Workbook Evidence Evaluation
Five persistent data-state indicators evaluate live workbook evidence continuously and surface the specific category that triggered each attention state — no diagnosis from first principles required.
Data state awareness is the foundation of guided usability in ProjectXL. Most project control tools tell users what their data shows. ProjectXL also tells users whether their data is trustworthy enough to show anything meaningful — and specifically what is wrong when it is not.
The Five Indicators
The persistent command surface carries five data-state indicators, each monitoring a specific dimension of the project's information quality. The Configuration indicator evaluates whether the workbook's structural setup is complete. The Baseline indicator evaluates whether a valid baseline has been captured for the current scope. The Actuals indicator evaluates whether actual costs are current through the reporting period. The Performance indicator evaluates whether earned value calculations are feasible given the available data. The Forecast indicator evaluates whether ETC and EAC data are fresh and coherent.
Evidence Categories
Each indicator is backed by one or more evidence categories — specific conditions in the workbook that the system checks. When an indicator shows amber or red, it identifies which evidence category triggered the state. A planner who sees an amber Actuals indicator learns that the problem is a specific gap: for example, actuals are not current through the latest reporting period. They do not have to investigate the entire workbook to find out why the indicator is not green.
Continuous Evaluation
Evaluation is not a batch check that runs on demand. The system reads workbook state continuously and updates indicators as data changes. This means that the quality picture the planner sees always reflects the current state of the workbook — not the state from the last time they clicked a "check data" button.