stoplights in project server

[patcav33]

i was wondering if it is possible to manually enter in red, yellow,
green status for an entire project, not the individual tasks. i have
seen instances where you can set a stoplight system up for individual
tasks based on finish variance if baselined, but what i want to do is
for the entire project overall, not the individual task. i want to
have it so that when you open up PWA (project server) and look at the
Projects in the Project Center summary view, you can see the red,
yellow or green stoplight status directly on that page is there a way
in project pro to set this up as a field to fill in and so that it
shows up in PWA? or can the red, yellow, green only come from
formulas set up for progress on tasks and the schedule overall.

any help or advice would be most appreciated
Pat C.

 

[OK]

I've seen it in the demo which shipped with Project Server 2003
Install it and see.

 

[Karl Kill]

Patcav33,

I have created a new view in the Project Center to use stoplight indicators. I used several of the enterprise fields available at the Project Center level. If you have Admin rights you can go to Manage Views and see what fields are available for reporting in the Project Center. go to the Project Center views, select one and click Modify to view the available fields.

Hope this helps.
Karl

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

Pat C --

To use stoplight indicators that are manually entered (as opposed to being
calculated) at the project level, you would need to do the following:

1. Log into Project Server through Microsoft Project Professional with
administrator permissions
2. Click Tools - Enterprise Options - Open Enterprise Global
3. Click Tools - Customize - Enterprise Fields
4. Select the "Project" option at the top of the dialog
5. Select either a custom Project text field or number field and rename it
6. Make the field a "required" field, if necessary
7. Click the Value List button and enter a list of values from which the
project manager can select a project-level value
8. Click the Graphical Indicators button and enter a list of tests and
graphical indicators, such as stoplights

For example, you might select a custom Project text field and call it
Project Risk. You might then set a value list in this field to include
High, Medium, and Low values on the list. You could then set up three tests
for the graphical indicators in this field as follows:

Test Value(s) Image
Equals High Red
Equals Medium Yellow
Equals Low Green

Once you have created the custom Project field, you will need to save and
close the Enterprise Global. You will then need to ask every project
manager to open every project they manage, to click Project - Project
Information and select a value for the new custom field, and then to save
and republish each project using Collaborate - Publish - Project Plan or
Collaborate - Publish - All Information. Once they have done so, you will
need to log into PWA with Administrator permissions, click Admin - Manage
Views, and create/modify any Project Center views that should include this
new custom field. Every project than has been published will show the
graphical indicator in the Project Center view. Hope this helps.

 

[patcav33]

Dale,
thank you so much for your help with this. i appreciate your reply
and, as usual, your posts are extremly thorough and helpful.

Pat

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

You are welcome, my friend!

Dale,
thank you so much for your help with this. i appreciate your reply
and, as usual, your posts are extremly thorough and helpful.

Pat


"Dale Howard [MVP]" <dale(dot)howard(at)msprojectexperts(dot)com> wrote in

 

[sarah]

Shoot me a note at sem_9 at yahoo dot com and
I will send you my template with stoplights.

Sarah

 

[deryasel]

Dale,

I have a problem in recalculations for the formulas that are taking the
current date. I have tried one for watching the status of the tasks.
Late/On schedule/Not Started.
PWA doesn't refresh the automatically. It only takes the last updated
value in the MS Project Proffesional.

Ex:
On 13/12 : I worked on MS Project Proffesional. Task is "on schedule".
Start: Dec 13
Finish: Dec 14
I saved and closed MS Project Proffesional.
In PWA it shows that it is "on schedule".

On 15/12 : The task should be "Late". Nobody completed the task.
But it still shows "onschedule" in PWA.
If I open it form MS Project and press F9 key to
recalculate it updates itself, then the change is reflected to PWA
also.

Another question: In fact in MS Project Proffesional there is a status
field, status indicator field that works for what I am looking for. Is
there a way for having these fields in PWA??
Thanks for your help.

Derya

 

[Gary L. Chefetz \(MVP\)]

Derya:

The fields don't recalculate until you open Project, as you have learned.

--

Gary L. Chefetz, MVP
"We wrote the books on Project Server"
http://www.msprojectexperts.com

-

 

[derya]

Thanks for confirmation Gary,
I really needed that not to waste time searching for.

What about my question:
In fact in MS Project Proffesional there is a status
field, status indicator field that works for what I am looking for. Is
there a way for having these fields in PWA??
Thanks for your help.

Derya

 

[derya]

Thanks for confirmation Gary,
I really needed that not to waste time searching for.

What about my question:
In fact in MS Project Proffesional there is a status
field, status indicator field that works for what I am looking for. Is
there a way for having these fields in PWA??
Thanks for your help.

Derya

 

[Gary L. Chefetz \(MVP\)]

As long as you create the indicator in an Enterprise field, and it works in
Project, it should display in PWA once you add the field to the view and
republish the plan to push the data to the web.

--

Gary L. Chefetz, MVP
"We wrote the books on Project Server"
http://www.msprojectexperts.com

-

 

[derya]

Gary;

I am telling about the ALREADY EXISTING "Status" and "Status Indicator"
field in MS Project Proffesional.
Both can not be displayed in PWA views. None of the views have such
fields to be added.
Only Timesheet View has a "Status" field. But it is not what I want.

I can watch the status of the task on MS Project by inserting the
ALREADY EXISTING "Status" field. (Late, On schedule, Futute Task,
Completed)
But I cannot add this field to any of the views to watch the status for
the tasks of my project as a project manager through PWA.
I hope you will help me Gary,

Thanks alot..

Derya

 

[Gary L. Chefetz \(MVP\)]

Derya:

You need to create a calculated custom Project Enterprise field to do this
in PWA. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear in the last post.

--

Gary L. Chefetz, MVP
"We wrote the books on Project Server"
http://www.msprojectexperts.com

-

 

[R. Segawa]

Hi Derya,

As Gary informed, you need to use one of the Enterprise Project Texts to
insert the formula [Status] for a Project Center view or Enterprise Task
Texts in Project views. The problem is when you insert this field as
formula, it returns Future = 0, On schedule = 1, Late = 2, Completed = 3
(maybe the values for Future and Completed are inverse). So it is better to
use a graphic indicator, otherwise you will need to use a more elaborate
formula.

I have a suggestion about the Status or any other status like field that
uses current or status date to calculate. I insert the Last Modified or Last
Published field together with the status field in PWA Project Center page,
and I tell everyone that the status is as of the Last Modified date.

R. Segawa