Assignments, Usage and Custom Formula Fields

[Annabel Mackay]

Hi,

I use the Resource Usage view to distribute to do lists to staff. I have
chosen not to use the true Assignment Reports because I am unable to
reformat the Details (i.e. Schedule) section and I do not want to print
all the fields that are automatically included. Further I can get a neat
list grouped by Resource Group (i.e. Department), then Resource Name and
then by week.

I want to include a custom field in the table in the Resource Usage
field to indicate status. I will use start and finish dates and % work
completed to determine this. I have done similar for a Task Table which
works well.

However, it seems that custom Assignment Fields can only contain entered
data and not formula or calculated data.

Is this correct?

Does anyone have a suggestion for creating a field that shows a "Status"
type indicator for use on an assignment table/view?

Thanks,
Annabel Mackay

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Annabel,

Welcome to this Microsoft Project newsgroup

That is not correct You can put formulae into customised fields in the
Usage views. Bear in mind though the custom fields in the Usage views are
different from those in the Task views.

You might like to see FAQ Item: 37 - Custom Fields in Tables. FAQs,
companion products and other useful Project information can be seen at this
web address: http://www.mvps.org/project/

Hope this helps - please let us know how you get on

Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi Mike,

Sound good, but how do you do that? When I try to customize a field I am
asked whether it is a task or a resource field, and the assignments fields
in the Usage views do not react.

HTH

 

[Mike Glen]

Hi Jan,

I was responding to the broad based question that the Resource Usage views
cannot contain formulae in Customised fields - clearly they can. But the
point you've raised is that they only calculate at the summary (Resource)
level - correct - I didn't try it that far! Individual assignments seem
to ignore such formulae - I don't know why, but maybe because you can have
several different resources on one task. Maybe some vba would do the trick.
Alternatively, if she created a new report based on the to-do report, she
might get nearer to what she wants.


Mike Glen
Project MVP

 

[Annabel Mackay]

Hi,

Thanks Mike and Jan for the responses.

You have confirmed that I can't use formula in custom assignment field.
Or rather as Jan pointed out I can't actually create an assignment field
per se. I can make resource custom field but when displayed in a usage
table they show nothing, only when in the resource table.

I'd like to use To Do List report but without being able to change the
fields in the that are displayed by ticking "Schedule" in details I
cannot. This shows excess information which is confusing to my staff.
Hence, I just print a Resource Usage view (table only) as my to do list.
Grouping by resource name achieves this.

Thanks for the notes,
Annabel