Plan projects using one of our simple Gantt chart. Choose your free Gantt chart template. Our project scheduling software is an alternative to Microsoft Excel. More Simple Gantt Chart Template Microsoft Excel images. The Gantt Chart is a simple and visual representation of all projects, every task within the project and interdependencies between them so you can track progress and ensure smooth. You don't need anything fancier than MS Excel, a tool you probably already have on your computer, to make it happen. Microsoft Excel can also be used to develop a Gantt Chart but it is not the best software to do it. The first method to create a Gantt Chart in Excel is to use existing chart templates and adjust them for the chart. After creating a simple bar chart with the Start Date series, add Duration data to the chart by: a. Need to show status for a simple project schedule with a Gantt chart? Though Excel doesn’t have a predefined Gantt chart type, you can simulate one by customizing a stacked bar chart to show the start and finish dates of tasks, like this: To create a Gantt chart like the one in our example that shows task progress in days: • Select the data you want to chart. In our example, that’s A1:C6 If your data’s in a continuous range of cells, select any cell in that range to include all the data in that range. If your data isn't in a continuous range, select the cells while holding down the COMMAND key. Tip: If you don't want to include specific rows or columns of data you can hide them on the worksheet. Find out more about • Click Insert > Insert Bar Chart > Stacked Bar chart. • Next, we’ll format the stacked bar chart to appear like a Gantt chart. In the chart, click the first data series (the Start part of the bar in blue) and then on the Format tab, select Shape Fill > No Fill. • If you don’t need the legend or chart title, click it and press DELETE. • Let’s also reverse the task order so that it starts with Task1. Hold the CONTROL key, and select the vertical axis (Tasks). Select Format Axis, and under Axis Position, choose Categories in reverse order. Customize your chart You can customize the Gantt type chart we created by adding gridlines, labels, changing the bar color, and more. • To add elements to the chart, click the chart area, and on the Chart Design tab, select Add Chart Element. • To select a layout, click Quick Layout. • To fine-tune the design, tab through the design options and select one. • To change the colors for the chart, click Change Colors. • To reuse your customized Gantt chart, save it as a template. Hold CONTROL and click in the chart, and then select Save as Template. Did you know? If you don't have an Office 365 subscription or the latest Office version, you can try it now: See Also. How to Easily Make a Gantt Chart in Excel Excel was traditionally created to be a data analytics and number crunching tool, but 60% of spreadsheets today contain no formulas. Its usage has now evolved to serving as a project management tool. While you can coordinate basic work tasks and manage lists, creating a Gantt chart in Excel, from scratch, can be a time-consuming and frustrating task. Unless you want to spend up to an hour manually tweaking Excel to look professional and presentation-ready, an Excel template is the easiest way to make a Gantt chart. A template is especially helpful if you don’t have a lot of experience making a project timeline. All you have to do is enter your project information into a pre-made table and the Gantt chart will automatically reflect the changes. With so many available timeline templates in Excel, how do you know which one is the easiest to use? We’ve sorted through them all and found the best Gantt chart template for Excel. This article will walk you through the steps to using a Gantt chart template for Excel with your own project information. You’ll also see how to create a Gantt chart template in Smartsheet, making this process far easier and offering more robust project management features. Here’s how to fill in an Excel template with your own project information: 1. List Tasks in Your Gantt Chart Excel Template Your tasks will make up the foundation of the Gantt chart. Break up your project into bite-sized chunks or phases, these will be your project tasks, and prioritize the tasks in the order they need to be completed. • Download and open our Gantt Chart Excel Template for Excel 2007, 2010, or 2013. • Add the list of tasks to the table, under the Task Name column. • If you need to delete a row, right-click on the cell in the row you’d like to remove. Click Delete and then select Entire Row. 2. Add Start and Finish Dates to Your Project Timeline Now you need to provide start and finish dates for each task you’ve added. In this template, enter the date in numerical values for the month and the day (January 16th would be 1/16). If you would like to change the date format, right-click on a cell with a date and select Format Cells. A box will appear and on the left-hand side, select Date. Now, you can choose the date type you would like. • In the Start column, enter the date that your task will begin (month and day). • In the End column, enter the date that you task will be completed (month and day). • Enter the start and end dates for all the other tasks. Customize Your Gantt Chart Excel Template You now have a Gantt chart reflecting the information you just added. Here are some customization options to make your timeline look presentation-ready. Add a Title to Your Gantt Chart Name your project timeline. • Click on the current title Gantt Chart Template for Excel. A box should appear around the text. • Click again, inside the box, and your cursor will appear. • Delete the current title by highlighting the text and pressing Delete on your keyboard. • Enter your new Gantt chart title. Change the Colors of the Task Bars in Your Gantt Chart Adding color to your Gantt chart can help you visually organize tasks. For example, if you have a set of tasks around marketing, make them the same color. • Click twice on the task bar whose color you would like to change. Make sure the individual task bar is selected, not all of the bars. • Right click and select Format Data Point. • In the pop-up box, on the left, select Fill. • Choose the color for the bar in the drop-down menu and adjust the transparency (if you’d like). • Repeat these steps for the other task bars. Widen the Task Bars The width of the task bars is a matter of taste and depends on what you want your Gantt chart to look like. Thickening the task bars will also reduce some of the white space in your timeline. • Click on the first task bar and select Format Data Point. • In the pop-up box, on the left, choose Options. • Adjust the percentage in the box labeled Gap width. The lower the percentage, the thicker the task bars will be. Adjust the Dates Displayed When you add your own dates to the table, the bars will automatically be added to the Gantt chart, but the spacing will look off. There may be a lot of extra white space at the beginning of your chart, with dates that you did not enter. You can fix this by adjusting the spacing between the dates displayed at the top of your chart. • Click on a date at the top of your Gantt chart. A box should appear around all the dates. • Right click and select Format Axis. • In the pop-up box, on the left, select Scale. • Adjust the number in the box labeled Minimum. You will have to input numbers incrementally to adjust the spacing and get it to look the way you would like. Here’s how to use a Gantt chart template in Smartsheet: 1. Or start your A pre-made template will open, complete with sections and formatted sub-tasks. List Your Task Information • Add your tasks under the Task Name column. • Use the cells named Section 1, Section 2, and Section 3 to establish hierarchy (for more information on hierarchies, ). • If you need to delete a row, right-click on the cell in the row you’d like to delete and select Delete Row. On the left side of each row, you can attach files directly to a task or start a comment around a certain task, adding more context to your project. Add% Complete and Assigned To Information The% Complete and Assigned To columns provide more context around your project. In the Gantt view on the right side, the thin grey bars inside the task bars represent the percentage of work complete for that particular task. The Assigned To column allows you to assign the task to a particular team member, giving visibility into who is doing what. • In the% Complete column, enter the percentage of work complete for that task. Enter a whole number and Smartsheet will auto-fill the percentage sign. • In the Assigned To column, choose a name from the drop-down menu or manually enter a new name. Customize Your Gantt Chart Template in Smartsheet Not only are Gantt charts easy to build in Smartsheet, they look good too. With just a couple clicks, you can customize the appearance of your project timeline. 1. Change the Colors of the Task Bars • Right-click on a task bar and select Color Settings. • A color palette will appear, letting you change the color of the bar. • If you want to apply the same color to multiple task bars, click the task bars while holding down the Shift button. This will select all the bars. Then, release the Shift button, right-click on any of the selected bars, and click Color Settings.
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March 2018
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