How to Create Multi Color Summary Bar Based Upon Phase

The following steps will show you how to create this:

Note that color formatting is dynamic and will adjust as Duration of the phase increases or decreases.

1.  Must establish consistent Phase names. Example:

- Planning
- Execution
- Closure

2.  Must establish consistent Milestone names. Also useful to have Acronym for milestone names. Example:

Milestone - Acronym
- Planning Complete – PC
- Execution Complete – EC
- Closure Project - CP

3.  Open MS Project

4.  Establish Phase Names and Milestone Names:

5.  Select the Milestones, right click and click on Task Information.

6.  Place a check in “Roll up to Gantt bar to Summary”

7.  Click on OK. Rolled up Milestones will now appear on Summary Bars

8.  Right click on the Gantt Chart and click on Bar Styles

9.  Click on *Rolled Up Milestone, then click on the Text tab. For Bottom, select Name.

10.  Click on OK. Milestone Names will now appear below the Rolled up Milestones on the Summary Bars

11.  Insert Flag 1, Flag 2, and Flag 3 columns

12.  Right click on Flag 1 and click on Customize Fields

13.  Click on Rename and input “Planning Flag”

14.  Click on OK

15.  Click on Formula

16.  Input the following formula: [Name]=“Planning”

17.  Click on OK

18.  For “Calculation for task and group summary rows”, ensure “Use Formula” is enabled.

19.  Click on OK

20.  “Yes” should now automatically appear under the Planning Flag for the Planning Summary Task:

21.  Right click on Flag 2 and click on Customize Fields

22.  Click on Rename and input “Execution Flag”

23.  Click on OK.

24.  Click on Formula

25.  Input the following formula: [Name]=“Execution”

26.  Click on OK

27.  For “Calculation for task and group summary rows”, ensure “Use Formula” is enabled.

28.  Click on OK

29.  Right click on Flag 3 and click on Customize Fields

30.  Click on Rename and input “Closure Flag”

31.  Click on OK.

32.  Click on Formula

33.  Input the following formula: [Name]=“Closure”

34.  Click on OK

35.  For “Calculation for task and group summary rows”, ensure “Use Formula” is enabled.

36.  Click on OK

37.  You may now hide the three flag fields

38.  Click on Show Outline Level 1

39.  Right click on the Gantt chart area and click on Bar Styles

40.  Under Name, click on Summary

41.  Click on Cut Row

42.  Click on Paste Row four times

43.  Move to the second Summary under Name and input “Rolled Up Summary Planning”

44.  Move to the Show For column, input a coma after Summary, click on the dropdown, select Rolled up. Input a coma after Rolled up, click on the dropdown and select Flag 1. Then click on Rolled up Summary Planning

45.  On the Bars tab for Start, Middle and End, click on the dropdown and select the color you would like to appear for the Planning Phase.

46.  Complete steps 43 through 45 for the 3rd and 4th Rolled Up Summary

47.  Click on OK. Colors will now appear on Summary row

48.  To add the Phase Names below each phase, right click on the Gantt Chart and click on Bar Styles

49.  Click on Rolled Up Summary Planning under Name

50.  Click on the Text Tab

51.  For Bottom, Select Name

52.  Click on OK

53.  Complete steps 49 through 52 for Rolled Up Summary Execution and Rolled Up Summary Closure

54.  Click on OK