Track a Project Plan

When you track your project, you monitor task progress and, often, compare what has occurred with what you planned. That way, you know if you need to adjust the schedule so that you can keep to the original deadline. Microsoft Project will:

Display both your original estimates — such as the length of a task — and the actual data.
Calculate and display the difference between your original estimates and actual data.
Simplify the process for updating your plan with actual data.
Calculate the effect of updates on the schedule.