> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.charle.agency/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Progress & Budgets > Tracking project progress and budget vs actual Projects track progress and compare actual time spent against budgeted time. This helps monitor project health and profitability. ## Progress tracking ### Task completion Progress starts at the task level: * Each task has a status * Complete tasks count toward progress * Simple calculation: completed / total **Example:** * 15 tasks in phase * 10 tasks complete * Phase progress: 67% ### Phase progress Each phase calculates its own progress: * Based on tasks within that phase * Updates automatically when tasks complete * Shown as percentage * Independent of other phases ### Project progress Overall project progress: * Weighted average of budgeted phases * Larger budgets have more impact * Non-budgeted phases don't contribute * Shown on project card and detail page Project progress reflects budgeted work only. Non-budgeted phases track their own progress but don't affect the project total. ## Progress calculation ### Weighted average formula Project with multiple budgeted phases: **Phase 1 (Design):** * Budget: 10 days * Progress: 100% complete * Contribution: 10 days **Phase 2 (Development):** * Budget: 30 days * Progress: 50% complete * Contribution: 15 days **Project total:** * Combined: 25 days of 40 days * Progress: 62.5% ### Why weighted? Weighting ensures: * Larger phases have proportional impact * 100% of small phase ≠ 100% of large phase * Accurate reflection of work completed * Fair representation of effort ## Budget tracking ### Budget components Each budgeted phase has: * **Allocated minutes** - Core work budget * **QA minutes** - Testing budget * **Total budget** - Allocated + QA * **Actual minutes** - Time logged on tasks ### Viewing budget vs actual Phase detail shows: * Budgeted time (in days or hours) * Actual time logged * Remaining budget * Over/under budget status **Example display:** * Budget: 40 days (18,000 minutes) * Actual: 35 days (15,750 minutes) * Remaining: 5 days (2,250 minutes) * Status: Under budget ✓ ### Over budget indicators When actual exceeds budget: * Visual indicator (red/warning color) * Shows overage amount * Helps catch budget issues early * PM notified to review ## Time tracking ### Logging time Time is logged against tasks: * Each time entry links to a task * Task belongs to a phase * Phase aggregates all task time * Project totals all phase time ### Real-time aggregation Budget tracking updates automatically: * Log time on task * Phase actual minutes increase * Project totals update * Progress recalculates ### Historical tracking All time entries preserved: * View time logged over project lifecycle * Compare early vs late phases * Analyze team member contributions * Improve future estimates ## Project health indicators ### On track Project is healthy when: * Progress matches timeline expectations * Budget consumption aligns with progress * No phases significantly over budget * Completion date achievable ### Warning signs Watch for: * Actual time exceeding budget early * Progress slower than time consumed * Tasks consistently completing late * Multiple phases over budget ### Taking action If project is struggling: * Review remaining work scope * Assess if budget increase needed * Communicate with client * Adjust resources or timeline ## Monitoring workflows ### PM review cadence **Daily:** * Review time entries * Check for late tasks * Monitor progress updates **Weekly:** * Compare budget vs actual per phase * Review overall project health * Identify blockers * Adjust schedules if needed **At phase completion:** * Finalize phase budget analysis * Document lessons learned * Apply insights to next phase ### Team member view Delivery team can see: * Their assigned tasks * Task estimates * Time logged so far * Cannot see full project budget Budget details are typically visible to PMs and Managers only. Delivery team focuses on task completion. ## Reporting insights ### Budget variance Compare final vs budgeted: * Which phases came in under? * Which phases went over? * Why? (complexity, scope, unknowns) * Apply to future estimates ### Task-level analysis Review completed tasks: * Estimate vs actual time * Tasks that took longer * Tasks that were faster * Patterns to inform future work ### Efficiency metrics Measure project efficiency: * Total budget vs total actual * Percentage over/under * Days saved or consumed * ROI on quoted work ## Best practices Don't wait until end of week - track as you go Catch issues early before too much overage Include buffer for unknowns and complexity Understand why tasks take longer than planned Tell client proactively if budget concerns arise Review final numbers to improve future estimates ## Common scenarios ### Scenario 1: Phase running over **Situation:** * Development phase 60% complete * 80% of budget consumed * 40% of work remaining **Analysis:** * Will exceed budget * Estimate 33% overage **Actions:** 1. Review remaining tasks 2. Identify scope vs estimate issues 3. Communicate with PM and client 4. Consider additional budget or scope reduction ### Scenario 2: Project ahead of schedule **Situation:** * 75% of budget used * 85% of work complete * Coming in under budget **Analysis:** * Efficient execution * Good estimates * Potential for early delivery **Actions:** 1. Maintain quality standards 2. Don't rush final 15% 3. Use extra time for polish 4. Communicate success to client ### Scenario 3: Unbudgeted work requested **Situation:** * Client wants additional features * Not in original scope * How to track separately? **Solution:** 1. Create non-budgeted custom phase 2. Add tasks for new work 3. Log time against new phase 4. Track separate from budgeted work 5. Clear delineation for billing ## Understanding the numbers ### Day calculations Standard conversion: * 1 day = 450 minutes (7.5 hours) * Used for consistency * Matches agency working day * QA and allocated time use same conversion ### Displaying time Time shown in most natural unit: * Over 1 day: shows in days (e.g., "2.5 days") * Under 1 day: shows in hours (e.g., "6 hours") * Precise calculations use minutes * Rounded for display ### Budget precision Budget set at project creation: * Specified in whole or half days * Converted to minutes for tracking * Prevents accidental changes * Maintains quote integrity ## Troubleshooting Project progress is weighted by budget. A small phase completing has less impact than a large phase. Check individual phase progress for details. Budget details are visible to PMs and Managers. Delivery team sees task estimates only. Budget is set at project creation. Actual time is sum of all time entries. They should match only when project completes exactly on budget. This means actual time logged exceeds the allocated + QA budget. Review with PM to determine if additional budget is needed. Progress updates when tasks are marked complete. If tasks are in progress but not completed, progress won't change. ## Next steps Back to projects overview Manage individual tasks Understand phase organization Log time entries