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How to Make a Gantt Chart in Excel

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A Gantt diagram in Excel is used to represent projects or tasks in the form of cascading horizontal bar charts. It illustrates the project schedule as well as various relationships between project activities, that help us track these activities against time.

What is the Gantt Diagram

A Gantt Chart, pioneered by Henry Gantt in the early 20th century, is a visual representation of tasks or projects using cascading horizontal bars. It showcases project breakdown, start and finish dates, task relationships, and milestones, facilitating efficient task tracking against predefined schedules

How to make a Gantt Chart in Excel

Step 1: Creating your Project Table

This table must contain tasks, start dates, end dates, and duration. Duration can be easily calculated using a formula (END DATE – START DATE)

ganttchart1
Create project table

Step 2: Make a Bar Chart.

Select all the values under the START DATE column and then go to INSERT. Select the Stacked Bar Chart from 2-D Bar Charts.

Create-Bar-Chart
select the stacked bar

ganntchart2
result

Step 3: Add Duration data

Right Click anywhere on the Bar Chart and click on Select Data and wait for the following window to appear and Now click on Add. A edit series box will open, in that Write “Duration” in the Series name field. Then click on the icon just above the OK button in the second text box.

gantchart3
select data dialog box

Edit-series
Enter the series name as Duration
Write-Duration
Click the icon on the right 

Click the icon on the right. Now, from the Duration column, select all the values and hit Enter.

Note – only select the values, not the Column Headers

Result
The result will look like this

Step 4: Add descriptions

Once again, open the Select Data Source window and select Start Date from the left-hand side box and click Edit. Select the icon just above OK. Then, click on the first item under Tasks and drag the mouse all the way to the last item, and hit Enter, twice. 

The-final-result
The final chart

gantchart4
Select value and press enter

Step 5: Bar Chart to Gantt Chart.

Click on any of the blue bars, to select them all. Now, right-click and select Format Data Series and select the following

gantchart5
Format data series box displayed> border colour

gantchart6
Select Fill

Step 6: Select Format Axis

Now, click on the left-hand side, i.e., the tasks, and right-click. Select Format Axis. Then, select the following and hit Enter.

Format-Axis
Check the ‘Categories in the reverse order box

The final chart will look like this:

gantchart7
result

Now, go to the first date in the Start Date column and right-click on it. Select Formal Cells and note the number in the Sample Box.

gantchart8
Noted number in the sample box

Go to the chart and left-click on the dates at the top. Now, right-click and select Format Axis and make the following changes.

Axis Options
Enter the number you noted above and paste it into the Minimum Section.

Now, click on any of the red bars and then, right-click. Now, select Format Data Series and set Overlap to 100% and Width to 0%.

gantchart9
edit overlap and width

The Gantt Chart is ready!

gantchart10
result

Tips: You can design your Excel Gantt Chart in different ways by changing the fill color, border color, shadow and even applying the 3-D format. All these options are available in the Format Data Series window.

Excel Gantt Chart Templates

Crafting a basic Gantt chart in Excel is undoubtedly achievable. However, envisioning a more sophisticated Gantt diagram with features like percent-complete shading and vertical milestone or checkpoint lines might seem like a formidable task. Unless of course, you’re one of those enigmatic “Excel gurus” who thrive in such endeavors. If that’s the case, you can certainly take on the challenge and refer to our guide on Advanced Gantt Charts in Microsoft Excel for comprehensive insights.

FAQs on Gantt Chart in Excel

What is Gantt Chart in Excel?

A Gantt Chart in Excel is a graphical representation of a project schedule, displaying tasks or activities along a timeline. It uses horizontal bars to represent tasks’ start and end dates, helping project managers track progress, identify independicies, and manage resources effectively.

Q2: How to create a Gantt Chart in Excel?

To Create a Gantt chart in Excel, follow these steps:

Step 1: List tasks in a spreadsheet with start and end dates.

Step 2: Create a Stacked Bar chart based on start dates.

Step 3: Add a new data series for task durations.

Step 4: Adjust the chart’s appearance by adding task descriptions and customizing colors, borders, and intervals.

What are the benefits of using Gantt Charts in Excel?

Gantt Chart in Excel offer several benefits, including:

  • Visual representations of project timelines and tasks.
  • Clear identification of task dependencies.
  • Efficient resource allocation and management.
  • Progress tracking and milestone monitoring.
  • Improved communication among project stakeholders.

How to use a Gantt chart templates in Excel?

Using a Gantt Chart template:

Download or access the template for your Excel version.

Input project tasks, start dates, durations, and completion percentages.

The template will automatically generate the Gantt chart, allowing you to track and manage your project efficiently.

What are the advantages of using Gantt Chart templates?

Following are the advantages of Gantt Chart templates:

Time-Saving: Templates provide a ready-made structure, eliminating the need to build charts from scratch.

Consistency: Templates designed by professionals incorporate best practices and visual enhancements.

Expertise: Templates cater to different Excel versions and user needs, making them suitable for various projects.

Accessibility: Templates cater to different Excel version and user needs, making them suitable for various projects.



Last Updated : 08 Sep, 2023
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