Color Coding Projects or Custom Fields

Hi! In the past when I’ve created a project, I just randomly assign a color for itthat I feel matches my mood for the day or that I like the look of. However, gradually I’ve started realizing (with the growing number of projects) that that’s probably not the best way to go about it or else I’m going to always have teal or purple projects.

So my question is: how does your organization or team use color?

Do you use color coding for projects?
Custom fields?

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Hi @Caisha

I admit I use your approach in most cases, without a proper logic. The only moment in which I apply a logic is when I have to assign colours to:

  • custom fields lists
  • projects

Now, regarding the custom field lists, if the list can be linked to a “traffic light” system, then I tend to use green, yellow and red, maybe expanding with blue/orange and so on. This gives me an immediate feedback on the status.
For example: implementation task priority?

  • Must Have/High Priority > Red
  • Should Have/Medium Priority > Yellow
  • Could Have/Low Priority > Green

As for projects, I tend to use the same logic to immediately understand the status of the projects. I don’t use the Daashboard a lot, but I have in my favourites the list of all the main projects and sprints. It is absolutely easy to understand if a project is on time and in line with expectations or not.

Hope this gives you food for thoughts

Ciao
Carlo

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That’s an interesting way of have a team/org based dashboard sort of, at least in the very basic sense of slowed/blocked, etc.

The custom fields for statuses are pretty universal, at least my ‘blocked’ status is bright red and ‘needs update’ is orange, but all the other colors are kind of whatever. I think it would have to be part of our conventions in order for color coding to become any more advanced for me =|

Right now for one team, I’ve started to group projects via colors like so:

Pipelines and Ongoing Requests projects are pink
Brand-specific projects are that brand’s colors
Themed projects (like based in programs or sprints, or just one massive project that lives in multiple projects) are the same color.

Other than that, it’s still the random colors in the other teams and projects.

Anyway, thanks for the food for thought! I like the concept of using the colors as quick progress indicators.

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I think color coding is fine, but it is to little. I have presented the idea of “custom fields” for projects. Ie. like the ability to mark task by custom fields, it would be very useful to be able to mark projects by custom fields. Right now the most versatile “field” is color coding.

Imagine the possibility to “tag” projects with color, status, priority, strategic goal, subject and all other things i have not yet though off.

What do you think? Would it be usefull? These new “field” could then be used in fx the dashboard.
They could also be shown in the project list in the left panel. That would off course take up a bit more space.

Sorry if this is off topic.

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I like the traffic light idea, @Carlo!

I tend to use the color red to indicate a delay or something urgent in custom fields. Red usually signifies, “ahh!” :stuck_out_tongue: I also use project colors to organize my sidebar! I group different types of projects by color, which makes it much easier to access projects when I need them. When I select the color I always uncheck “set for everyone.” I talk about how I use my sidebar in the post here Project Prefix To Identify Team - #4 by Alexis

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I too would like to see grouping of projects. I have many that I’d like to put into similar groups, it would be a great feature

This is an old thread, but wanted to put my $.02 in.

It would be great to have custom fields to assign to projects. Currently I use the project colors when building dashboards to categorize projects by priority. It would be nice to have additional ‘characterizations’ of these projects…ie potential revenue, customer, percent complete, etc - the same type of things Peter is looking.

I’ll stay tuned for this update:)

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