Hi Janett --
Here is an article (see below) that I wrote some time ago for the MPA
(Microsoft Project Association --
www.mympa.org) monthly newsletter;
you can visit their website and subscribe for free.
Good luck!
Tony Zink
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How To Display Task Schedule Status in MS Project
This technique displays a column of Graphical Indicators in your MS
Project schedule which provides a quick "at-a-glance" view of how
the tasks are tracking against the Baseline. The technique utilizes MS
Project's ability to use Custom Fields, Formulas, and Graphical
Indicators (optional).
The formula, as shown below, is intended to be used with a custom text
field, and it tests for these six conditions:
-- The task is complete
-- The task is overdue (finish date has passed, and task is incomplete)
-- The task has no baseline
-- The task is on time or early
-- The task is less than or equal to 10% late (based on the project
duration)
-- The task is more than 10% late (based on the project duration)
Here is the formula:
Switch(
[% Complete]=100,"Complete",
(([% Complete]<100) And ([Finish]<Date())),"Overdue",
(([Baseline Start]=ProjDateValue("NA")) Or ([Baseline
Finish]=ProjDateValue("NA"))),"No BL",
[Finish Variance]<=0,"Green",
[Finish Variance]<=(ProjDateDiff([Project Start],[Project
Finish])*0.1),"Yellow",
[Finish Variance]>(ProjDateDiff([Project Start],[Project
Finish])*0.1),"Red"
)
To configure the custom text field, insert a column into your project
schedule by selecting [Insert] > [Column], then selecting an unused
custom text field from the dropdown list. After clicking [OK], the new
column should be displayed in your project schedule.
Next, insert the formula into the custom text field by selecting
[Tools] > [Customize] > [Fields...], selecting the appropriate field,
then clicking the [Formula...] button in the "Customize Fields" dialog
box. In the "Formula" dialog box, enter the formula as listed above,
then click [OK]:
In the "Customize Fields" dialog box, for "Calculation for task and
group summary rows", select "Use Formula". You may also wish to rename
the text field and give it a name such as "Schedule Status"; simply
click on the [Rename...] button, enter a new name, then click [OK].
Click [OK] again to accept the changes and close the "Customize Fields"
dialog box.
If you've entered the formula correctly, you should see a series of
values displayed in the new custom text field. When the formula finds
one of the six test conditions to be true, it displays one of the
following results for each task in the project plan:
-- "Complete"
-- "Overdue"
-- "No BL"
-- "Green"
-- "Yellow"
-- "Red"
You can simply display the text data as described above, or you can
display a graphical indicator for each of the six conditions for easier
viewing. To add Graphical Indicators, return to the "Customize Fields"
dialog box, select the new custom text field, and click on the
[Graphical Indicators...] button.
In the "Graphical Indicators" dialog box, enter each of the six
conditions on a separate row (equals "Complete", equals
"Overdue", equals "No BL", equals "Red", equals
"Yellow", equals "Green") and select an image for each. Click
the [OK] button to close the "Graphical Indicators" dialog box, then
click the [OK] button to close the "Customize Fields" dialog box.
You should now see Graphical Indicators, rather than the text results
("Complete", "Overdue", "No BL", "Red",
""Yellow", "Green"), in the new custom text field.
