Streamline Progress Updates

XER Schedule Toolkit’s Progress Update feature provides a structured and auditable way to collect progress data directly from activity owners.

It standardises updates across teams, ensuring schedule accuracy and transparency while capturing comments about performance, delays, and notable impacts.

The process involves five key stages, from defining report periods to submitting progress updates and reviewing them.

Before requesting progress input, a project controller must first define a report period.

1. From the Quick View menu, choose Progress Requests and select your project.
2. Click Add Report Period.
3. Provide a reference description (for example, “October Progress Update” or “Q3 Financial Report”).
4. Enter the progress cutoff date — this represents the point in time up to which progress data will be recorded. The date may be in the past (actual progress) or future (forecasted progress).
5. Click Save.

Once a report period has been defined, you can begin creating individual progress requests for responsible personnel.

Video guide: Creating a Progress Report Period

Next, the project controller sends out progress requests to activity owners.

Click Add Request and enter the email address of the update provider.

• This must match the address linked to their XER Toolkit account.
• If the user hasn’t registered yet, they will receive a registration link automatically.

Choose or create a filter to define which activities the person will update.

• You can filter by dates, completion status, activity type, or activity codes.
• Example: “Four-week lookahead for procurement tasks.”

Set the due date for submitting updates.

Choose a schedule layout (optional) to ensure consistent reporting format.

Tick options to allow extra information input or link to activity steps if used.

Add specific update instructions for clarity.

Click OK, review the request, and click Send.

The recipient will receive an email with all details and a direct link to their update form.

Requests can be copied forward for future reporting cycles to save setup time.

Video guide: Raising Requests for Progress Information

When users receive a progress request, they can enter updates directly in XER Online.

1. Open the email request and click the provided link. If you don’t have an account, use the registration link in the email.
2. Once logged in, go to Progress Updates from the top menu.
3. Filter requests to show incomplete updates by checking the relevant box.
4. Click Update Now next to the appropriate request.

A filtered list of activities requiring updates will appear. For each activity:

Click Update Now to open the input form. Enter:

• Start and finish dates
• Percent complete
• Comments (for impacts, delays, or notable events)

Guidance for accurate entry:

• Blue highlight in the start date means the date is before the progress cutoff (actual start).
• Percent complete must be between 0–100%.
• Activities marked as complete before the cutoff must show 100% complete.
• Future (not-started) activities must be 0% complete.

Once corrected, click Save — the update button will turn grey, confirming completion.

Milestones only require a date and optional comments.

When all updates are complete, click Submit, add an executive summary comment, and confirm.

The requester will be notified by email. After submission, updates are locked for editing.

Video guide: Entering Progress Update Information

After updates are submitted:

• The project controller reviews each progress submission.
• If additional clarification is needed, another update request can be issued for the same activities.
• Once approved, updated progress information is automatically integrated into the master project schedule.

XER Schedule Toolkit provides a range of progress reports under the Reports & Analysis menu.

You can export these to Excel for sharing or use them to compare forecast vs. actual performance.

Video guide: Progress Updating Process Overview