You can use customized field feature in Microsoft Project 2010 to create a dashboard and to quickly identify problem areas in the project. In this exercise, we will create the following four customized fields: • Status_as_text: This will be a field with a drop down menu to select text: Red, Yellow, Green • Status_as_Image: This will provide the user a drop down menu to select an image to display the status as an image. • Status_as_Eval_text: This will be an automated field that evaluates %complete and displays the result as text. • Status_as_Eval_Image: This will be an automated field to evaluate %complete and display the result as an image.

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Project 2010: Creating Customized Field with Images &
Formula
You can use customized field feature in Microsoft Project 2010 to create a dashboard and to
quickly identify problem areas in the project. In this exercise, we will create the following four
customized fields:
• Status_as_text: This will be a field with a drop down menu to select text: Red, Yellow,
Green
• Status_as_Image: This will provide the user a drop down menu to select an image to
display the status as an image.
• Status_as_Eval_text: This will be an automated field that evaluates %complete and
displays the result as text.
• Status_as_Eval_Image: This will be an automated field to evaluate %complete and
display the result as an image.
By the end of the exercise, you will have a project plan with status, text (red, green or yellow)
and images:

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Custom Field to display status as a Text
Follow the steps below to create a customized field with a drop down menu that allows user to
select one of the text: Red, Yellow, Green.
Step 1: Select Project Tab> Properties Group > Custom Fields.
Step 2: In Cutom Fields window, select Text1 fields and click on the Rename button. Type
Status_as_text and click the OK button.
Step 3: Click on the Lookup button. While in Edit Lookup Table Window, in the value field type:
Red, Yellow, Green. Click on the Close button to close the Edit Lookup Table for
Status_as_text window.
Step 4: Click on OK button to save the changes.
Step 5: Left Click the Add New Column in the Table View, and select Status_as_text from the
drop down menu.
Select the colors in the drop down to manually assign the color as status to each of the tasks.

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Custom Field to display status as an Image
Follow the steps below to create a customized field with a drop down menu that allows user to select one
of the images from the drop down menu:
Step 1: Select Project Tab> Properties Group > Custom Fields.
Step 2: Select Text2 and rename to Status_as_Image.
Click on Lookup button to add the options: Red, Yellow & Green.
Click on the Graphical Indicators… to add the images for text red, yellow and green.
Enter the following information in the Graphical Indictor window:
Test for Values(s) Image
Equals Red
Equals Yellow
Equals Green
Click OK to Save the Graphical Indicators. Click OK again to save the custom fields.
Once you select the color from the dropdown menu, the field is replaced with matching image.

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2100 W. Oangewood . Suite 110 . Orange. CA 92868 . www.nrclc.com . (714) 505-3475
Custom Field to automatically display % complete status as text
Follow the steps below to create a customized field with a drop down menu that allow automatically
populates the data in the column based on a business rule:
Step 1: Select Project Tab> Properties Group > Custom Fields.
Step 2: Select Text2 and rename to Status_as_Eval_Text.
Step 3: Click on the Formula button.
Type in the below formula in the Formula box that populated the data based on the rule specified below:
IIf ([% Complete]<30,"Red",IIf([% Complete]<70,"Yellow","Green"))
Click the OK button. Add the column Status_as_Eval_Text. The Microsoft Project will automatically fill
up the column based on the rule specified above.

6. NR Computer Learning Center
2100 W. Oangewood . Suite 110 . Orange. CA 92868 . www.nrclc.com . (714) 505-3475
Custom Field to automatically display % complete status as Image
Step 1: Select Project Tab> Properties Group > Custom Fields.
Step 2: Select Text2 and rename to Status_as_Eval_Image.
Step 3: Click on the Formula button.
Type in the following formula in the Formula box:
IIf ([% Complete]<30,"Red",IIf([% Complete]<70,"Yellow","Green"))
Click the OK button.
Click on the Graphical Indicators button.
Click the OK button to close the Graphical Indicator Window and click the OK button to close the
Custom Field Window. Add the column Status_as_Eval_Image to the project Table. The Microsoft
Project will automatically fill up the column with images based on the rule specified above.

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If you want to learn more about Microsoft Project 2010, NR Computer Learning Center provide following
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