Start planning visually with Gantt charts

What is a Gantt chart?

The Gantt chart gets its name from Henry Gantt, the American mechanical engineer who designed it.¹ Gantt charts are common project management tools for easily tracking tasks, progress, and timelines in seconds. They are also helpful for managers to track the resources and teammates required to complete a project while also helping them keep track of project start and end dates. Gantt charts are great for tracking projects of any length, whether the project will span two days or ten months.

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A Gantt chart is a type of chart that uses bars to visualize project timelines. They can track a project’s duration in days, weeks, or even months. On a Gantt chart, each task for the project is listed on the chart and represented by a horizontal bar. The chart’s X-axis is the timeline, and the Y-axis contains each task to be completed.

Some Gantt charts use unchanging solid-colored bars to provide a simple visual for project timelines, while others offer the option to update progress, which changes the color of the bar (or sections of it) to reflect that progress. For example, if you indicate that a specific task is 25% complete, a quarter of the bar might be green to represent the progress made, while the remaining 3/4ths of the bar will be red to represent the remaining work that needs to be done. This arrangement gives project managers a quick snapshot of how much work is remaining for each task.

How to make a Gantt chart

Making your own Gantt chart is easy. You can build your own using simple formulas in Excel. If you don’t have the time or advanced Excel knowledge, you can get started with a free template.

To get started on your Gantt chart, you’ll need the following:

• A list of tasks that need to be completed
• Start and end dates for each task
• Task owners and team members for each assignment

Making a Gantt chart in Excel with templates

Creating a Gantt chart is a lot easier with a template, and there are plenty of free Gantt chart templates out there. When you use a template like this one, you can change each cell in the “Activity” column to label each task. In the next two columns, input the project’s start date and end date. In columns E and F, you input the actual start dates and actual end dates. The actual start dates and actual end dates indicate when the project officially launched. For example, if you planned to repair your roof on the 5th but couldn’t start until the 10th due to a storm, the 5th would be your plan start date and the 10th would be your actual start date. You’ll see the bars on the x-axis change depending on your start and end dates. Make sure to also manually enter the percent of the project that is completed to stay on top of the assignment. Again, upload your completed Gantt chart to a shared workspace where all of your collaborators can access it and help keep it updated.

Tips for making your Gantt chart

• Color-code assignment bars based on team, assignee, or priority level. For example, you may want to make the bars for more urgent assignments red. Visual cues like these make your Gantt chart easier to understand at a glance.
• The more specific your assignments are, the better. Without adequate detail, it can be difficult to update or gauge the status of an assignment.
• Adding milestones to your Gantt chart is a great way to motivate your team and help them see how far they’ve come.

Gantt charts are a tried-and-true way to keep projects organized and keep track of a project’s start and end dates. Now that you know how to create a Gantt chart, you can manage your projects with ease.

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