A popular topic during our project management seminars is the development of a project dashboard using Microsoft Project.  A project dashboard is often an executive view of the status of a project using colored indicators.  Common indicators are the schedule status and the budget status using green, yellow, and red traffic lights.  The example below is a typical dashboard. 

A green light means that the project is on track with regard to the schedule. Yellow shows that the project is at risk and red states that the project has exceeded some predefined organizational standard project threshold.  A white indicator is used when the project leader has yet to set a baseline, typically for a project that has not yet started.

PMO’s often create a Project Portfolio Dashboard.  This can give an executive an overview of all the organization’s projects and is helpful to identify projects at risk.

Here are the steps to create a simple project dashboard using Microsoft Project.  This dashboard will use the following thresholds:

• Green light - project is on track
• Yellow light - project is less than 15% over schedule.
• Red light - project is 15% over schedule or budget.
• White light - project baseline has not be established.

1. On the Main Menu bar, select Tools / Customize / Fields.
2. Change the field Type to: Number
3. Select the field named Number 1.
4. Click the Rename button and rename the field Number 1 to Schedule Dashboard.
5. Click the Formula button.
6. Insert the following items into the formula:
   • Field /Date / Finish Variance
   • “/” (the division sign)
   • Field / Duration / Baseline Duration / Baseline Duration
   • “*” (the multiplication sign)
   • 100
7. The formula should appear as: [Finish Variance] / [Baseline Duration] * 100
8. Click OK
9. Reply to the subsequent message by clicking OK, which will return you to the Customize Fields dialogue box.
10. Under the option of Calculation for task and group summary rows, selection the option Use formula
11. Click the Graphical Indicators button
12. Create the indicators to match the figure below:
13. Select OK and close the Customize Fields dialogue box.
14. Within the Tracking Table, insert the Schedule Dashboard field to the right of the Task Name column:
    Insert / Column / Schedule Dashboard / OK.
15. Display the Schedule Dashboard indicator for the entire project:
    • Tools / Options / select the View tab
    • Check the option Show Project Summary Task
    • OK

The addition of the Budget status uses the following calculation:

[VAC] / [Baseline Cost] * 100

As you experiment with the formulas and graphical indicators, your organization can create a sophisticated project dashboard.

Learn more about Glen Knight’s project management seminars.