Gantt Charts
What is Gantt Chart used for?
A Gantt chart, widely used by Project Managers, is a visual representation of all the tasks in a project. It represents assigned tasks and milestones and their respective timelines. A Gantt chart usually consists of a vertical panel that contains all the tasks pertaining to the project and a horizontal panel, which contains the time period. A Gantt chart doesn’t need to adhere to the above-mentioned specifications; they come in all shapes and forms. To see some new and modern Gantt charts, check out our collection of Gantt chart Powerpoint templates.
What is the importance of the Gantt chart?
A Gantt chart is extremely helpful in the management, planning, and forecasting of various tasks and responsibilities in a project and is one of the many tools of project management. It tells you when a task should be performed in relation to other tasks and how long it would take to execute it, while also explaining the correlation i.e., the dependency between tasks.
If you’re short on time and need to quickly add a Gantt chart in your Powerpoint presentation, then we highly recommend our free Gantt chart template. Our free Gantt chart template allows you to segregate tasks on the basis of weeks and months, wherein you can also write short descriptions under the tasks to facilitate ease of planning.
As a project manager, you might find a variety of Gantt Chart Templates for PowerPoint useful for your next presentation
What should be included in the Gantt chart templates?
A Gantt chart should include anything and everything which lets you plan your projects and related tasks easily and accurately. The bare essentials include:
- an axis reserved for tasks and responsibilities and
- an axis for time-period, divided between weeks, or months, if necessary.
Other things, if needed, can also be added to the chart i.e., task descriptions, milestones, arrows to indicate dependency, vertical line markers, highlights, and other aesthetic designs to give the chart a modern and schematic feel. If you’re looking for Gantt chart templates or are trying to make one from scratch, we highly recommend taking a look at our free to use, and 100% editable Gantt chart Powerpoint template which is also compatible with Google Slides. If you’re looking for some modern and schematic Gantt chart templates, we have them too.
How do you show dependencies in the Gantt chart Templates?
To show dependencies in a Gantt chart template it is important to understand the relationship between different tasks. For example, If task B is dependent on task A, then it can be easily understood that task B cannot be initiated before the completion of task A.
To show dependencies in your Gantt chart template, it is important to add a Predecessor Table, which will help you to clearly define the sequence of your tasks.
To build on the above-mentioned example; the Predecessor table would mention task A next to task B, which would tell us that task B is dependent on the completion of task A. Similarly, if task B precedes task C, then the Predecessor table would mention task B next to task C, thus, highlighting the relationship between both the tasks. If you have too many tasks, you can number them and use the numbers instead of the real names to avoid clutter.
Adding dependencies in your Gantt chart can be a defining feature, as it not only provides structure but also helps the reader to understand the chart better. If you’re looking for some aesthetic Gantt chart designs or Gantt chart templates, we would encourage you to browse through our extensive collection of Gantt charts, to make sure your critical tasks, which can make or break your project, can stand out.
What are the main features of a Gantt chart?
One of the main features of a Gantt chart is to highlight all the tasks related to your project, while indicating when assigned tasks should begin and when they should end and also, in what time-frame should they be completed.
Another main feature of a Gantt chart is to highlight the interrelatedness or dependency of all the tasks which tells the reader about the sequence of the tasks to be performed. This can be achieved by adding arrow-like figures to your Gantt chart or a Predecessor table.
Other features include:
- Bars - The bars of a Gantt chart is very similar to a stacked bar chart in appearance. They signify the duration of tasks over the course of the project.
- Vertical Line Marker - This marker denotes the current progress of the project and functions as a reminder of the amount of work completed. The part on the right side of the line signifies the amount of work that is incomplete and the part on the left-side; the amount of work that has been completed.
- Task IDs - If your Gantt chart is highly detailed then the best course of action would be to give each task a Task ID so that all the readers of the chart can quickly distinguish one task from the others.
If you’re looking for a pre-designed Gantt chart template, we would encourage you to download our free Gantt chart template which is fully customizable and inclusive of all the above-described features. If you feel you need some more designs to choose from, feel free to browse our Gantt Chart Templates collection.
How do I download Gantt Chart Templates for PowerPoint presentations?
You can download Gantt chart PowerPoint templates from our extensive collection which includes various Gantt Chart templates and infographics which can be used to highlight your project planning. Our templates include all the necessary features and would be perfect for depicting your project timelines and the management of your tasks.
To get started, you can also check out our free Gantt chart template which is fully customizable.
How do I create a Gantt Chart in Powerpoint?
To create a Gantt chart or a Project Plan in PowerPoint, follow the steps described below:
Step 1. Open a blank PowerPoint slide.
Step 2. Insert a stacked bar chart to your presentation. Go to Insert - Chart - Bar and choose Stacked Bar Chart. A small excel chart would be loaded onto your screen with some predefined values, it is advised that add your own data to this excel chart.
To begin working on the Gantt chart you must define three values:
- Tasks
- Start and end-date for each task.
- Duration of each task.
Move to the excel table provided by PowerPoint and give a name to column A, preferably; Tasks, and write all your task descriptions. The task names would be stacked upwards in the chart, with the first name appearing at the end and the last appearing on the top. Make your changes accordingly.
Rename the column titled Series 1 into Start Date, the column names Series 2 into End Date, and the column tilted Series 3 into Duration (in days).
Before entering the dates under Start Date and End Date, you must format the columns. Select both the columns, right-click on them, select Format Cells, go to Date, and choose the option best applicable for you.
After all the Start and End-Dates have been entered, the duration can be calculated easily. To do so, go to cell D2 and type =$C2-$B2 in the formula bar and use the drag-to-fill feature, by dragging the small green square on the bottom left corner of the cell to automatically fill all the corresponding values.
To make sure the duration values are clearly visible and that there is enough room for them, the end-dates can be removed from the Gantt chart. Select the chart and click on Chart Filters, uncheck End-date, and click Apply.
Step 3. Now that you have removed the End-Date from the Gantt chart, you will only be able to see 2 values below the chart; Start-Date and Duration. This step will tell you how to remove the bars denoting the Start-Date, which we don’t need. We just need Duration bars.
When it comes to making Gantt charts in PowerPoint or a Gantt chart in general, the most important thing is to represent the duration of tasks as it gives the reader an idea about your project’s timeline.
To remove the Start-Date bars, click on any one of the blue bars in front of you. PowerPoint will select all of them once you click on one. After all the bars have been selected, right-click, and go to Fill and choose No Fill. Now your chart will only depict the bars which denote the duration of your tasks.
You can customize all the bars according to your need and change their colors to distinguish them.
To change colors, click twice on the taskbar and choose a color from the Fill option.
If you feel this process of adding a Gantt chart to your PowerPoint presentation is cumbersome, we highly recommend checking-out our predesigned, fully customizable, and free Gantt chart PowerPoint Template. Using a template is definitely the most hassle-free way of making a Gantt Chart. If you need to check out some more designs, you can browse our collection of Gantt Chart, Project Timeline, and Project Plan Templates.