Present projects clearly using consistent symbology


Previous	Next

Project Communication is clearer if consistent symbology is used for your project presentations. You will spend less time explaining the meaning of the symbols on your schedule and will have more time available to clarify your project's progress.

While there is a wide variety of project management symbology to choose from, and it's unlikely that all companies and government agencies will ever agree to a standard set of symbology, project managers should make an attempt to come up with a standard set of symbology to use throughout their organization for the duration of their project. In a big company, it is a good idea to agree on standard company-wide project symbology so that executives who attend many project status presentations do not have to be briefed on the significance of the symbology before each presentation. If a circled red arrow means "critical milestone" for project A, it should not mean "completed" for project B.

Here are some simple guidelines:

Use simple, intuitive symbol and bar choices
Be consistent in applying the symbology
Use color to distinguish between event types
Clearly define the meaning of each symbol in a legend

Scenario:
Customer Presentation

Strategy:
Keep it Simple

A legend is used to explain that the blue arrow is a milestone,the blue bar is a Summary Task and the red bar is a normal task.

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS EBOOK