Progress Tracking Overview and Recommended Workflow

Progress Tracking Overview and Recommended Workflow


Introduction

Progress Tracking in DatuBIM allows project teams to connect construction activities with the physical scope represented in the project design, record progress as work is completed, and review that information at both the activity and project level. 

Instead of managing schedule information, design data, quantities, and progress reporting separately, Progress Tracking brings those pieces together around the work being performed. 

A typical workflow connects: 

Project Schedule - Design Objects - Activities - Progress Updates - Activity Weights - Dashboard

This article provides an overview of how those components work together and the recommended sequence for setting up and maintaining Progress Tracking. Each section also links to a more detailed article when you are ready to complete that part of the workflow. 

What Progress Tracking Connects

Before beginning setup, it is helpful to understand the primary components of Progress Tracking.

Project Schedule and Activities

Schedule activities establish what work is planned and when it is expected to occur.

DatuBIM can use activities imported from a project schedule, or users can create Standalone Activities when work needs to be monitored outside of the imported Gantt. 

Activities become the organizational structure for tracking quantities, dates, progress, and related design scope.

Design Objects

Design Objects represent what is physically being constructed.

Depending on the design format, objects may already exist within the design or may need to be identified or created from 2D CAD geometry. Once prepared, individual design objects can be connected to the activity responsible for that work.

Progress Information

Tracked Activities contain the information used to monitor execution, including applicable: 
  1. Measurement type
  2. Required quantity
  3. Planned and actual dates
  4. Progress updates
  5. Supporting evidence
  6. Activity weight
  7. Connected design objects
Progress updates build a historical record of how the activity advances over time. 

Activity Weights

Activity Weights determine how much each activity contributes to the overall weighted progress calculation. Weights allow project-level completion to reflect the relative significance of different activities rather than treating every activity as equally important.

Progress Dashboard

The Progress Dashboard brings activity information together into a project-level view. It can be used to review items such as: 
  1. Weighted completion
  2. Planned and forecast dates
  3. Activity progress
  4. Schedule performance
  5. Progress trends
  6. Planned versus actual completion
  7. Activity status

Recommended Progress Tracking Workflow

Progress Tracking is easiest to establish when the project team follows a consistent sequence.

1. Import and Review the Project Schedule

For projects using a Gantt schedule, begin by importing the current schedule and identifying the activities that represent the work you want to monitor.

Before moving forward, confirm: 
  1. The correct schedule revision has been imported.
  2. Planned dates are accurate.
  3. The appropriate activities have been selected for tracking.
  4. Quantity and unit information is available where it will be required. 
Best Practice: Start with a manageable work package and a focused group of activities. Establish a reliable Progress Tracking workflow for that scope before expanding Progress Tracking across the broader project.

Learn More: See Importing Your Project Schedule for Progress Tracking for detailed schedule import and activity-selection instructions.

2. Prepare the Design Objects

Next, confirm that the physical elements you want to track are available as individual design objects. The required preparation depends on the design type. 

For example: 
  1. IFC designs already contain object-based information.
  2. 2D CAD designs may require objects to be identified from the source design or manually created from the design geometry.

Best Practice: Do not assume that because design geometry is visible, it is automatically available for Progress Tracking. Confirm that the individual elements you need are available as design objects before continuing.

Learn More: See Preparing Design Objects for Progress Tracking for the workflows used with IFC and 2D CAD designs.

3. Connect Design Objects to Activities

Once the design objects are prepared, connect them to the activity that represents that scope of work.


This relationship connects the physical design element being built to the schedule activity used to track that work.  Depending on the workflow, selected objects can be connected to an existing Gantt Activity, an existing Standalone Activity, or a new Standalone Activity.

Best Practice: The selected objects should represent the actual scope of the activity rather than simply a group of objects that happen to be located near one another.
Helpful Note: The checkbox beside an object controls its visibility. It does not select the object for Progress tracking.
Learn More: See Linking Design Objects to Gantt Activities for object-selection and activity-linking instructions.

4. Configure the Tracked Activity

Once an activity is being tracked, review the information that will be used to measure its progress. Depending on the activity, this may include: 
  1. Measurement type
  2. Required quantity
  3. Planned dates
  4. Activity weight
  5. Comments
  6. Connected design objects

Gantt Activities

Use a Gantt Activity when the work being monitored corresponds to an activity in the imported project schedule.

Standalone Activities

Use a Standalone Activity when the work needs to be monitored independently from the imported Gantt or when the activity information required for tracking is not available in the schedule.

Best Practice: Within an Activity, choose a measurement type that reflects how the work can realistically be measured and verified. 

Learn More: See Creating and Configuring Tracked Activities for measurement types, required quantities, Standalone Activities, and activity configuration.

5. Record Progress as Work Advances

After setup, update the applicable activities as work is completed or verified. Progress updates may include: 
  1. Completed quantities or progress values
  2. Update date
  3. Actual start or end dates
  4. Approval information
  5. Supporting photos, videos, or documents
Keeping this information current creates the historical activity record used to understand progress over time.

Best Practice: Update progress consistently rather than waiting until major project milestones. When entering historical progress, use the appropriate date for when the work occurred or was verified whenever that information is available.

Learn More: See Updating Progress and Activity Status for instructions on recording progress, reviewing progress history, and maintaining activity information.

6. Configure Activity Weights

Activity weights establish how much each activity contributes to overall weighted completion.  A project team may base its weighting structure on factors such as: 
  1. Cost / BAC
  2. Planned duration
  3. An agreed hybrid methodology
DatuBIM uses the relative Weight values entered by the project team to calculate the normalized contribution of each activity.

Best Practice: Establish and apply a consistent weighting methodology before relying on weighted completion as a formal project KPI. 

Learn More: See Configuring Activity Weights for weighting methods, examples, normalization, and the workflows for managing weights.

7. Review Progress at the Project Level

Once activities are configured and progress is being maintained, use the Progress Dashboard to review the monitored scope at the project level.


Rather than using the Dashboard only to check overall completion, review it for indicators such as: 
  1. High-weight activities that are behind planned progress
  2. Activities forecast to finish after their planned end date
  3. Significant schedule deltas
  4. Progress trends that are beginning to slow
  5. Differences between planned and actual completion
  6. Activities or project status moving toward At Risk or Delayed
The Dashboard can help identify where further investigation is needed.  From there, review the applicable activity for its detailed quantities, dates, progress history, evidence, and connected design objects.

Learn More: See Using the Progress Dashboard for Dashboard configuration, activity views, project KPIs, and Visual Analytics.

Maintain Progress Tracking as the Project Changes

Progress Tracking is not a one-time setup. The information being monitored should continue to reflect the current project schedule, design, and construction scope.

When the Schedule Changes

When an updated Gantt is imported, previously recorded Progress Tracking information is retained except for Planned Start Date and Planned End Date. Review these dates after an updated schedule is imported. Also, confirm that the activities being tracked still represent the scope your team intends to monitor. 

Learn More: See Importing Your Project Schedule for Progress Tracking for schedule update guidance.

When the Design Changes

When revised design information is received, review whether the objects already being tracked still represent the current construction scope. Depending on the change, the team may need to: 
  1. Upload an updated design. 
  2. Identify additional objects. 
  3. Create new design objects.
  4. Review existing object-to-activity connections.
Best Practice: Review affected Progress Tracking relationships whenever the underlying design scope changes rather than assuming the previous object connections still represent the current work.

Learn More: See Preparing Design Objects for Progress Tracking and Linking Design Objects to Gantt Activities for the applicable workflows.

Recommended Ongoing Workflow

After the initial setup is complete, Progress Tracking can become part of the project's regular progress-review process. A simple recurring workflow is: 
  1. Capture or verify completed work.
  2. Update the applicable Tracked Activities.
  3. Review dates, quantities, and supporting evidence.
  4. Review the Progress Dashboard.
  5. Investigate activities that require attention.
  6. Review schedule or design changes as new revisions are received.
The goal is to keep Progress Tracking aligned with the work taking place in the field while maintaining reliable information for project-level reporting.

Where to Go Next

Use the articles in this Progress Tracking section based on the task you need to complete: 
  1. Importing Your Project Schedule for Progress Tracking: Import a schedule and select activities for tracking.
  2. Preparing Design Objects for Progress Tracking: Identify or create the physical design objects to be monitored. 
  3. Linking Design Objects to Gantt Activities: Connect design scope with project activities. 
  4. Creating and Configuring Tracked Activities: Configure Gantt and Standalone Activities, quantities, and measurement methods. 
  5. Updating Progress and Activity Status: Record progress and maintain activity information.
  6. Configuring Activity Weights: Establish how activities contribute to the weighted project completion.
  7. Using the Progress Dashboard: Review project-level progress, schedule performance, and Visual Analytics.
  8. Progress Tracking Troubleshooting and Quick Reference: Resolve common setup and workflow questions.

Ready to Begin?

For projects using an imported project schedule, continue to Importing Your Project Schedule for Progress Tracking. 

If your project schedule is already prepared and your next step is working with the design, continue to Preparing Design Objects for Progress Tracking.