The Gantt chart is typically used to visualize a chronological sequence of actions or tasks. This is why the chart is so popular as a project management tool : each team member can know at a glance when actions need to be taken. But how can you create a Gantt chart? Excel gives you everything you need to create a Gantt chart..
Companies, teams, and freelancers have been using Gantt charts for over 100 years to plan and execute projects. This is a two-axis graph . The different subtasks of a project are arranged on the Y axis. The X axis, on the other hand, shows the chronological sequence. The bar charts within this diagram show the time period in which the corresponding tasks should be executed.
The Gantt chart is named after business advisor Henry L. Gantt. This tool, also known as a block diagram, is especially used in project management. In this area, the diagram helps to visualize the temporal processes..
The diagram offers plenty of room for maneuver to tailor its appearance to the specific project. The time intervals on the X axis can be divided into days or weeks, for example, or you can also work with quite unspecific phases. If, in addition, the individual bars are colored differently, the diagram can be understood more quickly. The axes and bars can also be expanded with additional information, for example to illustrate more complex relationships or to clarify responsibilities.
Gantt charts can also be useful outside of project management: in production management, for example, charts are used to create an allocation plan . Instead of time phases, tasks are assigned to specific resources, allowing you to determine at a glance where work capabilities are available..
If you want to create a Gantt chart in Excel, you need to follow several steps. First, you need to create a table that contains all the information you need. From this table the Gantt chart is generated in your Excel table and adapted to specific needs.
All the information provided by a Gantt chart can also be displayed in a table. However, this table is not as quick to understand as the diagram. In order to display the chart, a base for Excel must first be created. This is exactly what a table is made for: in the first column all the tasks that arise in the project are entered, while the title bar contains information about the time period. For the Gantt chart, you need to specify the starting point and duration.
From this data you can create your diagram. First select the entire table, then go to the? Insert? Tab and select the option? Stacked bars? between column and bar chart options. Excel will then connect the two values: the value specified as the starting point is now displayed as the first part of the bar, while the duration forms the remaining part of the bar (as shown in the figure below). However, the color bounding of the first part of the bar is superfluous in a Gantt chart and should be removed. In Excel, there is a trick for this: instead of removing the area itself, you simply remove the color. To do this, go to the tab? Format? (in the "Chart Tools" section that appears in the menu when the chart is created).
Now select the first part of the bar . Make sure this area is marked on all other lines as well, otherwise you will have to repeat the process for each individual bar. Then select? Fill Effect? in the menu and click? No fill? . Now the first part of the bar is still there, but can no longer be seen. You've created a classic Gantt chart: Tasks are ranked on the left side of the chart, and the (visible) bars show the duration of those tasks.
A great advantage of Excel is that if you want to make a change, such as modifying the time interval or renaming a task, you can do it directly in the table. The graph will adjust automatically. However, if you want to enter another task, you will need to adjust the data area of the diagram . Once you have activated the entire diagram by clicking on it, you will see the filter icon. After clicking the button, click on? Select data ...? on the bottom. The menu that opens allows you to insert data into your diagram.
In the top line of the menu you can see the currently selected area. To insert new tasks, you must expand it. To do this, write the correct cell references either directly in the row or by clicking on the button on the right edge of the row, and then you can select the range with the mouse pointer.
Within the framework of a project, sometimes certain tasks are repeated over and over again. For this to be visible, several bars must be made visible on the same line : first you must add more columns to your table; then define the starting points and additional time periods, and then you will need to adjust the data area of the chart and remove the color of the areas of the bars that are not important for the Gantt chart.
You may want to make additional modifications to your Gantt chart to suit the needs of your project. The first customization of the layout will probably be to give each bar its own color , which is done in basically the same way as when changing the fill color of the starting areas of the bars, only now you will have to do it bar by bar .
It may also be useful for you, depending on the situation, to show or hide certain elements of the diagram . Use the? +? next to the graph to select the components of the diagram you need. In this type of chart, it is usually not very useful to include a legend. If, on the contrary, you activate the function of labels for the data, you will be able to read the corresponding duration directly in the bars. It can also be useful to adjust the X-axis: right-click on the axis label and then click? Format Axis ...?. In the sidebar that opens below you can change the interval and adapt it to the corresponding project.
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