Using custom fields to automatically change Gantt bar formatting

Question

Hi,

I have a question regarding the use of custom fields for Gantt bar formatting.  I am using this to track promotional materials, and I want the color of the Gantt bar to reflect the status for each item.  I already setup the custom fields and I have formatted the Gantt bar colors so that they change along with a change in status.  For example, draft status = purple bar.  But my issue has to do with summary tasks/summary Gantt bars.  I have each promotional item listed with several sub-tasks to highlight various milestones throughout the approval process.  The summary bar would be Item #1, for example.  And then there might be 4-5 sub-tasks to show when that item starts the review process, gets approved, goes into production, etc.  I have each sub-task set so that it rolls up and displays on the summary bar.  The rolled-up tasks show just fine on the bars when I am not using the custom fields to automatically change the color of the Gantt bar.  But, as soon as I setup the custom fields, I lose the icons/dates associated with the rolled up tasks on the summary bar.  It almost looks like the bar is lying on top of the original bar, as you can see the very top/bottom of the diamond, for example.

When you click on "custom fields," there is a menu with a bunch of options at the bottom.  It says "Calculation for task and group summary rows."  Then there are 3 radio buttons: None, Rollup (AND/OR), and Use Formula.  I clicked "Use Formula" to get the custom fields settings to apply to the summary tasks.  But I think that I need to be able to select the "Rollup AND" as well as the "Use Formula" buttons.  MS Project won't allow me to do this.  I can only choose one or the other.  I can't imagine that I wouldn't be able to utilize both feature (the display of rolled up milestones on a summary bar in addition to the custom fields for automatically changing the color of the Gantt bar).

Does anyone have an idea as to how I can make this work?

Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

Did you create the custom bars at the bottom of the list in Bar Styles or at the top of the list?  The bar definitions lower in the list overlay the bar definitions at the top of the list.  If the rolled up bars are being obscured by the summary task bar

• check your order.

Rolled up bars are different than the custom field calculations.  You can set a bar to roll up by selecting the checkbox in Task Information.

Regarding summary bars - you don't state explicitly what your formula is to determine status - but you will need to determine what you want to do for summary data.  If one of the 4-5 subtasks is draft status - do you want the summary to show draft?

Answer 2

Julie,

Pardon my jumping in but in order to get the rolled up color to show individually on the summary line, you need to also create 12 separate summary bars. It's a pain, but it's the only way I know to do it.

John

Answer 3

Hi John,

Your jump ins are always welcome.  I attempted to create multiple roll up bars in addition to the 12 bars for each flag - but was unsuccessful.  Gave you give a bit more guidance about what you mean by "12 separate summary bars"?

I used "Rolled Up, Flag1", "Rolled Up, Flag2" for the roll up bar definitions but it was only reading the first rolled up and applied that bar style to all rolled up tasks.

Julie

Answer 4

I'm missing something.  Generally you set task bars to draw for Flag fields.

So, you have a formula in Flag1 that says [Text3]= "Draft", Flag2 says [Text3] = "Pending QC", etc?

Are the Flag fields being set correctly?

You also have 12 different Bar Styles - one for each Flag field?  The Bar style for the Roll up task needs to be below the Bar Styles for Summary.  Regarding the rolled up bars - did you also intend to create different colored bars for roll up Flags1 - Flag 12?  i cannot seem to get that to work - but the rolled up and different Flag bars seem to be working fine.

I'm guessing you are also using Project 2010?

Answer 5

Thank you for the response, Julie!

I created the custom bars at the bottom of the list in Bar Styles - I didn't realize that the order mattered.  So should I move them to the top of the list?  I did that, and now the rolled up milestones are displaying as I desired, BUT, the color change that corresponds to the custom flags that I created does not seem to be working properly any more.  Am I just putting the custom bars in the wrong place in the Bar Styles table?

Regarding my formula for status -

I have 12 different possible statuses, so I created a flag for each one and labeled it accordingly.  So, flag 1 = draft, flag 2 = pending QC, etc.  I then created a drop-down list in text 3 that includes each of the 12 statuses.  My formula says: [Text3]="Draft" (or whichever status I am referencing for that particular flag).  This way, when I click a status from the drop-down list in text 3, the bar in the Gantt should change color.  This did seem to be working properly previously, although does not seem to be working now.  I'm sure it's just something minor that I am missing (since I've never done this before).

Any additional guidance that you could provide would be much appreciated!

Kim