Effective Project Management depends largely on keeping track of Actual Start Dates to determine productivity. The Actual Start Date marks the beginning of work on a scheduled activity, instead of the date that the project was accepted or assigned. By determining the length of time between the Actual Start Date and the completion of the project, Project Management can determine the output of workers. Actual Start Date and the assignment date of the project may coincide, but the date of assignment does not imply that work began on the project at that point in time. It is therefore imperative that the Actual Start Date be accurately communicated to Project Management, especially at the completion of the assignment. All scheduled activities have Actual Start Dates, and must always be recorded: in the eventStart Date differs fr that an Actual om the expected start of a project, both dates and, if necessary, times must be noted for Project Management. Falsifying Actual Start Dates not only threatens the usefulness of this measurement and creates inconsistencies in data for Project Management, but may result in disciplinary action.
This term is defined in the 3rd edition of the PMBOK but not in the 4th.
