How To Draw A Gantt Chart

Function Timeline Pro+ is hither!

Align programs and projects on one slide with multi-level Swimlanes.

This stride-past-step Excel Gantt chart tutorial will show y'all how to make professional person Gantt charts using Excel and PowerPoint.

Play Video

Options for making a Gantt chart

Microsoft Excel has a Bar chart characteristic that can be formatted to make an Excel Gantt chart. If y'all need to create and update a Gantt chart for recurring communications to clients and executives, information technology may exist simpler and faster to create information technology in PowerPoint.

On this page, yous tin can find each of these two options documented in separate sections. First, we volition give yous step-by-pace instructions for making a Gantt nautical chart in Excel by starting with a Bar chart. Then, we will besides show you how to instantly create an executive Gantt chart in PowerPoint by pasting or importing data from an .xls file.

Which tutorial would you like to see?

30 mins

Manually create a Gantt nautical chart in Excel

Download Excel Gantt nautical chart template

How to make a Gantt chart in Excel

1. List your projection schedule in an Excel table.

1. Break down the entire projection into chunks of work, or phases. These will be called project tasks and they will form the basis of your Gantt chart.

2. In Excel 2022, 2022 and 2022, enter your data by listing the Outset Date and Finish Date of each task, along with their duration (count of days required to complete that job). Make sure to include a brief description for each task, then sort them in order, by placing the earliest start engagement first and the latest date terminal, equally shown in the image beneath.

In this tutorial, we will convert this table into an Excel Gantt nautical chart then into a PowerPoint Gantt chart. Read on to learn how.

2. Begin making your Excel Gantt past setting it up as a Stacked Bar Chart.

1. Inside the same worksheet that your Excel table is on, click in whatsoever blank cell.

2. From the Excel ribbon, select the INSERT tab.

3. In the Charts department of the ribbon, drop down the Bar Nautical chart selection menu.

4. So select Stacked Bar, which will insert a large blank white chart infinite onto your Excel worksheet (do not select 100% Stacked Bar).

   

iii. Add the start dates of your tasks to the Gantt chart.

1. Right-click the white nautical chart space and click Select Data to bring upwards Excel's Select Data Source window.

   

2. On the left side of Excel's Data Source window, you volition see a table named Legend Entries (Series). Click on the Add together push button to bring up Excel'due south Edit Series window where yous will brainstorm calculation the task data to your Gantt chart.

   

3. Now nosotros're going to add your task information.

   i. First, we need to proper noun the data (Series) we volition exist inbound. Click and place your cursor in the empty field under the championship Series name, then click on the column header that reads Start Date in your table.

   two. Staying in the Edit Series window, move downward to Serial value. This is where y'all will enter your Task kickoff dates. Information technology is like shooting fish in a barrel to do. To the right of the Series values field you will see an icon with an arrow pointing upwards.

   

   Click on the icon and Excel will open a smaller Edit Serial window. At present simply click the get-go start appointment in your task table and elevate your mouse downwards to the last start date. This highlights all of the outset dates for your tasks and inputs them into your Gantt chart. Brand certain you lot take non mistakenly highlighted the header or whatsoever extra cells.

   

   iii. When finished, click on the arrow icon again , which will return you to the previous window chosen Edit Series. Once here, click OK. Your Gantt should now look like this:

   

4. Add together the durations of your tasks to the Gantt chart.

1. Stay in the Select Data Source window and re-click the Add button to bring up Excel's Edit Series window. Here is where you will add together the duration data to your Gantt nautical chart.

   

2. In the Edit Series window, click in the empty field under the title Series Name and and then in your task tabular array once again, on the column header that reads Duration.

   

3. Staying in the Edit Serial window, move down to Series value and click once more on the spreadsheet icon with a black arrow on it (called Edit Series Button) . Select your Duration data by clicking on the first duration in your project table, and elevate your mouse downward to the last elapsing and then all durations are now highlighted.

4. To get out, click again on the small spreadsheet icon with the black arrow, which will return y'all to the previous window. Select OK and you should now be dorsum in the Select Data Source window. Click OK again to update your Gantt chart which should at present look something similar this:

5. Add the descriptions of your tasks to the Gantt chart.

1. Right-click on one of the blue bars in the Gantt nautical chart, then click on Select Data once again to bring up the Select Data Source window.

   

2. On the correct side of Excel's Data Source window, you will see a tabular array named Horizontal (Category) Axis Labels. Select the Edit button to bring up a smaller Axis Label windows.

   

3. Again, click on the minor spreadsheet icon. Then click on the beginning name of your tasks (in our case, the get-go chore description is "Preparatory Stage") and select them all. Exist careful not to include the name of the column itself. When you lot are done, exit this window past clicking on the pocket-size black arrow icon again.

   

4. Click OK and and then OK once again to get out the Select Information Source window. At present your Gantt chart should have the correct task descriptions next to their respective bars, and should look something like this:

   

6. Format your chart so it looks like a Gantt chart.

Up to this signal, you have actually congenital a Stacked bar chart. At present we need to format it so information technology looks like a Gantt nautical chart. To practise that, we must make the bluish parts of each task bar transparent so simply the orange parts volition be visible. These will become the tasks of your Gantt chart.

1. To select all of the task bars at once, click on the blue role of any bar in your Gantt chart, and then correct-click and select Format Data Series, which will bring up the Format Data Series window in Excel.

   

2. In the Format Data Series job pane, click on the Fill & Line icon (it looks like a paint can) to get the Fill & Line options. Under Fill up, tick the No Make full radial push and, nether Border, choose the No Line choice. Don't close the Format Data Series task pane because you're going to use it in the next step.

   Your Gantt chart should now await like this:

   

3. You will probably notice that the tasks on your Gantt chart are listed in contrary, with the terminal task on superlative of the Gantt nautical chart and the start task listed at the bottom. However, you can hands arrange them in counter direction in Excel.

   i. To do so, click on the list of tasks along the vertical centrality of your Gantt nautical chart. This will select them all and it will also open the Format Axis task pane.

   two. Hither, in the Format Axis chore pane, click on the Bar Chat icon to expand out the Axis Options menu.

   3. In the Format Centrality chore pane, under the header Centrality Options and the sub-header Axis Position, tick the checkbox called Categories in reverse social club.

   

   Yous volition notice that Excel not only arranged your tasks from first to final on your Gantt chart, just besides moved the date markers from beneath to the top of the graphic. Now it is really starting to look more than like a Gantt chart should.

7. Finish your Gantt chart with these styling tips.

Now that your Gantt nautical chart is created, you can further way it to optimize its layout and legibility. Hither are a few suggestions in this respect.

1. Reduce the white infinite on your Gantt nautical chart

   Removing some of the blank white space where the blue bars used to be will bring your tasks a little closer to the vertical axis of your Gantt chart. To exercise this, click on any of the dates higher up the job bars to have all of them selected. And so, correct-click and select Format Axis to bring up Excel's Axis Options window.

   In the Axis Options window, nether the header called Bounds, note the electric current number for Minimum Premises. It represents the left most boundary of your Gantt chart. Changing this number by making it larger will bring your tasks closer to the vertical axis of your Gantt chart. In our case, nosotros changed the original number (which was 44300.0) to 44365.0. At any time, you tin can striking the reset button to restore the original settings. This gives you lot the opportunity to try several dissimilar settings until yous find the one that makes your Gantt chart look best.

2. Adjust the density of the dates across the top of your Gantt chart

   In the same Axis Options window under the header Units, you lot tin adjust the spacing between the dates listed at the peak of the horizontal Centrality. If you lot increase the Major unit of measurement number, Excel volition enlarge the space between each engagement and, thus, lessen the number of dates your Gantt chart shows. Doing the contrary will reduce the space between each appointment and, therefore, create extra room for more dates onto your Gantt chart. In our case, we changed the original number from 20 to 30.

   

3. Brand the job bars on your Gantt chart thicker

   Right-click on the outset chore bar and choose Format Data Series to open up the Format Information Series control. Under the Serial Options header, you will detect the Gap Width command. Sliding it up or downward will increase or reduce the size of the task confined on your Gantt chart. Play around until you lot find something that best works for you.

   

4. Customize task bars and chart surface area

   As a finishing touch, y'all may desire to add a title to your Gantt chart, modify the color of the task bars or use another type of text font. In our case, we chose to:

   - recolor the chart confined from orange to a dark blue by double-clicking on whatsoever of the bars, going to the Fill & Line section of the Format Data Series pane on the right, and using the Fill colour option bill of fare;

   - use Assuming font for the text of the task descriptions. If you want to do the aforementioned, but click on the titles to select them all, and so press Ctrl + B;

   - add a title to the graphic by selecting the chart expanse, clicking on the "+" button in the upper right corner, and then ticking the box in front of Nautical chart Title. This will insert a text box at the height of your Gantt in which y'all need to double-click in guild to continue typing in the name for your visual.

   

Download Excel Gantt chart template file

How to make a Gantt chart in PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a more than graphical tool and a ameliorate choice for making Gantt charts that will be used in client and executive communications. Office Timeline is a PowerPoint add together-in that makes and updates Gantt charts past importing or pasting from Excel.

You can re-create-paste, import and refresh the data from your Excel tables in PowerPoint. In the steps beneath, we will demonstrate how to turn the Excel table yous created above into a PowerPoint Gantt chart past using Office Timeline Pro+.

1. Open PowerPoint and paste your table into the Function Timeline wizard.

1. Inside PowerPoint, navigate to the Role Timeline Pro+ tab and click the New button.

   

   This volition open a gallery that volition allow yous to choose a style or template for your Gantt chart.

   

2. From the gallery, double-click any template or manner to select it, and then click Use Template in the preview window to open the Data Entry Wizard. In this demonstration, nosotros will be using a custom template which comes with sample data, but you tin delete them. Annotation: If you prefer to import and refresh your Excel tabular array, rather than copy-paste it, select Import.

   

3. Copy your project'due south details, including Start Date, End Appointment and Clarification, from the Excel table you made earlier. You can re-create them all at once only be sure not to re-create the title.

   

4. At present simply paste the data into PowerPoint using the Office Timeline Pro+ Paste push button. And then, make any edits you wish (change colors or shapes, add or remove items, etc.) and click Create.

   

2. Your Excel table volition be converted into a PowerPoint Gantt chart.

1. Depending on the style or template selected, you will have a Gantt nautical chart that looks similar this:

   

2. From here, you tin easily customize the Gantt chart further, adding milestones, formatting fonts and colors, and adding various details similar percent consummate or notes. It is piece of cake to do in Function Timeline. In our instance, nosotros used Office Timeline Pro+ to add together milestones, move task titles and date texts, change shapes, and add percent consummate.

   

Download PowerPoint Gantt chart template file

FAQs almost making Gantt charts in Excel

Here are the answers to the nigh frequently asked questions in relation to making Gantt charts in Microsoft Excel.

How exercise I create a Gantt chart template in Excel?

To create a Gantt chart in Excel that yous can use as a template in the future, yous need to do the post-obit:

1. Listing your project information into a table with the following columns: Task description, Start date, End engagement, Duration.
2. Add a Stacked Bar Chart to your Excel spreadsheet using the Nautical chart menu under the Insert tab.
3. Add the start and end dates of your tasks to your stacked bar chart.
4. Add the duration of your tasks to the graphic.
5. Add the task descriptions to your Excel stacked bar chart.
6. Format the stacked bar chart to make it look more similar a Gantt chart by turning the bluish segment of the bars transparent.
7. Better the legibility of the Gantt nautical chart past:
   • bringing the task bars closer to the vertical axis of the chart;
   • adjusting the density of the chore dates;
   • thickening the task confined to reduce the white infinite.

Is there an Excel Gantt chart template?

As shown in the tutorial above, Excel doesn't take whatsoever predefined Gantt chart templates per se, merely it allows you lot to create a bones Gantt sample by manually formatting a stacked bar nautical chart.

Alternatively, if y'all want to relieve time and brand a Gantt chart faster, yous tin practise so by importing or pasting your data from Excel into PowerPoint.

To better sympathize how y'all can do that, check out our short video below.

How to make a PowerPoint Gantt chart from Excel in under 60 seconds:

Play Video

Meet our free Gantt nautical chart template drove

Clinical Trial Roadmap

Large-scale PowerPoint clinical trial roadmap template featuring color-coded elements to highlight the main phases necessary for a drug or process to receive FDA approval.

Business organization Continuity Programme

Swimlane timeline template that outlines the major components of business continuity management in order to guide professionals in their risk-mitigation efforts.

Technology Roadmap with Swimlanes

Swimlane diagram case that includes various milestones and tasks to mark singled-out phases and major events for managing technological updates in your organization.

Product Development Roadmap

Colour-coded swimlane sample for showcasing the journeying of a product with smartly grouped milestones and tasks, which reduces clutter and eliminates overlapping. 

It Migration Swimlane Chart

Clear swimlane chart template that lets you easily map out an organization’s migration process from one system to another on stages and organize milestones and tasks according to scheduled intervals.

Basic Gantt Chart

Simple Gantt chart diagram with well-defined tasks and milestones that help yous clearly outline whatsoever project schedule. 

Free Gantt Chart

The Gantt chart template was designed for professionals who demand to make important project presentations to clients and execs.

Project

Simple even so professionally-designed projection template focusing on major milestones and due dates for you to be able to create easy-to-follow, high-level project timelines for proposals, campaigns, status reports and reviews.

Project Management Programme

A visual template highlighting project key tasks and milestones so that you can present merely the right amount of particular to both projection and not-project audiences.

Source: https://www.officetimeline.com/gantt-chart/how-to-make/excel

Posted by: spiveystootherents.blogspot.com

Share this post