Grouping by Custom Outline Codes

[Business Engineer]

In Project 2007, when you group by a custom outline code, the code values
(e.g. 1.2, 2.4) are displayed by default rather than the code descriptions
(e.g. Planning, Initiation). How do I show the code descriptions when I
group by outline codes rather than code values? How do I hide the field name
in groups?

NOTE: Project 2003 defaulted to displaying code descriptions rather than
codes.

Thank you for your assistance!

 

[Jim Aksel]

As a work around, you can concatenate the description into the outline code:
Aa - Planning, etc. You could aways write some VBA to plug that data into a
spare Text1 field. A quick look at OutlineCode in the object browser showed
nothing immediately.

 

[Business Engineer]

Hi Jim,
Thanks for the suggestion, although it will not work in our case. The code
values need to have a specific coded format (e.g. 1.1.2) in support of an XML
extract for a cost accounting system interface and report generator
interface. Parsing the codes into multiple text fields is an option, but
this implies a hard-coded hierarchy for custom WBS structures (we would like
to provide users with flexibility to define their WBS structures to different
levels depending upon the complexity of a given branch) plus I have
historically used outline codes to consolidate the number of field entries
that a user needs to make.

In addition, I've noticed that when I group by an outline code, it does not
indenture lower tier coded tasks under higher tier tasks as before in Project
2003. I am beginning to fear that the rewrite of the outline code
functionality precludes the ability to effectively display the same tasks
from multiple WBS perspectives (e.g. Cost Account, Product Structure,
Multiple Life Cycles). I hope that this is not the case as it would be a
major step back in functionality from Project 2003.

Do you know if the problems that I am having are deliberate design features
in 2007, temporary hiccups, or simply ignorance of the use of the pertinent
features in 2007 on my part?
Curious,
Pat Colbeck

Does

 

[supercoolmanchu123]

Interesting Post. I tried out your statement about the Outline Codes,
and I concur, ProjPro does not indent Outline Codes (at least
Enterprise Outline Codes). Nutty.

Also noted the change from display of Discreption to display of Value.
Why the change? I don't know. Just to amuse us?

Anyway, we are upgrading from 2003 to 2007 ProjPro and PWA, and our
first decision was to NEVER use Outline Codes. What a mess they are.
Instead, we use multiple Enterprise Codes and build the 'heirarchy'
into the formula of the higher level codes.

For example, create two fields, COLOR CLASS, and COLOR. Values for
COLOR are Red, Blue, Green, Teal, Vermillion, Ocean, Seagrass, etc.
COLOR CLASS has a formula along the lines of IF COLOR = Red, Blue or
Green THEN COLOR CLASS = PRIMARY, else COLOR CLASS = SECONDARY.

In our experience, this gives us much greater flexibility downstream.
(The formulas can get nasty though, with logic branching using If and
Switch).

Something to look at if migrating existing data isn't so onerous.
Also, our users generally knows the codes, and just type them in,
rather than using the drop down box.

 

[Patrick Colbeck]

I wish we could take a similar approach, however, using separate fields will
not provide branch-sensitive variation restrictions.

Example:
1) Text Field Approach

Field A: Country
Field B: State

User could select the state of Michigan in association with the country of
Mexico.

2) Outline Code Approach

User would only be allowed to select Michigan within the USA branch.

Unfortunately, we need these branch-sensitive variation restrictions. More
to the point, though, I believe that a large number of folks will need these
types of restrictions once Project 2007 gets some more street wear.

I appreciate the suggestions, though.

 

[supercoolmanchu123]

Hey Patrick, I think I didn't explain myself very clearly. For your
examples, Country and State:

The User would only select a value for the State Field. The Country
Field would be a calculated field. You would setup a forumla for the
Country field that evaluats to "USA" whenever the user enters Michigan
(or any of the other 49 states in USA). If the user enters
"Chihuahua", the formlua evaluates to "Mexico", and so on.

If you have many many values, your formula will get messy, perhaps a
limitation. An IF statement can only have 14 levels, so you have to
branch the thing again and again. A good developer can work it out
though.

Downstream benefitis are massive, particularly if you your users are
doing ad-hoc groups and sorts a lot. Its so much easier for them to
deal with the heirararchy in separate fields.

Also, I haven't tried it yet, but I reckon you can write formulas that
access your own custom VBA functions. This will be great for us, since
our "hierarchies" change from time to time, and the single source for
the hierarchies is in other production systems. We want to look at
those databases on a real-time basis to access the current, accurate
heirarchy.

Good luck!

SCM

 

[Patrick Colbeck]

My apologies. You were very clear. I guess I was hoping to see that I could
select or de-select a few option buttons and the outline code functionality
would return back to its 2003 behavior

You do indeed outline a viable alternative, however, it still seems like a
big step backwards from the 2003 functionality...lot of work for something
that was pretty simple before.

Thank you for your insights!
Pat

 

[cmweiss]

I'm going to add to this post in hopes MS can see there is a significant
impact to reducing the usability of the outline code. We used the outline
code in multiple aspects to work packaging our schedules. The name
descriptions in grouping data - but also it would recalculate the BL Start
and BL Finish within the summary. This way I was able to only tag discreet
work tasks and roll up the summary BL dates to implement into our earned
value accounting system (which MSP 07 does not do.) Without this feature -
we go backwards into restructuring the schedule into roll-up summaries for
each work package. It was faster to WP code the tasks using the outline code
fields - and saved me from having to rebuild schedules into work packages.
This is such a significant impact that we have to reinstall Ms Project 2003
so we can continue with our earned value projects.

I'm not sure why MS Project reduced coding and fuctionality of this field.

 

[GC]

Clearly MS don't intend Construction Planners and Schedulers to use their
'planning' package.
Proper Planning packages such as Primavera and PowerProject allow the use
of extremely versatile coding structures to group and sort tasks into logical
layouts.

One improvement they have made to the outline codes is that MS seem to have
learned that the planners are generally better at deciding the order the
codes should be placed they they are (and inherently their software), well
done for adding the 'Display order' radio buttons in the lookup dialog box -
Alphabetical/numerical order isn't always the best policy.

I hope a fix to this bug will be available in the next update, until then
I'll go back to 2003.