Gantt charts. Love ‘em, hate ‘em, or can’t reside with out ‘em, they’re a actuality of a marketer’s life. However how do you make yours stand out from the remainder?
Under you’ll see a few of the finest examples round, together with some free templates to get you began. Dive in under and discover your favourite.
Desk of Contents
What’s a Gantt Chart used for?
Gantt charts are undertaking administration instruments that assist entrepreneurs visualize undertaking timelines, progress, and deliverables. Visible strains or bars clearly show which duties are accomplished and what’s to return, permitting managers to allocate time and duty accordingly.
The weather inside a Gantt chart might be grouped into 4 classes: assets, milestones, duties, and dependencies.
- Sources. Mission managers will need to have perception into what assets are wanted for duties outlined in a Gantt chart for every to be accomplished on time.
- Milestones. Alongside your timeline, there’ll probably be milestones, each small and enormous, that have to be hit to maintain your undertaking on observe. A milestone for a weblog launch is perhaps “weblog submit draft due on 5/30.”
- Duties. There are particular issues that have to be accomplished alongside the best way of your undertaking. In our weblog submit instance, a job is perhaps “edit weblog submit.”
- Dependencies. Duties in your Gantt chart can be associated to one another, for instance, the editor gained’t be capable of full her job of modifying the weblog submit till the author has met their milestone and submitted their draft on 5/30. These are dependencies and needs to be famous in your chart.
The way to Make a Gantt Chart
- Replace undertaking title and begin date.
- Configure the Gantt chart.
- Evaluate undertaking scope.
- Determine key duties and milestones.
- Estimate job dates.
Getting began together with your first Gantt chart is without doubt one of the finest methods to create a visible roadmap in your undertaking.
Right here’s learn how to use our template for Excel to create a chart that helps you keep on deadline.
Step 1: Replace the undertaking title and begin date.
After downloading the template, take a couple of minutes to configure it. We’ve included directions in one of many tabs, and are strolling you thru it right here.
Substitute the “Mission Title” placeholder together with your undertaking data. In the present day’s date mechanically populates, nevertheless, you’ll want to decide on a begin date.
Step 2: Configure the Gantt chart together with your begin date.
The beginning date you select populates on the high of the Gantt chart as a 5-digit quantity.
Relying in your display screen dimension, you could have to make notice of this quantity (or you should still be capable of see it within the subsequent step).
You’ll see that the dates within the Gantt chart instance don’t but mirror your undertaking dates. To alter that, right-click one of many dates within the high bar of the Gantt chart and select “Format Axis” from the dropdown menu.
Change the Minimal Certain to your begin date. You’ll see that the Gantt chart now displays your undertaking begin date.
Step 3: Evaluate undertaking scope.
In the case of making a Gantt chart, an important facet is knowing how your undertaking flows. By inputting good knowledge, your chart can be correct and efficient.
Evaluate the proposal and any phases you’ve recognized. When you haven’t outlined what occurs in every part, take a couple of moments to take action. It’s possible you’ll or could not want to trace all of them.
Nonetheless, it helps you establish that are most essential to the stakeholders utilizing the Gantt chart.
Step 4: Choose key duties and milestones.
After figuring out all undertaking duties, establish key duties and milestones, and plug them into the Process listing.
Step 5: Estimate dates for every job.
Enter approximate begin and finish dates subsequent to every job. As you go, you’ll discover that your chart begins to populate.
If you wish to observe complete phases in addition to particular person duties, enter them in. The above Gantt chart instance makes use of all caps to trace phases and title case for particular person duties. You can too see how phases overlap particular person duties.
Notice: When you’ve got greater than 20 duties, you may add rows by right-clicking any # between 2 and 20 and deciding on “Insert Row” from the dropdown. Nonetheless, it’s essential so as to add them above #20 (Row 27) to maintain formulation operational.
The columns mechanically observe allotted dates, and you’ll observe precise time spent so you may higher estimate future initiatives.
Now you understand how to create a Gantt chart utilizing our free template for Excel, it’s time to dive in and begin monitoring your initiatives.
Advantages of Utilizing a Gantt Chart
The primary aim of a Gantt chart is to trace the timeline and completion of a undertaking. It’s helpful for undertaking managers (PMs) who have to maintain crew momentum on campaigns with many shifting components, like product launches or advertising and marketing occasions.
Listed below are some further advantages of utilizing Gantt charts:
- Visible monitoring offers an overarching view of initiatives and their timelines, serving to the straight accountable people (DRIs) perceive progress and assign duty accordingly.
- Clear undertaking timelines help with useful resource planning, as you will know which duties require which instruments and precisely when DRIs will want these instruments. /span>
- Visible understanding of which undertaking components depend on one another for completion so PMs can inform accountable people of high-priority duties.
- Elevated transparency, as all concerned events are conscious of expectations and the way particular person progress impacts crew progress.
You’ll be able to create Gantt charts in Excel, PowerPoint, Google Sheets, and extra, and this monitoring methodology can be utilized in a wide range of industries, from advertising and marketing to development, and even design.
So, what does that appear to be? Let’s dive in with some stunning Gantt chart examples, under. Put together to geek out.
Methods to Make Gantt Charts
1. Gantt Chart in Excel
Creating Gantt charts in Excel is a standard follow and one you’ll probably come throughout in your work. Excel doesn’t have a predefined Gantt chart, however the “Stacked Bar” characteristic is your pal, permitting you to point out undertaking development.
Right here’s an instance of an Excel Gantt chart. 
And right here’s a useful “how-to” video for the Excel-challenged amongst us.
2. Gantt Chart in PowerPoint
Need to embrace a Gantt chart in your subsequent PowerPoint presentation? Use this PowerPoint instance as your information.
PowerPoint doesn’t have a built-in Gantt characteristic, however you may construct and edit a chart within the platform utilizing their “Stacked Bar” characteristic.
The way to Make a Gantt Chart in PowerPoint
When utilizing the above template to make a Gantt chart in PowerPoint, take into account these professional suggestions:
- Leverage the duty bars to your benefit and alter their size in accordance together with your plan. This template can be versatile, so you may shorten or enhance the size of duties if issues come up throughout your undertaking execution course of.
- Make distinctive shade codes for every particular job so you may place a corresponding milestone picture when accomplished so you may monitor your progress and instantly perceive what every shade means.
3. Gantt Chart in Phrase
What’s that? You’re not acquainted with Microsoft’s “Stacked Bar” characteristic but? Effectively, if you happen to’re getting pleasant with Gantt charts, you’ll be utilizing this go-to characteristic fairly a bit.
When you’re making a Gantt chart in Microsoft Phrase, you’ll stack bars as soon as extra. However if you happen to’ll be updating and tweaking your Gantt chart recurrently, Excel or PowerPoint could provide you with higher flexibility.
The way to Make a Gantt Chart in Phrase
When utilizing the template above, leverage the stackable bars characteristic to create an interactive Gantt chart to obviously display job progress and monitor your accomplishments.
As well as, create a day by day check-ins schedule in your chart so you may transfer the “In the present day” line ahead as every day goes on, serving to you keep on observe and perceive what’s to return.
4. Gantt Chart in Google Sheets
If Google Sheets is the place you spend most of your time, that is the Gantt chart for you. G-Sheets makes it simple to construct customizable Gantt charts you may edit as wanted — all utilizing a couple of easy formulation.
The way to Make a Gantt Chart in Google Sheets
When you’re making a Gantt chart in Google Sheets, use the above template and circulation desk for automated chart creation. Merely enter the data particular to your enterprise, and the chart can be created mechanically.
You’ve gotten much less inventive freedom with this chart, nevertheless it’s nice for these hesitant to create a chart from scratch.
5. Gantt Chart in Google Docs
Need a Gantt chart you may share and collaborate on with colleagues? Take into account creating your chart in a Google Doc. Put it aside to your Google Drive and share as regular.
Google gives “Stacked Chart” choices of their “Chart Editor,” so getting began is a breeze.
The way to Make a Gantt Chart in Google Docs
In Google Docs, use the timeline template paperwork to your benefit and provides your self an outline of your undertaking progress.
It’ll assist with visualization, staying on observe, and permitting you to see the way you’re progressing over time. You’ll be able to then share data with related stakeholders.
Examples of Gantt Charts
1. Gantt Chart for Editorial Calendar
Take your editorial calendar up a notch with a Gantt chart. Embody publication dates as your milestones, add subgroups for every part of content material creation, and add duties to your chart.
What we like: The colour coding on this chart permits you to simply establish the distinct duties at a look. The coloured squares additionally mirror the share of the undertaking that has been accomplished, going from a lightweight shade to a darker one as your crew makes progress.
2. Gantt Chart for Mission Administration
Mission administration is without doubt one of the commonest verticals counting on Gantt charts.
These charts assist undertaking managers establish the duties concerned in every undertaking, create a timeline for every job, and assign dates, instruments, and progress updates for every of the duties throughout the undertaking.
What we like: This chart makes use of bars whose lengths correspond to the dates assigned to every job. You’ll be able to visualize the size of time for every job and the way they relate to one another chronologically and whether or not there’s any overlap.
3. Gantt Chart for Advertising Marketing campaign
There are lots of instruments obtainable that assist entrepreneurs create Gantt charts, particularly for advertising and marketing campaigns. This instance from GanttPro gives ready-made marketing campaign templates with predefined duties, subtasks, and milestones.
What we like: This template permits you to clearly group subtasks collectively to coordinate all of the parts of your marketing campaign with one Gantt chart.
4. Gantt Chart for Design Tasks
Designers, you need to use Gantt charts, too. Plan design launches, observe brainstorming, and share draft progress with a rigorously organized chart, like the instance under. 
What we like: This chart permits you to break down every step of your design undertaking and to visualise how lengthy the full undertaking will take. It’s simple to take a few of the steps without any consideration, nevertheless it’s essential to call and designate a timeframe for every one.
5. Gantt Chart for Product Launch
Product launches have many shifting components. Preserve observe of analysis, budgets, crew roles, and even threat evaluation in a customizable Gantt chart like this one. You’ll be able to even set dependencies and assign duties to sure folks.
What we like: This chart shows each the full timeframe for the undertaking, the overlap of duties, and which duties rely upon which, providing you with a visible for the massive image whereas holding observe of your progress.
6. Gantt Chart for Social Media Marketing campaign
If you’re mapping a social media advertising and marketing marketing campaign utilizing a Gantt chart, be sure that to incorporate the instruments you’ll want, the content material you’ll be sharing, and the belongings used on every channel. We love this instance from Fabrik. 
What we like: This chart contains all the foremost classes mandatory for a social media marketing campaign — internet belongings, content material, and instruments/know-how — together with the particular duties belonging to every class.
This provides you a complete view of the marketing campaign and its progress.
7. Gantt Chart for Occasion Advertising
From outreach earlier than the occasion to “thanks” emails as soon as it’s over, planning an occasion requires excessive ranges of group.
Use a Gantt chart like this one to maintain observe of your technique, crew progress, and key actions earlier than, throughout, and after your occasion.
What we like: The colour coding helps make the complexities of occasion planning and advertising and marketing extra manageable. Whereas this instance doesn’t present many particulars, it offers you a good suggestion of how a Gantt chart may also help you manage your occasion.
Getting Began With Gantt Charts
Gantt charts may also help maintain your initiatives organized, so that you by no means miss a beat.
If you’re prepared to start creating your individual Gantt chart, confer with the examples on this listing and obtain our free Excel template to get began.
