Understanding End Date Discrepancies
What is an End Date Discrepancy?
An end date discrepancy occurs when the finish date in your scheduling platform does not match the finish date calculated by SmartPM.
These two dates are:
- Source End Date – The finish date shown in your native schedule file (such as Microsoft Project or Primavera P6)
- Current End Date – The finish date calculated by SmartPM based on activity logic, progress updates, and remaining work
When these dates do not match, SmartPM flags the discrepancy as a potential schedule integrity issue.
This does not always mean the schedule is incorrect—but it does indicate that the schedule data needs review.
Why Do End Date Discrepancies Happen?
End date discrepancies usually happen when there is a mismatch between the schedule’s planned dates and actual project conditions.
Below are the most common causes:
1. Unstatused Activities
This is the most common cause of an end date discrepancy.
Unstatused activities are tasks that should have been updated based on the project’s current reporting period (status/data date) but have not been properly progressed.
This often includes but is not limited to:
- Activities with planned finish dates in the past that are still marked incomplete
- Activities that have started but have no actual progress entered
- Activities that should be complete but still show remaining work
When this happens, SmartPM treats the work as unfinished and recalculates the schedule based on the remaining duration and activity logic.
Result: The projected finish date may move later than the source schedule finish date.
2. Future Actual Dates
Future actual dates occur when progress is recorded beyond the current reporting period.
For example, an activity may be marked complete or started on a future date that has not yet occurred, per the status/data date.
Because the status data/data date is a critical delineator between what is actualized versus planned, and has ramifications in schedule analytics such as performance tracking and delay evaluation, SmartPM ignores future actual dates. Instead, SmartPM calculates these based on logic and duration.
This difference in treatment of future actuals can cause end date discrepancies.
Future actual dates can be reviewed in the quality profile and should be addressed to maintain the integrity of the schedule.
For future actual finish dates, where start date is prior to data date, SmartPM will remove the actualized finish date and apply a remaining that allows the planned finish date to equal the removed future actual.
3. Manually Scheduled Activities / Summary Tasks (MPP Only)
Manually scheduled activities and summary tasks can override or distort normal scheduling logic.
Unlike logic-driven activities, manually scheduled tasks remain fixed regardless of predecessor relationships or remaining work.
Summary tasks can also create confusion if dates are being driven manually rather than by the underlying activity logic.
This can create differences between the finish date shown in the native schedule and the finish date SmartPM calculates.
4. Activities with External Logic
Schedule logic controls how activities connect and flow.
When an activity has external logic associated with an activity in another schedule file, SmartPM does not have access to the other file’s data and therefore is unable to recognize the logic.
5. Configuration Differences Between Systems
Different SmartPM Admin Configuration Settings can result in differences in how SmartPM calculates dates compared to the source (native) file.
Examples include:
- Calendar settings
- Treatment of changed actuals
- Conflict between percent complete and actualized dates
- Float path calculation
These differences can create end date discrepancies.
What Should You Do?
If you see an end date discrepancy:
✔ Verify actual dates are entered correctly
✔ Check for manually scheduled activities or summary task impacts
✔ Review activity logic and relationships
✔ Review schedule calculation settings
✔ Review SmartPM admin configuration settings
Resolving these issues improves schedule accuracy and forecasting reliability.
Key Takeaway
An end date discrepancy is an important schedule health indicator.
It helps identify where schedule data, progress updates, or logic may not align with actual project conditions.
By addressing these issues, you improve schedule integrity, forecasting accuracy, and confidence in your project data.