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Real-Life Applications of Gnatt Charts: 1. Add The List of Tasks To The Table, Under The Task Name Column

This document provides instructions for creating and customizing a Gantt chart in Excel and Smartsheet. It outlines how to add tasks, start/end dates, customize colors and formatting. It notes challenges with Excel like manual adjustments and lack of collaboration. Smartsheet allows importing data from Excel, automatically calculating durations, and easily sharing the interactive chart for real-time updates.

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160 views16 pages

Real-Life Applications of Gnatt Charts: 1. Add The List of Tasks To The Table, Under The Task Name Column

This document provides instructions for creating and customizing a Gantt chart in Excel and Smartsheet. It outlines how to add tasks, start/end dates, customize colors and formatting. It notes challenges with Excel like manual adjustments and lack of collaboration. Smartsheet allows importing data from Excel, automatically calculating durations, and easily sharing the interactive chart for real-time updates.

Uploaded by

nooni v
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Real- Life applications of Gnatt charts

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. 

1. Add the list of tasks to the table, under the Task Name column.


 
2. 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

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. In the Start column of the table, enter the date that your task will begin.
4. In the End column of the table, enter the date that your task will be completed.
5. 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

1. Click on the current title,"Gantt Chart Template for Excel". A box should appear around
the text. 
 
2. Click again, inside the box, and your cursor will appear. 
 
3. Delete the current title by highlighting the text and pressing Delete on your keyboard.
 
4. Enter your new Gantt chart title. 

 
Change the Title Text and Color

1. Click on the title. A box should appear around the text. 


2. Right click and select Font. 
3. In the popup window, you have the option to change the font, font style, font size, and
font color.
4. 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 

1. 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.
2. Right click on the task bar and select Format Data Point.
3. In the popup window, select Fill.
4. Choose the new task bar color in the dropdown menu, and adjust the transparency of
the bar, if desired.
5. 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.
Widen the Task Bars

1. Click on the first task bar and select Format Data Point.


2. In the popup window, choose Options.
3. Adjust the percentage in the box labeled Gap Width. The lower you set the percentage,
the thicker the task bars will appear.
4. Repeat these steps for the other tasks bars you wish to change.

 
Adjust the Dates Displayed 

1. Click on a date at the top of your Gantt chart. A box should appear around all the dates.
2. Right click on the box and select Format Axis.
3. In the popup window, select Scale.
4. 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.

 
 

S
martsheet

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, making real-time visibility and
decision making challenging.
For detailed insight on what to look for when choosing the a Gantt chart software,
visit Quick and Easy Gantt Chart Software, Tools, and Apps. And, if you’re looking for
addition Gantt chart Excel templates for a variety of use cases, visit Gantt Chart Excel
Templates.

Make a Gantt Chart in Minutes With a Template in


Smartsheet
Smartsheet offers a pre-formatted Gantt chart template, which makes it even easier to
visualize your project and prioritize tasks. Automatically calculate duration, adjust task dates
with drag-and-drop task bars, and update and share information with key stakeholders to
increase visibility and improve project efficiency. Follow the steps below to create the most
effective Gantt chart for your project.

 
Use Gantt Chart Template in Smartsheet

List Your Task Information  

1. Add your tasks within the Task Name column.


2. Establish hierarchies among your tasks to show how project subtasks roll up into larger
project tasks by indenting rows. (For more information on hierarchies, click here).
3. To delete a row, right click on the cell in the row you would like to delete and
select Delete Row.
4. On the left side of each row, you can find ways to add more context to your project by
attaching files or leaving comments directly on the row.

 
Provide Start and End Dates
1. Select a cell in either the Start Date or End Date column.
2. Click on the calendar icon and choose a date. You can also manually enter a date in the
cell.

 
Add % Complete and Assigned To Information
1. In the % Complete column, enter the percentage of work complete for that task. Enter a
whole number and Smartsheet will auto-fill the percentage sign.
2. In the Assigned To column, choose a name from the dropdown menu, or manually enter
a new name into the cell.

The % Complete and Assigned To columns provide more context around your tasks,
outside of the start and end dates of each. The thin grey bars inside the task bars of your
Gantt chart represent the percentage of work complete for that task, which can help you
determine if your project is on track. Additionally, you can assign specific tasks to a team
member or stakeholder to increase overall accountability and ensure everyone is aware of
their responsibilities throughout the project.  
Customize Your Gantt Chart Template in Smartsheet
Not only are Gantt charts easy to build in Smartsheet, but they are just as easy to
customize for your unique project needs. With just a couple of clicks, you can customize the
appearance of your project timeline.

Change the Colors of the Task Bars 

1. Right click on a task bar and select Color Settings.


2. A color palette will appear. Click the color you want.
3. To apply the same color to multiple task bars, select the task bars while holding down
the Shift button on your keyboard. Then, release the Shift button, right click on any of
the selected bars, and click Color Settings.
4. Proceed to change the color.

 
Import an Excel File Directly into Smartsheet 
Smartsheet easily integrates Excel data directly into a template, making it easy to import
any project information stored in Excel directly into Smartsheet.

1. In the upper left-hand corner of the Smartsheet interface, select the three-lined icon to
open Left Panel Navigation.
2. Click on the + icon and select Import.
3. In the window on the right-hand side of the page, select Microsoft Excel.

1. In the popup window, select the Excel file you wish to import from your computer, and
click Continue.
2. An Import Settings form appears. Here, select the row in the form that contains your
column headers (which is usually the first row of the sheet) and click Import.
3. The imported file will appear as a new sheet within Smartsheet.
4. Click on the sheet name to open it and begin editing.

 
Turn Your Imported Excel Data Into a Gantt Chart
1. Within the top toolbar, click the Grid View dropdown caret, and select Gantt Chart from
the dropdown menu.
2. A Gantt chart will automatically be created on the right side of your sheet.
3. Edit the Gantt chart as you see fit for your project.

Related Project Management Methodologies


In addition to Gantt charts, there are several other ways to manage and track a project
effectively to ensure it lands on time, on budget, and within the scope of the project. Visit
our Agile Methodology, Scrum Methodology, and Kanban Methodology pages to learn more
about how you can manage your project by following these related methodologies.

If you're still looking for more information on Gantt charts, like who uses them, the key
features, and the benefits of leveraging one in your project, visit our Guide to Gantt
Charts article.

Improve Project Visibility with Real-Time Gantt Charts in


Smartsheet
Projects of all sizes, from simple to complex, require a visual representation of your project
schedule and the relationship between each task, which is where a Gantt chart can help. To
realize all the benefits of a Gantt chart, you need a collaborative tool that helps you manage
your projects in one cohesive place and empowers both project managers and non-project
managers alike to plan, track, automate, and report their projects in real time.

Smartsheet is an enterprise work execution platform that is fundamentally changing the way
businesses and teams work. Over 77,000 brands and millions of information workers trust
Smartsheet to help them accelerate business execution and address the volume and
velocity of today's collaborative work.

Use Smartsheet to visualize your projects with interactive Gantt charts that allow you to
customize the quantity and duration of your tasks, highlight key tasks with conditional
formatting, and turn on critical path to view all tasks that impact your completion date. Share
your Gantt chart with team members and stakeholders to improve project visibility and task
accountability, ensuring all projects are delivered on time and that no task is missed.

Try Smartsheet to discover why professionals around the world use it to more efficiently
track, manage, and report on projects.

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