Next, you’ll create a Task Dependency column with all of your task dependencies. Head into the default table view and add all of your project data, including each task’s status, timeline, priority, name, and owner.Īll of these functions can be color-coded to your own preferences, and you can set as many Status or Priority types as needed. Okay we get that “better” may be a bit aggressive, but we can back it up.Ĭreating a Gantt chart in is (instead of requiring 20 steps, like our walkthrough above) extremely straightforward. A better approach to creating Gantt charts There’s some good news, though (phew): there’s a much simpler way to create Gantt charts that you can actually use to manage a project. In short, it’s pretty painful, and it can get pretty buggy, even for expert PMs. Automatically updating dependent tasks means you need to build complex formulas. Showing task and project progress requires the use of conditional formatting. But if you want to create a true Gantt chart, with task dependencies and the ability to quickly edit tasks and add updates, things get a whole lot more complex. Static charts, like the one we’ve just created are pretty straightforward. So there’s a wee problem with using Microsoft Excel to create Gantt charts (apart from the fact that it takes half an hour and the final result looks like it was done in 1998). Now your chart looks like a real Gantt chart, with the dates at the top and tasks formatted from earliest to latest start date. To fix this, simply click on the list of Tasks on the left hand side of your chart, which gives you access to the Axis options on the right hand pane.Ĭlick on the little bar chart icon, open the Axis Options drop-down menu, and select the Categories in reverse order box. You’ll now have a chart that looks like this:Ĭlose to a Gantt chart, except in the reverse order. In the Format Data Series panel, set the Fill and Border options to No fill and No line. Right click on your bar chart and hit the Format Chart Area option.Ĭlick on any of the blue bars in your chart. Now we’ve got some context as to what each bar represents.Īt this point, you’re probably thinking, this doesn’t really look like a Gantt chart. In the Horizontal (category) axis labels box, select the data you added for your task names. Now we want to add some context to this chart by adding the names of each task. Add tasks descriptions to your Gantt chart Add the duration of each of your tasksīack in the Select Data window, repeat these steps for your task durations.Īt this point, you should have a Stacked Bar graph that looks like this: Hit OK, and you should have a bar graph that looks like this: Then, select all of the dates in your Start Dates column from top to bottom: In the Name box, add the text “Start Dates,’ place your cursor in the Y values text box, and click. In the pop-up window, click the little + icon to add a new data series: You’ll want to select the second option under the 2-D Bar header, which is the Stacked Bar chart: Now, let’s turn this data into an Excel chart.Ĭlick on any empty cell, head up to the Insert tab, and find the drop-down menu for bar charts. Make sure to sort them in order of start dates, with the earliest first. To get started creating your Gantt chart in Excel, you’re going to need to add all of your project schedule information into a table.Īdd the start and end dates of each task, the task duration in days, and a brief note that outlines what the task at hand is. Create an Excel table with your project schedule data If you’re still insistent, and we can’t dissuade you quite yet, here’s how to do it… How to create a Gantt chart in Excel That said, it is possible to create simple Gantt charts in Excel (though it’s a little clumsy). Project planning and management isn’t really what Excel is built for. A project management platform like is so much better it’s not even funny, plus you get about a couple dozen other project management, tracking, and collaboration tools along with it. Quick note before we start: The fact of the matter is that Excel is a less-than-great option for creating Gantt charts. So, grab a coffee, give yourself five minutes reprieve from the depths of your Excel spreadsheet nightmare, and learn how to convert your columns of data into an easy to read Gantt chart. Which, conveniently enough, is exactly what this article is about: a brief guide to creating Gantt charts in Microsoft Excel. Unless, of course, you can turn all of that data into a sexy little Gantt chart. Spreadsheets are fantastic for a whole bunch of reasons, but visualizing a project isn’t really one of them. If you’re like most project managers, you frequently find yourself in a deep Excel hole, frantically looking for a way out.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |