---
title: "Tracking progress during execution"
course: "PMGT 170 · Get projects done on time"
unit: "Leading the execution"
lesson: 18 of 38
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/get-projects-done-on-time/tracking-progress-during-execution
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Tracking progress during execution

Lesson 18 of 38 in **Get projects done on time** (PMGT 170), unit "Leading the execution". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Use percentage complete and milestone status to read project health in real time
- Identify early signs of schedule slippage — delayed tasks on the critical path, resource overload, and bottlenecks on the workflow board — and connect them to the critical path and resource plan
- Distinguish between task-level tracking and milestone-level tracking and explain when each matters

## Teaching notes
Use the CrossTown Fitness scenario. Anchor in the schedule and critical path from Unit 2. Teach the distinction between % complete and milestone achievement, and make the critical path connection explicit: slippage on a critical-path task moves the end date; slippage on a float task may not. Present a mid-execution snapshot — two tasks in the member pulse survey are delayed, one on the critical path and one with float. Ask the student: does the deadline move? What does the PM focus on first? Use an illustration showing planned vs. actual progress and milestone status.

For the bottleneck signal: show the student a workflow board where Zoe is overloaded and multiple onboarding tasks are stuck in 'In Progress.' Ask them to identify the bottleneck and name a specific action to resolve it. Use an illustration showing a board with a clogged lane.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 18 complete: Tracking progress during execution."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Running the daily workflow" (lesson 19 of 38), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/get-projects-done-on-time/running-the-daily-workflow.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Setting up a project tracking board
Next lesson: Running the daily workflow