Updated for 2026: Clarified explanations of variance fields, baseline requirements, and modern best practices for analyzing variance in Microsoft Project.
Finish Variance in MS Project is one of the most important indicators for understanding how your schedule is performing compared to your original plan. Along with related fields such as Duration Variance and Cost Variance, Finish Variance helps you see whether tasks are finishing earlier or later than expected.
In this article, I’ll explain what Finish Variance means in Microsoft Project, how variance fields are calculated using a baseline, and how to use the Variance table to analyze schedule performance accurately. Don’t forget without a saved baseline, Finish Variance in MS Project and other variance fields will always display zero.
Watch the Step-by-Step Video
Prefer to follow along visually? This video demonstrates the exact steps you’ll learn below using Microsoft Project Desktop.
💡 Important: To see any variance values in Microsoft Project, you must first save a baseline for your schedule. Without a baseline, all variance fields (such as Finish Variance, Duration Variance, and Cost Variance) will display zero.
If you haven’t set a baseline yet, be sure to review my article and video on saving a baseline before analyzing variance.
Analyze Variance: Understanding the Calculations
If you’ve saved a baseline in your project, Microsoft Project allows you to analyze five types of variance: Duration Variance, Start and Finish Variance, Work Variance, and Cost Variance. The formula for calculating variance is straightforward. Variance equals the difference between the current task value and its original Baseline value, as shown in the following formula:
Variance = Current Value – Baseline Value
For instance, if a task’s current Duration is 15 days, and its original Baseline Duration was 10 days, the Duration Variance is 5 days, indicating the task’s Duration is taking 5 days longer than planned. Keep in mind that a positive variance is bad for the project, while a negative variance is good for the project.
Analyzing Variance in Microsoft Project – Using the Tracking Gantt View
Complete the following steps to analyze variance in your project using the Tracking Gantt view:
- Click the Gantt Chart pick-list button in the Task ribbon.
- Choose the “Tracking Gantt” view from the menu.
- Study the Gantt bars on the right side of the view.
- Blue bars indicate completed tasks or non-critical tasks, red bars represent critical tasks that impact the project’s Finish date, and gray bars display the original Baseline schedule.
- Compare blue and red Gantt bars against their accompanying gray bars to identify slippage or variances in the project schedule. When a blue or red Gantt bar has slipped to the right of its gray Gantt bar, this means the task is slipping or has already slipped.
Analyze Variance in Microsoft Project – Using the Variance Table
Complete the following steps to analyze variance in your project using the Variance table:
- Right-click on the “Select All” button and select the “Variance” table.
- Review the Finish Variance column to identify slippage or delays.
- Measure the difference between the planned and actual finish dates to determine the extent of schedule slippage.
Analyzing Variance in Microsoft Project – Using the Work Table
- Right-click on the “Select All” button and select the “Work” table.
- Check the Variance (its real name is Work Variance) column to assess work hour variances.
- Compare the planned work hours with the actual hours spent on tasks.
Analyzing Variance in Microsoft Project – Using the Cost Table
- Right-click on the “Select All” button and select the “Cost” table.
- Examine the Variance (its real name is Cost Variance) column to assess cost overruns or savings.
- Compare the planned costs with the actual expenses incurred.
Conclusion
Now you’re equipped with the knowledge to analyze variance in Microsoft Project. If you have questions, please add them in the Leave a Reply section below. Or if you watched the video, add your questions or comments there. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and leave “Likes” if you like the videos.
Learn More about Variance (Work, Cost and Duration Variance)
If you want to dive deeper into variance reporting and analysis in Microsoft Project, I’ve created additional articles and videos that expand on these topics:
- Understanding and using the Variance Table in Microsoft Project
- How to analyze Schedule Variance and Duration Variance
- Interpreting Cost Variance and budget performance
- Best practices for working with baselines and variance reporting
These resources provide more detailed examples and walkthroughs to help you better understand how variance fields work together in Microsoft Project.
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