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As project managers, you often find yourselves handling multiple tasks. To enhance project management, utilizing Gantt charts in Excel is key. If you're unsure about drawing Gantt charts in Excel, dive into this article for insights.
In this tutorial by Mytour, we will walk you through the process of creating Gantt charts in Excel. Join us on this informative journey!
What is a Gantt Chart in Excel?
The Gantt Chart, known as Gantt chart in English, is a classic project progress representation dating back to 1910, credited to Henry Gantt. Despite its age, Gantt charts remain widely used in project management due to their simple and understandable nature. They have even evolved for use in modern project management software.
How to Draw a Gantt Chart in Excel
To draw a Gantt chart, your data needs to include start dates, end dates, and the time required to complete each task.
Imagine you have a data table for Gantt chart drawing as follows:
Based on the provided data table, you can commence drawing a Gantt chart in Excel with the following steps:
Step 1: Create a Stacked Bar Chart based on the 'Start Date'
Select the range of cells from C4 to C10 (column Start Date). Then, go to the Insert tab, under Charts, choose a bar chart, and select the stacked bar chart as shown below.
Voila! You have successfully drawn a stacked bar chart.
Step 2: Add data in the Completion Time column to the stacked bar chart.
1. Right-click on the chart and choose Select Data.
2. In the Select Data Source window, click Add to open Edit Series.
3. In the Edit Series window, enter a name or choose a name in the Series name section (for example, enter Time Frame or select the title in the Completion Time table). Then, in the Series values section, choose the icon as shown below.
4. Hold down the mouse and drag to select the data range in the Completion Time column (E5:E10).
5. To return to the previous interface, press Enter, then press OK -> OK to close Edit Series and Select Data Source.
This action will add a new section to the chart, as shown below:
Step 3: Add Task Descriptions
1. Reopen the Select Data Source window by right-clicking on the chart and selecting Select Data.
2. In the Select Data Source window, click Edit under Horizontal.
3. In the Axis Labels dialog, click and select the data range in the Tasks Performed column (B5:B10). Then press OK -> OK to close the Axis Labels and Select Data Source dialog.
You will now see the Tasks Performed section on the chart.
Step 4: Hide the blue columns to create the Gantt chart.
1. On the chart, left-click on any blue bar. This selects all the blue bars. Right-click and choose Format Data Series.
2. In the Format Data Series pane on the right, under Fill & Line, select No fill and No line as shown below.
Your chart will now look like this:
Step 5: Remove the leading space.
The hidden section may leave a gap. You can delete this gap by:
1. On the data table, right-click on the first cell in Start Date -> Format Cells.
2. In the Number tab of Format Cells, choose the General format. Check how the date is stored in Excel in the Sample section.
3. Next, on the chart, right-click on the date axis or double-click on the date section and choose Format Axis.
4. In the Format Axis pane on the right, under Axis Options, enter the number from the Sample section you observed earlier into the Minimum box. This action will remove the blank space.
Step 6: Remove the gaps between the horizontal bars.
1. On the chart, click on any orange bar to select all orange bars. Then right-click and choose Format Data Series.
2. In the Format Data Series pane on the right, under Series Options, adjust Series Overlap to 100%, and set Gap Width to 0%. This action eliminates the gaps between the horizontal bars.
You can reduce the height of the chart for a more aesthetically pleasing Gantt chart as shown below.
Step 7: Rearrange the data to match the Tasks Performed
On the chart, you may notice the tasks are in reverse order. To correct this, rearrange the data in the correct sequence by following these steps:
1. Right-click on the Tasks Performed section and choose Format Axis, or left-click twice on the Tasks Performed section on the chart.
2. In the Format Axis pane that appears on the right in Excel, check the box next to Categories in reverse order, then close Format Axis.
Your Gantt chart will now look like this:
Above is the process of creating a Gantt chart in Excel. We hope this article has provided you with a clear understanding of Gantt charts and how to draw them in Excel. Wishing you success in your endeavors!
