Maintaining clear and effective communication about project status is important for timely decision-making and risk management. Project status reports are designed to facilitate this communication by providing a simple yet powerful visual tool. 

In this article, we will help you configure the project status report settings. This includes setting up the component RAG and the RAG status values. To learn how to create or edit a status report, please refer to this article.

Status Report Component RAGs

Status Report Component RAGs are predefined criteria against which the Red, Amber, Green (RAG) status is set in a project status report. These components, which can be customised, typically include key aspects of project management such as Timeline, Scope, Financials, and Resourcing. Each component is assessed and assigned a RAG status. This system provides a structured framework to assess various aspects of a project as well as a clear, colour-coded overview of the project's health and progress in each critical area.

RAG (Red, Amber, Green) Status

A RAG status is a simple, effective tool used to indicate the status or health of a project, task, or activity. RAG stands for Red, Amber, and Green, which are the colours used to represent different levels of performance or risk: 

1. Red: This indicates that there are significant issues or risks that need immediate attention. A red status often means that the project is not on track, over budget, or facing major obstacles that could jeopardise its success. 
2. Amber: This colour represents a warning. It suggests that there are potential issues or risks which may not be critical now but need to be monitored closely. An amber status is often an indication that the project may face problems if no action is taken. 
3. Green: A green status signifies that everything is on track. It indicates that the project is proceeding as planned, within budget, and without any significant issues. 

The RAG status system provides a quick and easily understandable way to communicate the state of a project or its components to stakeholders, allowing for timely interventions and decision-making. If required, you can add more RAG status values as explained in the next section. 

Configuring Component RAGs and RAG Status

Simply follow the steps below to set up the RAG components and RAG Status.

Click on your avatar in the top-right corner and select Administration Console from the avatar menu.

Select Metadata Management in the Data Administration section.

Select the 'Status Component RAGs' or the 'Status Report RAGs' tabs to see the values that have been set up on your instance. 

You can then fine-tune your project report settings to best suit your organisation's specific requirements. It's important to note that the following instructions apply not only to component RAGs and RAG Status but also to all metadata tabs. 

1. Creating a New Status Component RAG or a New RAG Status: 
   1. Select the appropriate tab in the left-hand menu. 
   2. Click the '+ Add New' button to open the Create dialog. 
   3. Input all the relevant details for the new component RAG or for the new status. 
   4. Click 'Save' to create the new value. 
2. Editing Existing Status Component RAG or RAG Status: 
   1. Click on the pencil icon next to the component RAG or status you want to update. 
   2. Input the new value. 
   3. Click 'Save' to confirm the changes. 
3. Deleting an Existing Status Component RAG  or RAG Status: 
   1. Select the 'x' icon next to the component RAG or status you want to delete. 
   2. Follow the prompts to confirm the deletion, and the value will be removed from your list.

Updating Status Component RAGs

When you add or edit a Status Component RAG, you must provide information for the following fields: 

Display Name: 

This is the label or title of the Status Component RAG. 

Active Status: 

This field indicates whether this particular RAG component is currently active or inactive within the system.

Updating Status Report RAGs

When creating a new status report RAG, the required details include: 

RAG Name: 

This is the label for the new RAG status. 

Order: 

This determines if a 'Path to Green' plan is needed for the RAG status. If the order value of the component is higher than that assigned to the Green status, it will automatically trigger a prompt for a 'Path to Green' plan. Additionally, this order is used for organising RAG statuses on the project dashboard. 

Color: 

This specifies the colour representing the RAG status. 

Active Status: 

This indicates whether the RAG component is currently being used or not in the system.