Follow these step-by-step instructions to create a Gantt chart.
Add dependencies to your Gantt charts to efficiently manage your project timeline and the relationships between individual tasks. When the start or end date of a predecessor task changes, the dates of dependent tasks in your timeline will automatically update to reflect the change. You can also set up baselines to track the variance between your plan vs. actual dates.
Create and work with a Gantt chart
Maximize the Gantt View when viewing or working on your project management tasks in a sheet or report.
When you switch your sheet or report to Gantt View, tasks will appear as bars in a timeline. You’ll see the duration, the start date, and the finish date of your project tasks. Apart from that, you’ll also be able to do the following:
- Viewdependenciesand track the relationship between tasks.
- View your project'scritical path.
- Display the% completionof your tasks.
- Usehierarchyto create summary rows for further organization of your projects.
Read on to learn how to add and use a Gantt chart.
Add a Gantt chart
Before you add a Gantt chart
Make sure your sheet or report has at least twodate columns.
您添加的列必须代表开始日期and the end date of your tasks. A task bar’s length is based on the span of time between those dates. This is why at least two date columns are a requirement.
If your sheet or report has less than two date columns, you won’t be able to switch to Gantt View.
一张不会recognize date columns with aColumn Formulaapplied as columns for a Gantt chart. If you need your dates to autofill rows, use theCell Formula and Autofillfeatures instead. Another option would be to set up column formulas. Then, use a report to display your Gantt view.
To add a Gantt chart
- To switch to Gantt View, in the toolbar, selectGantt View.
The chart will appear to the right of your columns. There will also be a divider that separates the grid columns and the Gantt chart.
To widen the display of either section:
- Hover your pointer over the divider.
- When you see thecolumn resize pointer
, drag the divider to the right or left.
Read the next section to learn how to edit your Gantt chart.
Edit your Gantt chart
- In the upper right area of the sheet, selectEdit Project Settings.
- Edit the settings in each tab according to your project needs:
- Dependency Settings
- Timeline Display
- Resource Management
Learn more about modifying project settings.
Adjust the timeline display
In the Project Settings dialog, you can modify the units of time you see in the Gantt chart. An easier way to do that is by using theZoom InandZoom Out
buttons in the toolbar.
Organize your project tasks
You can use row hierarchies in Gantt charts to organize rows into sections or phases.
When you use row hierarchies, child rows display as individual task bars in the Gantt chart based on their start and end dates. If you turn on dependencies on the sheet, parent rows reflect a summary of their child rows. The parent row values are calculated automatically in the following columns:
- Duration
- Start and end dates
- % Complete columns
Note, however, that you won't be able to modify parent values. If dependencies are off, you can change the parent row information as needed.
Other tips in editing your Gantt chart
- Configure a % Complete column in the Project Settings dialog. Any time you enter a value in this column, you’ll see it indicated in the task bar.
- Apply color to the task bars.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to enable dependencies on your Gantt chart.
Review the specific column types associated with Gantt charts with dependencies enabled.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to set up your working days on a project sheet.
Follow these instructions to set up baselines on your project sheet.