#Best gantt chart excel template how to
#Best gantt chart excel template plus
#Best gantt chart excel template series

Any changes you make to the data will also reflect automatically in the chart. With that done, your Excel Gantt chart is ready, showing each task and its start and end date. Set Axis Options > Minimum Bound to the number you wrote down in the first step. Right-click on any date above the task bars on your chart and open the Format Axis dialog box.ģ.

See the number shown in the Number option (in this case 45176), and write it down for the next step.Ĭlick on any cell in the sheet again to close this window as you don’t want to make any changes here.Ģ. Select the first Start Date in your data table, then drop down the Number Formats list (under the Home Tab). Next, let’s remove the white space on the left-hand side to bring our tasks closer to the vertical axis.ġ. Step 8: Remove the empty space at the left-hand side of the Gantt chart The tasks should now appear in the right order. In this dialog, check Axis Options > Categories in reverse order. Then click on the Format Axis… context menu to open the Format Axis dialog.ģ. To fix the issue of the reverse task order, right-click on the vertical axis.Ģ. The start date range on the horizontal axis is too wide.ġ.The tasks on the vertical axis are in reverse order.Now our chart looks a bit more like a Gantt chart. In the dialog, set the Fill option to No fill. Then click on Format Data Series… to open the Formatting dialog.Ģ. Your tasks are laid out on the chart as orange and blue bars.ġ. Step 6: Transform the bar chart into an Excel Gantt chart Bonus: In case a chart label block shows up on your chart and you don’t want to have it there, right-click on it and select Delete. (notice how the Axis label range field will be automatically filled).ģ. Here, simply click on the first task in your table and drag your cursor down to the last task. In the Select Data Source window, click on the Edit button to add task names to the horizontal (Category) axis labels.Ģ. This is done by editing the horizontal (Category) axis labels. Next, we want to add the task descriptions (names) to the vertical axis. Step 5: Add task descriptions to the chartġ. The same as the fourth section of the previous step.

#Best gantt chart excel template series

Set the Series values to the cell range that contains the task durations. The same as the third section of the previous step. To do this, click on the Add button in the Select Data Source screen.Ģ. After adding your start dates, it’s time to add duration data. Click on the arrow again to return to the previous Edit Series window and click OK. Click on the first start date in your table and drag your cursor down to the last start date. In the Edit Series window, to the right of the Series values, click on the arrow pointing up and a smaller Edit Series window will appear. Set the Series values to the cell range that contains the task start dates. Note: If you select the cell with the title and then change it later on, the Series name will change along with it.īut, if you type up the name and then later change the title of the column in the spreadsheet, the name will remain the same.Ĥ. To do that, click on the empty field next to Name.

#Best gantt chart excel template plus

Here, we’ll set the Legend Entries to task start dates and durations.Ĭlick on the plus button in the Legend entries (series) section to add the range of start dates first. This opens the Select Data Source dialog. Let’s populate the chart with our task data. The new chart will be a block of white space, like this: Step 3: Add start dates to the chart

Next, click on Insert tab > Bar Chart > Stacked Bar Chart. Instead, we’ll create one using a stacked bar chart.

Here’s a sample worksheet for a simple construction project: Step 2: Set up a stacked bar chartĮxcel does not come with an inbuilt Gantt chart template. Each task should be defined with a task name, start date, and duration (the number of hours, days, weeks, or months it’s going to last).

Add the columns for your project tasks.

It takes eight steps to make a Gantt chart in Excel.

#Best gantt chart excel template how to

Let’s get into it! How to Make a Gantt Chart in Excel: Step-by-Step Guide

Make a Gantt chart in Excel in eight steps.

If you’re interested in functionality rather than the look of your Gantt Charts, read on to learn how to: And the charts aren’t great looking.īut even though Excel doesn’t create the prettiest charts, it helps you get the job done. It isn’t easy and quick (as you’ll see next). Although it comes with limitations, creating a Gantt Chart in Excel is still the go-to charting method for many professionals.