How to make a Gantt chart in Excel 1.
Write your project's schedule into Excel 1. Break down down the entire entire project into chunks chunks of work, work, or phases. phases. These These will be called called project project tasks and they form the basis of your Gantt chart. 2. In Ecel 2!!", 2!1! 2!1! and 2!1#, enter enter your data by listin$ the %tart &ate and and 'inish &ate of each task, task, and also it(s &uration )count of days re*uired to complete that task+. lso include a brief description of the task. -ake sure to sort these tasks in order of the start date, by placin$ the earliest start date first and the latest start date last. #. In this tutorial, I will conert conert the followin$ table into into an Ecel Gantt chart and a /ower/oint Gantt chart0
2.
Begin your your Excel Gantt Gantt y setting it up as a !tacked Bar chart 1. n the same same worksheet worksheet that your your Ecel table is on, on, click in any any blank blank cell. 2. Then from the Ecel Ecel ribbo ribbon, n, select select the "#!E$% tab.
#. In the harts section of the ribbon, drop down the Bar &hart selection menu. 3. %elect !tacked Bar which will insert a lar$e blank white chart space onto your Ecel worksheet )do not select 1!!4 %tacked Bar+.
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(dd your Gantt chart's %ask data 1. 5i$ht6click in the white chart space and click on !elect )ata which will brin$ up Ecel(s !elect )ata !ource window.
2. n the left side of Ecel(s )ata !ource window you will see a table named *egend Entries +!eries, . lick on the (dd button to brin$ up Ecel(s Edit %eries window and here you will be$in addin$ Task data to your Gantt chart.
#. 7ow we(re $oin$ to add your task data. i. 'irst we need to name the data )%eries+ we will be enterin$. lick and place your cursor in the empty field under the title !eries name, then click on the column header that reads %tart &ate in your table. ii. %tayin$ in the Edit !eries window moe down to !eries -alue . This is where you will enter your Task start dates. It is easy to do. To the ri$ht of the %eries alues field you will see an icon which looks like a spreadsheet with a red arrow on it.
lick on it )the one by %eries alues+ and Ecel will open a smaller Edit !eries window. 7ow simply click the first start date in your task table and dra$ your mouse down to the last start date. This hi$hli$hts all of the start dates for your tasks and inputs them into your Gantt chart. -ake sure you hae not mistakenly hi$hli$hted the header or any etra cells.
iii. 8hen finished, click on the small spreadsheet icon a$ain
)the one with the red arrow+ which will return you to the preious window called Edit %eries. lick 9. :our Gantt should now look like this0
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(dd %ask durations to your Gantt chart y repeating the steps ao-e
1. %tayin$ in the !elect )ata !ource window, click on the (dd button a$ain to brin$ up Excel's Edit !eries window. 'rom here you will addin$ your Task durations to the Gantt chart by followin$ the eact process in %tep # aboe.
2. 8e are now $oin$ to add your duration data to the chart. i. In the Edit %eries window, click in the empty field under the title %eries name, then click in your Task table a$ain, on the column header that reads &uration.
ii. %tayin$ in the Edit !eries window moe down to !eries -alue and click on spreadsheet icon with a red arrow on it a$ain. 8hen finished, click on the small spreadsheet icon a$ain
iii. %elect your &uration data by clickin$ on the first &uration in your project table and dra$ your mouse down to the last duration so all durations are now hi$hli$hted. To eit, once a$ain click on the small spreadsheet icon with the red arrow to which will return you to the preious window. %elect /0 and you should now be back at the !elect )ata !ource window. lick /0 a$ain to build your Gantt chart which should now look somethin$ like this0
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(dd %ask descriptions to the %itle (xis o the Gantt chart 1. 5i$ht6click on one of the blue bars in the Gantt chart, then click on !elect )ata a$ain to brin$ up the !elect )ata !ource window.
2. n the ri$ht side of Ecel(s )ata !ource window you will see a table named Hori3ontal +&ategory, (xis *aels . %elect the Edit button to brin$ up a smaller (xis *ael windows.
#. $ain, click on the small spreadsheet icon. lick on the first name of your tasks )my first Task description is ;/reparatory /hase;+ and select them all. Be careful not to include the name of the column itself. 8hen you are done, eit this window by clickin$ on the small spreadsheet icon a$ain.
3. lick on /0 and then /0 a$ain to eit the %elect &ata %ource window, and now your Gantt chart should hae the correct Task descriptions net to their respectie bars. :our chart should now look somethin$ like this0
4.
5ormat your Gantt chart
:ou hae really built a stacked bar chart and set it up like an Ecel Gantt chart. 7ow we will add formattin$ to make it look more like a proper Gantt chart. To do that, make the blue parts of each task bar transparent so that only the oran$e parts will be isible. These will be the tasks of your Gantt chart. 1. To select all of the tasks bars at one, click on the blue part of any bar in your Gantt chart to select, then ri$ht6click and select 5ormat )ata !eries , which will brin$ up the 5ormat )ata !eries window in Ecel.
2. In the 5ormat )ata !eries task pane, click on the 5ill 6 *ine icon )it looks like a paint can+ to $et the 5ill 6 *ine options.
#. :ou probably also see that the tasks on your Gantt chart are listed in reerse order with the oldest on top of the Gantt chart and the first Task listed at the bottom. This is easy to chan$e in Ecel. i. To do so click on the list of tasks alon$ the ertical ais of your Gantt chart. This will select them all. ii. lick on the task titles to open Ecel(s 5ormat (xis options in the task pane. iii. In the 5ormat (xis task pane under the header (xis /ptions and the sub6header (xis 7ositions put a check into the checkbo called &ategories in re-erse order . :ou will notice that Ecel arran$ed your tasks into proper order, listin$ them from first to last on your Gantt chart. :ou will also notice that Ecel moed the date markers from beneath to the top of the Gantt chart. 7ow it is really startin$ to look more like a Gantt chart should.
8.
5inish your Gantt chart with these styling tips
8ith a bit of stylin$, your chart is ready for prime time> %ee the steps below to learn how to fine tune it.
1. ptimi?e the Gantt chart 5emoin$ some of the blank white space where the blue bars used to be will brin$ your tasks a little closer to the ertical ais of your Gantt chart. To remoe some of the blank white space in the chart, click on the dates aboe the task bars. ne click should select all the dates, then ri$ht click and select 'ormat is to brin$ up Ecel(s is ptions window. In the is ptions window, under the header called Bounds, note the current number for -inimum Bounds. It represents the left most boundary of your Gantt chart. han$in$ this number by makin$ it lar$er will brin$ your tasks closer to the ertical ais of your Gantt chart. In my case I chan$ed the ori$inal number which was 31"@!.! to 31A2!.!. t any time you can hit the
reset button to return the ori$inal settin$s. This $ies you the opportunity to try a number of different settin$s until you find the one the makes your Gantt chart look best. 2. djust the density of the dates across the top of your Gantt chart In the same is ptions window under the header
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How to make a Gantt chart in 7ower7oint %ince /ower/oint is a $raphical application, it is a better choice for makin$ Gantt charts that will be used in presentations or project reiews to clients, staff or mana$ement. ffice Timeline is a Gantt chart maker that plu$s ri$ht into /ower/oint. It makes it si$nificantly easier and much faster, to make, edit, format and update professional lookin$ Gantt charts. In the steps below I will demonstrate how to *uickly paste the Ecel table you created aboe in %tep 1, into /ower/oint usin$ ffice Timeline. To be$in you will need to install ffice Timeline /lus which will add a Gantt chart maker tab to the /ower/oint ribbon. lthou$h you can(t paste your Ecel schedule, you can also build $reat lookin$ /ower/oint timelines and Gantt charts instantly with the free ersion of ffice Timeline. nce there follow these simple steps...
1.
/pen 7ower7oint and paste your tale into the /ice %imeline wi3ard. 1. Inside /ower/oint, click on the /ice %imeline tab and click the #ew button.
2. 'rom the $allery select a style for your Gantt chart. In this demonstration I will be usin$ -etro style. lick #ext (rrow twice to $et to the %asks wi?ard screen.
#. opy your project data, includin$ %tart &ate, End &ate and &escription, from the Ecel table you made earlier. :ou can copy them all at once, and be sure not to copy the title.
3. 7ow simply paste it into /ower/oint by usin$ the ffice Timeline /aste button in the upper ri$ht hand corner of the Tasks wi?ard and click 'inish.
2.
"nstantly9 you will ha-e a Gantt chart slide with a timeline. 1. &ependin$ on the style you selected in the ffice Timeline 8i?ard, you will hae a timeline that looks similar to this0
2. 'rom here you can easily customi?e the Gantt chart, addin$ milestones, formattin$ fonts and colors, and addin$ arious details like percent complete or notes. In my eample below, I added milestones, chan$ed colors for the timeband, task bands and dates, added percent complete and chan$ed the ima$e from a flat look to a Gel look. 'or eample, with some tweaks, you can create a timeline that(s sure to impress0