Planned dates and actual dates: separating intention from history

Planned dates express when work is intended to happen. Actual dates record when it happened. A forecast can reasonably refer to next month; an actual start cannot honestly describe work that has not yet begun.

The difference explains schedule performance. If a task was planned to finish on 12 June and actually finished on 15 June, the simple calendar-date difference is three days late. Changing the plan after completion can hide that difference unless the original commitment is retained elsewhere as part of the organisation's records.

DNA's date controls

DNA distinguishes planned start and end from actual start and end. The task creation form requires planned dates. Its date-validation service checks actual dates for invalid formats and future values, and checks the ordering of actual start and end. The task-detail status action applies this validation before sending its update.

Status changes can also supply actual dates. In the Kanban implementation, moving to In Progress supplies today's start date when no actual start exists. Moving to Done can supply missing actual start and end dates. Moving away from Done clears the actual end in that flow.

What automatic dates mean

An automatically supplied date records the system's response to a status change. It does not independently observe when the work took place. If a team reports completion several days late, an automatically supplied date may need review against the actual event.

For example, Oliver completed an inspection on Monday but reports it on Thursday. The team should distinguish the inspection date from the reporting date. Accurate records matter more than a superficially tidy status history.

Replanning responsibly

A changed delivery date may be justified by new scope or a delayed prerequisite. The reason should remain understandable to the people relying on the plan. Replanning is a management decision, not proof that the original schedule was achieved.

Use actual dates to describe history and planned dates to describe the current intention. Assess progress alongside the deliverable itself, because neither an elapsed date nor an automatically updated status proves the quality of the work.