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Function documentationMilestone Trend Analysis

 

The milestone trend analysis (MTA) is a tool that can be used to analyze the progress of a project while it is executed. It monitors the planned dates of a project's milestones and enables you to compare the current dates to those planned at previous planning stages. As a result of this, you can recognize deviations from the original schedule and react to them at an early stage.

You can display the milestone trend analysis in your projects on a special Milestone Trend Analysis view.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites for using the milestone trend analysis in your projects:

  • You have activated the milestone trend analysis for your project types in Customizing for SAP Portfolio and Project Management under Start of the navigation path Project Management Next navigation step Structure Next navigation step Define Project Types End of the navigation path.

  • If required, you have adjusted the standard configuration of the milestone trend analysis to your particular needs in Customizing for SAP Portfolio and Project Management under Start of the navigation path Project Management Next navigation step Global Enhancements to Project Elements Next navigation step Business Add-Ins (BAdIs) Next navigation step BAdI: Milestone Trend Analysis End of the navigation path.

Prerequisites for printing the milestone trend analysis as a PDF document:

  • The Adobe Reader or the corresponding plug-in is installed on your computer.

  • You have created and activated the required PDF forms in Customizing for SAP Portfolio and Project Management under Start of the navigation path Project Management Next navigation step Basic Settings Next navigation step Forms for Printing and for Project Status Reports End of the navigation path.

Features

Data of the Milestone Trend Analysis

The milestone trend analysis is based on the following project data:

It can only provide useful information, if the project participants responsible for individual milestones regularly update the planned dates of the milestone tasks, and if these updates are documented in snapshots.

For each milestone task of a project, the milestone trend analysis displays the planned finish dates saved in the individual snapshots as well as the current project data. On the General tab page of your user settings, you can specify whether you want to see the earliest or the latest dates. Note, however, that this setting is also valid for other functions, such as the Gantt chart of your project.

Representation of the MTA Data

The data of the milestone trend analysis can be represented as an MTA chart or as a table using the SAP List Viewer (ALV).

In the MTA chart, the milestone dates, which are indicated on the vertical axis, are plotted against the snapshot creation dates, which are indicated on the horizontal axis. The milestone date from the current project is plotted against the current date. Each milestone is represented in the chart by a line on which the snapshots are indicated by dots. The tooltips of these dots provide information on the name and date of the milestone and the snapshot.

The ALV table contains a line for each milestone with information on the type and status of the milestone task and the corresponding phase. For each snapshot, an extra column is displayed which shows the planned finished dates of the milestones with the snapshot creation date added in the bottom line. The last column displays the current milestone data and the current date.

You can hide or display the ALV table by pressing the corresponding toggle button. In this way, you increase or decrease the width of the MTA chart.

Functions of the Milestone Trend Analysis

The following functions support you when analyzing the MTA data:

  • Accessing the milestone data in a snapshot or project

    By double-clicking the corresponding cell in the ALV table, you can navigate to the Dates and Work tab page of a milestone task within a snapshot or the current project.

  • Sorting and filtering the milestone tasks

    You can use the standard ALV settings and functions to sort and filter the columns of the ALV table. The MTA chart and the ALV table always display the same data. For this reason, any filter applied to the ALV table is also reflected in the MTA chart.

  • Exporting the MTA data

    You can use the standard ALV functionality to export the MTA data contained in the ALV table to Microsoft Excel.

  • Printing the milestone trend analysis

    You can use the standard ALV functionality to print the ALV table.

    You can print the MTA chart as a graphic by choosing Start of the navigation path Print Next navigation step As Graphic End of the navigation path. The graphic is displayed in the browser and can be saved or printed using standard browser functionality.

    You can print the milestone trend analysis as a PDF document by choosingStart of the navigation path Print Next navigation step As PDF End of the navigation path. The content and layout of the document are determined by the PDF form used. Depending on your Customizing settings, this form is chosen automatically, or you can select it in a dialog box. The document is displayed and can be printed in the Adobe Reader.