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by Diana Ramos on Feb 25, 2019

Gantt Chart From Excel Spreadsheet
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This article provides you with the best Gantt chart template to use for all your project needs. Learn how to use a Gantt chart template in Excel versions 2000 and up, and how to customize the template for your project.

This template contains the core functionality needed to create a simple Gantt chart easily. Each row of the worksheet represents a separate task. All you need to do is define the start date and duration of each task. To add more tasks, you just copy and paste rows (or insert a. The functions behind the scenes allow much of your data to populate automatically, for an easy-to-use project planning tool. For simple projects as well as intensive ones, this free Gantt chart template is the ideal assistant. Template Contents. Below is a list of files included in this Gantt chart template. Use these Gantt chart templates to manage your strategic planning process. They are perfect for capturing the key activities that are required to build or reassess your business plan. They are useful when you are launching a new business, entering a new market, or refreshing your product strategy. Our Gantt Chart Template will help you manage your strategic planning process. It is perfect for capturing the key tasks and activities that are required to build or reassess your project plan. We created Gantt Excel as a Microsoft Excel Template and added automation to make it work like a full fledged Gantt Chart. Gantt Charts A Gantt Chart, or Gantt Diagram, provides a timeline for a project giving an overview of how a project is progressing. Project activities, tasks and events are easy to see relative to one another, and the gantt chart allows multiple users to see how the project is progressing over time and what steps or tasks are next.

How would you like to create your Gantt Chart?

Smartsheet

How to Create a Gantt Chart in Excel Using a Template

This preformatted Gantt chart template in Excel provides a simple, straightforward way to add your own project information, dates, and notes into the table, all of which will automatically appear in the Gantt chart.

To use the Gantt chart template in Excel, simply click on the download button above, and either watch the video tutorial or follow the below steps to create a unique Gantt chart for your project.

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.

Add Start and Finish Dates to Your Project Timeline

Enter the date in numerical values for the month and day of each project tasks (e.g., January 16 would be entered as 1/16).
To change the date format, right-click on the cell with the date and select Format Cells. In the popup window, select Date, and choose the date type that suits your needs.
In the Start column of the table, enter the date that your task will begin.
In the End column of the table, enter the date that your task will be completed.
Continue to list all start and end dates for each task of your project.

This step enables you to visualize each task’s duration, how tasks overlap, and when the project is slated to finish.

Note: As you add your dates to this table, the Gantt chart will add white space to the beginning of the chart, showing dates much earlier than the ones in your table. You can fix this in step 5 under “Customize Your Gantt Chart Excel Template.”

Calculate Duration for Each Task

Based on your start and end dates, Excel will automatically calculate the duration for you with a formula.

Customize Your Gantt Chart Excel Template

After following the previous steps, your Gantt chart should now reflect the information you added to your project. You can now customize the Gantt chart to fit your project’s needs and make your timeline look exactly how you want it to. Here are some customization options:

Add a Title to Your Gantt Chart

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 Title Text and Color

Click on the title. A box should appear around the text.
Right click and select Font.
In the popup window, you have the option to change the font, font style, font size, and font color.
After making all changes to the title, select OK, and your changes will be made to the title.

Change the Colors of the Task Bars in Your Gantt Chart

Gantt Chart From Excel Spreadsheet

Double click on the task bar whose color you would like to change. Make sure the individual task bar is the only one selected, not all of the task bars.
Right click on the task bar and select Format Data Point.
In the popup window, select Fill.
Choose the new task bar color in the dropdown menu, and adjust the transparency of the bar, if desired.
Repeat these steps for the other task bars you wish to change.

By changing the colors of the task bars in your Gantt chart, you can visually organize your tasks and get a better at-a-glance view of the project and its component tasks. Additionally, you can easily divide tasks by resource, person assigned, team involved, etc.

Click on the first task bar and select Format Data Point.
In the popup window, choose Options.
Adjust the percentage in the box labeled Gap Width. The lower you set the percentage, the thicker the task bars will appear.
Repeat these steps for the other tasks bars you wish to change.

Adjust the Dates Displayed

Click on a date at the top of your Gantt chart. A box should appear around all the dates.
Right click on the box and select Format Axis.
In the popup window, select Scale.
Adjust the number in the box labeled Minimum. You will have to input numbers incrementally to adjust the spacing of the bars and get the chart to look the way you would like to.

Smartsheet

Challenges with Creating a Gantt Chart in Excel

Creating a Gantt chart with Excel can help in project planning, but there are some challenges you may face as you work to develop a visual representation of your project. These challenges include the following:

Requires Manual Adjustments: The chart doesn’t automatically resize, making it more time consuming to manually adjust the settings for each project.
Unable to Label Individual Days: This can make the chart difficult to read, as many dates and longer periods of time are covered on the chart.
No Automated Updates to Chart Values: The values do not automatically adjust when they are updated or changed.
Lack of Version Control: It’s hard to know whether or not you are working with the most up-to-date version of the chart because the document is static and does not reflect changes in real time.
Inability to Collaborate in Real Time: There is no easy way to collaborate and share the Gantt chart among team members and stakeholders,

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