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Progress lines in Microsoft Project

by | reviewed 01/09/2023
Learn how to use progress lines in Microsoft Project to show:
  • project status at a glance
  • tasks that are on schedule
  • tasks ahead of schedule or behind schedule
Table of Contents:
  1. What are progress lines in Microsoft Project?
  2. How to show progress lines
  3. Video - how to show progress lines in Microsoft Project
  4. Progress lines - options available
  5. Read more guides on using Microsoft Project

What are progress lines in Microsoft Project?

Progress lines show whether tasks are behind, or right on schedule. They appear as vertical lines on the Gantt Chart view. You can:
  • Display progress lines at regular intervals
  • Display progress lines based on a specific status date
  • Display progress lines for specific dates you select
  • Display progress lines compared with the baseline plan

The progress lines can be a little difficult to interpret. The lines drag left for tasks that are behind schedule, right for tasks that are ahead of schedule, and are straight for tasks that are on track. Lets look at this more closely:

A screenshot of Progress Lines in Microsoft Project. The lines appear on the Gantt chart and tasks behind schedule are shown by a v shape to the left. Tasks on track are shown by a straight line.
Tasks behind schedule are shown by a v shape to the left. Tasks that are on track are shown by a straight line.

In this example the progress lines are shown against a project status date of 23/03 (Status date is set under Project > Project Information). The black lines on the task bars indicate % completion.

  • Task 1 is 75% complete, but it was due to finish on 20/03 so it is behind schedule. The progress line drags to the left.
  • Task 2 was completed on schedule. The progress line is straight down.
  • Task 3 is 50% complete, but behind schedule, it should be 80% complete by the status date.
  • Task 4 is not started and behind schedule as it is was due to be completed on 23/03.
  • Task 5 is ahead of schedule. The progress line is vertical and the task % completion is ahead.
  • Task 6 is on track. The progress line is vertical and the % complete is on track.

You have probably noticed that the progress line depends on the percentage complete field in the Task Information dialog box. The spikes connect to the point on the task bar that represents the task's percentage complete. For instance, if a task is 50% complete, the spike connects to the middle of the taskbar.

How to show progress lines

Go to Tools > Tracking > Progress lines.
show progress lines by going to Tools, Tracking & Progress Lines
To show progress lines go to Tools, Tracking & Progress Lines.

In Microsoft Project 2010 Choose Format > Format > Gridlines > Progress Lines

Choose your options in the dialog box. To show the lines from "At project status date" you will need to set the Project Status date under Project > Project Information.
A screenshot of the progress lines dialog box in Microsoft Project. The Date and Intervals tab is selected
Progress Line options on the Dates and Intervals tab.

Select the line style in the "Line Styles" tab.
progress lines, line styles tab on the dialog box
Progress Line options on the Line Styles tab.

Click OK. Progress lines will appear in the Gantt View.

You can also display progress lines, by right-clicking on the Gantt chart view and selecting Progress Lines from the dropdown menu.

Video - how to show progress lines in Microsoft Project

Watch how to show progress lines in Microsoft Project!
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Progress lines - options available

You can choose the when, how and what is displayed in the Progress Lines dialog box.

Dates and Intervals tab

The "Dates and Intervals" tab allows you to configure how progress lines are displayed on your Gantt chart. You can choose to display a progress line at the current date, status date, or any other date of interest. The line appears centered over the selected date. Additionally, you can set up progress lines at specific intervals within the project schedule.

Current Progress Line

  • Display:
    • At project status date: This option shows the progress line at the project status date. The status date is a specific point in time that you choose to measure project progress against. You can set the status date in the Project Information dialog box, under the Project tab.
    • At current date: This option displays the progress line at the current date, which is today’s date.

Recurring Intervals

  • Display progress lines:

    • Daily: This option shows progress lines for each day.

    • Weekly: This option allows you to show progress lines on a weekly basis.

      • every [ ] week on: You can specify the interval of weeks (e.g., every 1 week, every 2 weeks) and select specific days of the week (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun) when progress lines should be displayed.

    • Monthly: This option allows you to show progress lines on a monthly basis.

    • Begin at: You can specify the starting point for displaying recurring progress lines. This can be set to the project start date or a specific date of your choosing.

Selected Progress Lines

  • Display: This section lists specific dates where progress lines are shown. You can add or remove dates as needed.
    • Delete: This button allows you to remove selected progress lines from the list.

Display Progress Lines in Relation to

  • Actual plan: By default, Actual Plan is selected, meaning the lines are displayed in relation to the current schedule.
  • Baseline plan: The progress line is drawn to represent the percent complete as applied to the baseline schedule, even if the date does not fall on a scheduled taskbar.

Buttons

  • OK: Applies the selected settings and closes the dialog box.
  • Cancel: Discards any changes and closes the dialog box.

Line Styles tab

The "Line Styles" tab in the Progress Lines dialog box in Microsoft Project allows you to customize the appearance of progress lines in your Gantt chart. Here are the options available in this tab and their functions:

Progress Line Type

  • Progress line type: This section displays different styles of progress lines. You can choose from a variety of predefined progress line types to visually differentiate progress lines on the Gantt chart.

Line Style

  • Line type:

    • Current progress line: This dropdown allows you to select the style of the current progress line. You can choose from different line styles such as solid, dashed, or dotted lines.
    • All other progress lines: This dropdown allows you to select the style for all other progress lines (not the current one).

  • Line color:

    • Current progress line: This dropdown lets you choose the color of the current progress line. You can select a specific color or leave it on automatic.
    • All other progress lines: This dropdown lets you choose the color for all other progress lines. You can select a specific color or leave it on automatic.

  • Progress point shape:

    • Current progress line: This dropdown allows you to choose the shape of the progress points on the current progress line. Options might include shapes like circles, squares, or diamonds.
    • All other progress lines: This dropdown allows you to choose the shape of the progress points for all other progress lines.

  • Progress point color:

    • Current progress line: This dropdown lets you select the color of the progress points on the current progress line. You can choose a specific color or leave it on automatic.
    • All other progress lines: This dropdown lets you select the color of the progress points for all other progress lines. You can choose a specific color or leave it on automatic.

Date Display

  • Show date for each progress line: This checkbox allows you to display the date for each progress line on the Gantt chart.
    • Format: This dropdown lets you select the date format for the progress line dates.
    • Change Font: This button allows you to change the font used for displaying the dates.

Buttons

  • OK: Applies the selected settings and closes the dialog box.
  • Cancel: Discards any changes and closes the dialog box.

These settings allow you to customize the visual representation of progress lines, making it easier to track project progress and distinguish between different progress intervals on your Gantt chart.

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Read more guides on using Microsoft Project