Bar shapes codes in Project 2003

[PolQueen]

Is there a chart somewhere that shows the meaning of all of the various bar
shapes in Project 2003? I know the diamond is a milestone, but what do the
star, circle, etc. mean? I am a new user and many people will be using this,
so I want to be sure that I don't get "creative" when there are standard
meanings for them. Thank you!

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

PolQueen --

As you know by now in the Gantt Chart, the black diamond represents a
Milestone task, the blue bars represent the time span of each task, and the
black "jaggy" bars represent summary tasks. Microsoft Project 2003 allows a
user to customize the symbols used in the Gantt Chart, but there is no
standard meaning for any of the other available symbols, such as the star,
circle, etc. Although users are free to customize their own Gantt Charts, I
would not recommend it, since the meaning of alternate symbols might be a
mystery. On the other hand, an organization can mandate that certain
alternate symbols be used in certain situations. For example, if you cancel
an unstarted task by setting its Remaining Work to 0 hours, Project 2003
autmoatically changes the blue Gantt bar into a black diamond, indicating
that the cancelled task is now a Milestone task. However, a cancelled task
is NOT a Milestone task, so I like to use an alternate symbol (such as the
star) representing a cancelled task. If you mandate the use of any
alternate symbols, I would recommend you print and distribute a "key" to
understanding these symbols in the Gantt Chart. Give this "key" to every
stakeholder, PM, and team member, if appropriate. Hope this helps.

 

[PolQueen]

Dale,

Thank you!

PolQueen

PolQueen --

As you know by now in the Gantt Chart, the black diamond represents a
Milestone task, the blue bars represent the time span of each task, and the
black "jaggy" bars represent summary tasks. Microsoft Project 2003 allows a
user to customize the symbols used in the Gantt Chart, but there is no
standard meaning for any of the other available symbols, such as the star,
circle, etc. Although users are free to customize their own Gantt Charts, I
would not recommend it, since the meaning of alternate symbols might be a
mystery. On the other hand, an organization can mandate that certain
alternate symbols be used in certain situations. For example, if you cancel
an unstarted task by setting its Remaining Work to 0 hours, Project 2003
autmoatically changes the blue Gantt bar into a black diamond, indicating
that the cancelled task is now a Milestone task. However, a cancelled task
is NOT a Milestone task, so I like to use an alternate symbol (such as the
star) representing a cancelled task. If you mandate the use of any
alternate symbols, I would recommend you print and distribute a "key" to
understanding these symbols in the Gantt Chart. Give this "key" to every
stakeholder, PM, and team member, if appropriate. Hope this helps.

 

[Dale Howard [MVP]]

PolQueen --

You are more than welcome, my friend!

 

[Jan De Messemaeker]

Hi,

On top of Dale's advice: when you proint a Gantt Chart, the Legend shows the
meaning of the symbolds used, be it standard or customized.

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620
For availability check:
http://users.online.be/prom-ade/Calendar.pdf

 

[meg99]

Hi,

On top of Dale's advice: when you proint a Gantt Chart, the Legend shows the
meaning of the symbolds used, be it standard or customized.

--
Jan De Messemaeker
Microsoft Project Most Valuable Professional
+32 495 300 620





- Show quoted text -

Polqueen,
Since you are a new user, let me add to Jan's post. The Format dialog
will allow you to name each symbol or bar to whatever you want and to
format with color and shape etc. These will be displayed in the
Legend. However, you may not want all of the symbols to be displayed
in the Legend. To prevent display in the Legend, preceed the name of
the symbol/bar with a * (asterisk). For example, suppose you have a
bar that represents an External Task but for the selected project
there are no external tasks. To prevent that symbol from showing on
the Legend, the name in the Format dialog would be *External Task.

meg99