Snapshot Trend

Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Cons → Group Schedule → Menu Reports & Snapshot

Command ID: btnSnapshotTrend

PRO feature

This command is part of the PRO plan. STANDARD accounts activated before 01/07/2026 keep access until their licence expires; other Standard accounts get an upgrade prompt when they click it.

What it does

Reads every _Snap_* capture stored in the workbook and builds two time-series charts: a line chart of SPI and CPI, and a bar chart of critical-path slip days. A single SPI value only tells you the project is behind; the series across several weeks tells you whether it is deteriorating, stabilising or recovering — which is what management actually needs in order to intervene early.

How to use

1. Make sure the workbook holds at least two captures created by the Snapshot command (_Snap_* sheets).
2. Go to Tab DVD Cons → group Schedule → menu Reports & Snapshot → click Snapshot Trend.
3. The command scans the whole workbook by itself — no sheet or range selection, no dialog.
4. The result sheet appears with two charts: SPI + CPI over time as lines, and critical-path slip over time as bars.
5. Read the direction of travel, not just the last value: a steady decline is an alarm, a flat line means it is under control, a rise means recovery.
6. Copy the charts into the monthly report or the owner's meeting deck.

Example

A factory refurbishment has 11 weekly captures. The trend chart shows SPI sliding from 0.98 to 0.86 over the first six weeks, then recovering to 0.91 across the last three after a second crew was mobilised. The companion slip bar chart shows critical-path slip parking at 14 days and going no further. Those two pictures replace a full page of narrative in the owner's report.

Notes

• At least two captures are required; a single snapshot cannot produce a trend line.
• The command only reads captured data — updating today's schedule does not move older points, so new points need new captures.
• Sparse or irregularly-dated snapshots distort the time axis and make the chart hard to interpret.
• The trend sheet is overwritten on every rerun, and Ctrl+Z will not undo it.
• The CPI line is only meaningful if BAC and actual cost were present on the sheet at capture time.

Related

• Snapshot — creates the data points this command reads.
• EVM Report — the detail behind how SPI and CPI are computed.
• Variance Dashboard — this week's picture, complementing the trend view.
• Baseline — comparison against the original plan rather than against your own history.