Write the monthly schedule update

By the end of this workflow you have the written narrative that goes with a monthly schedule submittal: what progressed, how the critical path moved, what changed in the schedule, and the delays and weather behind it.

Who does this#

The project's scheduler or project manager: an Editor or an Admin. See Who can see and do what.

Before you start#

• The narrative needs a point to compare against. Each time you move the data date forward in Update progress…, Ganttry first keeps a snapshot of the schedule as it stood before that update. The narrative compares the schedule now with the latest snapshot. If you have never moved the data date forward, the dialog says no earlier update is saved yet.
• Apply this period's update first (see Update progress and the data date).
• If you track contract days, log this period's weather days in the contract-day ledger first; the narrative reads them.

Steps#

1. 1
   Open the narrative. In the editor choose Tools ▾ → Update progress… and press Schedule update narrative…. From Reports (see the Reports page), pick Schedule update narrative in the library and press Open schedule update narrative….
2. 2
   Read the draft. The Schedule update narrative dialog names the update period and drafts four sections from what changed since the last update:

   • Progress this period: tasks completed and started, the overall percent complete moved, and earned value when the tasks carry costs.
   • Critical path: how far the forecast finish moved, in calendar days, and the tasks that joined or left the critical path.
   • Schedule changes: tasks added and removed, duration changes and logic changes, each link spelled out.
   • Delays, weather & upcoming work: the next 30 days of work, and your own notes on delays.

3. 3
   Edit it. Every section is plain text you can rewrite. Add the story behind the numbers: the rain week, the late steel, the owner's change. Your text is kept for this project and this data date.
4. 4
   Start again if you need to. Replace my text with Ganttry’s draft throws away your edits and puts the generated text back.
5. 5
   Send it. Open PDF makes a letterhead narrative with the detailed change lists under each section. Copy as text puts the whole narrative on the clipboard, ready to paste into an email.

6. 6
   Add the quality report, if it is asked for. To send the schedule quality report with the narrative, see Check the schedule before you submit it.

Good to know#

• Your edits stay on this computer. The text you type is saved on the device you typed it on, for that project and data date. Finish and send the narrative from one computer.
• Weather and contract days. When the project uses the contract-day ledger, the last section also reports days charged against days allowed, the forecast, and the weather and suspension days logged this period.
• Two updates are kept. Ganttry keeps the snapshots of the two most recent updates, inside the project, so they travel with it. It takes at most one a day, and only when the data date moves forward, so correcting today's update doesn't use up the comparison.
• Comparing other points in time. The narrative always compares against the latest snapshot. To look at the project as it stood at an earlier save, open History… and press Look on that row, read-only; Compare with now lists what moved, was added or was removed since. Save a version… at each update keeps that point in History by name. New project from this still makes a separate copy, without bookings or assignments. See Find and restore an earlier version.