Formatting Gantt bars by Resource

[Kenny Anderson]

I haven't used Project in nearly 10 years, so I apologize for my ignorance
in advance.

Is there a way to set the formatting of bars in Gantt charts by the resource
name?

I have three individuals working on a project and rather than include
resource names to delineate tasks in the printed chart, I would like to set
the task bars with different formatting. (i.e. each task assigned to a
resource is the same pattern/color, but a different pattern/color is used
for all tasks performed by each resource)

Thanks for the help in advance.

Kenny Anderson
(e-mail address removed)
(remove e'x'es to reply)

 

[JackD]

It can be done, but what do you do if you have more than one resource on a
task?

 

[John]

I haven't used Project in nearly 10 years, so I apologize for my ignorance
in advance.

Is there a way to set the formatting of bars in Gantt charts by the resource
name?

I have three individuals working on a project and rather than include
resource names to delineate tasks in the printed chart, I would like to set
the task bars with different formatting. (i.e. each task assigned to a
resource is the same pattern/color, but a different pattern/color is used
for all tasks performed by each resource)

Thanks for the help in advance.

Kenny Anderson
(e-mail address removed)
(remove e'x'es to reply)

Kenny,
Jack brings up a good point but I'll assume you have each task assigned
to a single resource. Here is at least one way to do it.
1. Use three spare flag fields (e.g. Flag1, Flag2, Flag3) to identify
which tasks go with which resource
2. Go to Format Bar Styles and scroll to the bottom of the bar style
list in the upper part of the Bar Styles window
3. Create a separate bar shape, pattern and color for each resource
4. In the "show for" column select "normal,flagX" where the appropriate
flag identifier is matched with the desired resource
5. Hit "ok" and you should be all set

To address Jack's issue you could add separate bar styles for
combinations of resource assignments. For example, a fourth bar would
cover resource 1 & 2 assigned to a single task, a fifth would cover
resource 1 & 3 assigned to a single task, etc. With only three resources
this approach is well within the number of spare flag fields available
(you only need 7 to cover all combination of assignments).

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Kenny,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

You might like to see FAQ Item: 31. Customizing Task Bars.

FAQs, companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at
this web address: http://www.mvps.org/project/

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[Kenny Anderson]

Thanks for the FAQ, Mike.

Thanks for the instructions, John.

Jack, as John said, you bring up a good point. However, I'm working on a
high level and just want to establish something very general. I'm not
trying to manage my project with MSP. Using only the three individuals to
complete my tasks, I can identify where I'll need additional help. I know
MSP is a powerful tool that you can use for far more detail and management.
At this point, I'm just trying to get a basic Gantt chart to see where I am.
Thanks for the caution, though. As I gain confidence in my own project
management as well as in MSP, I may begin utilizing it more effectively. I
appreciate everyone's help!

Kenny

 

[Mike Glen]

You're welcome, Kenny

Mike Glen
MS Project MVP

 

[Kenny Anderson]

Oops, I forgot one very important piece of information. I'm using Project
98. Does the flag method mentioned in the FAQ and by John still apply to
98? I'm not finding the "Customize Fields..." option mentioned in the FAQ.
Sorry for the oversight. I thought I included the version number in my
original post.

Kenny

 

[JackD]

But with 5 or more resources you run out of flag fields for the combined
style.
At that point you need to move to VBA

 

[JackD]

Planning and identifying resource requirements is management.
So actually you already are using project to manage your project.
Good luck!

-Jack

 

[JackD]

Project 98 does not have formulas for fields. However, you can set the flags
manually.

If you want an automatic solution you will need to write a macro.
It is not so difficult and I have examples at my site which can help. But it
is a bit confusing for a first-timer.

 

[John]

Oops, I forgot one very important piece of information. I'm using Project
98. Does the flag method mentioned in the FAQ and by John still apply to
98? I'm not finding the "Customize Fields..." option mentioned in the FAQ.
Sorry for the oversight. I thought I included the version number in my
original post.

Kenny

Kenny,
To answer you question, the flag method I mentioned does not require
custom fields. Custom fields are not available in Project versions
earlier than Project 2000 and that's fine because you don't need them.
The difference between spare fields and custom fields is that custom
fields add more functionality to spare fields. For example, with Project
2000 and beyond, spare fields can be customized to include formulas.

Hope this clarifies.
John