Stoplight Charts: Ideal For At A Glance Project Reporting .

Stoplight Charts: Ideal for At-a-Glance Project ReportingCreate Stoplight charts using Milestones ProfessionalIn a report which has extensive data, how can action items be quickly highlighted andaddressed? Stoplight charts are a wonderful way to show status of projects at-aglance. Without even looking at the project details, a manager can glance at the project’s overall stoplight color and tell how it is doing:Green: All systems go! Fully compliant. On track. No problems. Most aspects of theproject are doing very well.Yellow: Project on schedule but just. Some aspects of the project may be behindschedule. Detailed monitoring required.Red: Alert! Monitor Carefully. Problems loom. Additional resources, reschedulingand/or rethinking may be required.http:www.kidasa.com

Stoplights: What can they indicate?Stoplights are typically green, yellow and red and can have many meanings. Here is a sampling:Ahead of ScheduleUnder BudgetOn ScheduleOn BudgetBehind ScheduleOver Budget0-5 days behind scheduleSchedule OK, Cost OK6-12 days behind scheduleSchedule OK, Over Cost13 days behind scheduleBehind Schedule, Cost OKBehind Schedule, Over costFuturehttp:www.kidasa.com

Other Types of IndicatorsIn addition to simple stoplights, many other indicators can be used for at-a-glance status. Thispage and the following pages offer examples .Indicators SamplerThe Indicators Sampler schedule below illustrates some of the ways indicators can be used with aschedule. In this example: The % Complete column shades the pie based on the % complete entered in the column. The Indicators by Range column shows a unique symbol for each specified numberrange. The Status Indicator column either shades with a color or displays a symbol based onthe text in the Status column. For On Schedule, it is shaded green. Future is shadedblue. Critical is shaded red. If complete is entered, a black check-mark is shown.Indicators SamplerPHASE%CompleteIndicatorsby Range2018JunJulAugSep2019OctNovDecJanStatusFebGas Hookup100%11 - 20COMPLETECabinets Plus56%21 - 30ONSCHEDULEHardwood Floors100%11 - 20COMPLETEInserts0%41 - 50FUTURESprinkler System16%21 - 30CRITICALElectrical100%51 - 60COMPLETEPlumbing0%51 - 60FUTUREStainless Steel73%0 - 10ONSCHEDULEMirrors Doors100%31 - 40COMPLETE0%11 - 20CRITICALGarage doorshttp:www.kidasa.comStatusIndicator

Indicator Report ExamplesProject Funding DashboardThis Remaining Funds columnon this schedule is set up to automatically color when the coststo date exceed the baseline cost(red) and when the costs to dateequal the baseline cost (yellow).The Funding Status stoplight willbe green if there are remainingfunds, yellow if remaining fundsare 0 and red if remainingfunds are negativeProject Dashboard, Earned ValueEarned Value NDJFMAMJPercentCompleteJEV(BCWP)CV 10,295( 3,629) 1,883( 1,117) 2,391( 659) 2,608 558 718( 2,882) 2,216( 8) 478 47830,000PROJECT SUMMARY 22,428 13,92428,50027,00025,500DESIGN AND SUPPORT 3,523 3,00024,00022,50021,000ANALYSIS PLAN 4,333 3,05019,50018,00016,500TEST & VERIFICATION 4,222 2,05015,00013,50012,000DESIGN PLAN 1,452 3,60010,5009,0007,500DESIGN ANALYSIS 6,343 2,2246,0004,5003,000SYSTEMS ENGINEERING 2,555 01,5000BudgetActualEarned ValuePVhttp:www.kidasa.comThis Milestones Professionalschedule includes an earnedvalue graph which providesadditional information at-aglance.The CPI column displays an indicator which provides usefulintegrated cost/schedule performance information.

Indicator Report ExamplesTracking StatusThis Milestones Professionalschedule uses different symbolshapes and colors to show status in the Ahead/Behind column.If the project is ahead, a greentriangle is shown. If behind, ared arrow. If neither ahead norbehind, a yellow star.Contract Review Earned Value ReportThis Milestones Professional schedule uses Milestones Professional’s built-in earned value calculations.Additionally, two stoplight columns have been added, one for CPI (Cost Performance Index) and one forTCPI (To Complete Performance Index).http:www.kidasa.com

Indicator Report Examples created using Milestones ProfessionalAerospace Project Plan Cost ReportThis example shows simple costvariance stoplights. In this casethe stoplights refer only to theproject’s budget and are notassociated with whether or notthe project is ahead or behindschedule.Travel Nurse AssignmentsThe Pie Indicator columnshades the pie based on thenumber in the column.The Assignment Indicator column uses the “Fill cell withsymbol color” feature to displaya color based on the text located in the compare to column.The Status column displays ared check if the % complete is100, a yellow diamond if the %complete is zero and a greenarrow if the % complete is between 1 and 99.http:www.kidasa.com

Indicator Reports generated from Microsoft Project InformationMilestones Professional offers a large selection of indicator report formats for Microsoft Project users.Finish Date Plus StatusThis example uses the MicrosoftProject Status field to display astoplight or a check mark.The legend below the scheduledescribes how the indicatorswork.Cost and Schedule Stoplight ReportThe Microsoft Project Cost Variance field is used to determine ifCost is OK.The Project Status field is usedto determine if schedule is ok.http:www.kidasa.com

Create Stoplight and Indicator Charts with Milestones ProfessionalAs you have seen in the examples Milestones Professional offers a variety of ways to use stoplights and indicators for at-a-glance reporting. To recap and get you started on creating your ownMilestones Professional stoplight or indicator schedule, here are a few helpful reminders: A basic stoplight column will generate stoplights in red, yellow, green and bluewhen the numbers 1,2,3, and 4 are entered. It’s that easy! Any Values column can also have an indicator associated with it. And you get todefine how the indicators work. Other column types in Milestones Professional can have indicators. These include:duration, earned value, and more. Indicators can be set up based on text in a cell. For example, an assignment namelike “Team A” can cause a cell to fill with color. A special percent (pie) indicator is built in to Milestones Professional. It’s possibleto shade the pie by a number between 0 and 100 or between 0 and 1.Stoplight Varietyhttp:www.kidasa.com

Create Stoplight and Indicator Charts with Milestones Professional As you have seen in the examples Milestones Professional offers a variety of ways to use stop-lights and indicators for at-a-glance reporting. To recap and get you started on creating your own Milestones Professional stoplight