and use approved timesheet hours instead.
Can remaining work be calculated automatically from timesheets?
While Project can recalculate remaining work by subtracting actual work from planned work, it is best treated as an estimate. Project managers should manually review remaining work to account for changing scopes or unexpected delays.
