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?
Beneath you’ll see a few of the greatest examples round, together with some free templates to get you began. Dive in beneath and discover your favourite.
Desk of Contents
What’s a Gantt Chart used for?
Gantt charts are venture administration instruments that assist entrepreneurs visualize venture 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 will be grouped into 4 classes: sources, milestones, duties, and dependencies.
- Sources. Venture managers should have perception into what sources are wanted for duties outlined in a Gantt chart for every to be accomplished on time.
- Milestones. Alongside your timeline, there’ll doubtless be milestones, each small and enormous, that have to be hit to maintain your venture on monitor. A milestone for a weblog launch may be “weblog publish draft due on 5/30.”
- Duties. There are particular issues that must be accomplished alongside the best way of your venture. In our weblog publish instance, a activity may be “edit weblog publish.”
- Dependencies. Duties in your Gantt chart might be associated to one another, for instance, the editor received’t be capable of full her activity of enhancing the weblog publish till the author has met their milestone and submitted their draft on 5/30. These are dependencies and must be famous in your chart.
How you can Make a Gantt Chart
- Replace venture title and begin date.
- Configure the Gantt chart.
- Evaluation venture scope.
- Establish key duties and milestones.
- Estimate activity dates.
Getting began together with your first Gantt chart is among the greatest methods to create a visible roadmap on your venture.
Right here’s the best way to use our template for Excel to create a chart that helps you keep on deadline.
Step 1: Replace the venture 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 “Venture Title” placeholder together with your venture data. Right this moment’s date routinely populates, nonetheless, 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 measurement, chances are you’ll 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 replicate your venture 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 venture begin date.
Step 3: Evaluation venture scope.
On the subject of making a Gantt chart, a very powerful facet is knowing how your venture flows. By inputting good information, your chart might be correct and efficient.
Evaluation the proposal and any phases you’ve recognized. For those who haven’t outlined what occurs in every section, take a number of moments to take action. You might or might not want to trace all of them.
Nonetheless, it helps you determine that are most vital to the stakeholders utilizing the Gantt chart.
Step 4: Choose key duties and milestones.
After figuring out all venture duties, determine key duties and milestones, and plug them into the Job record.
Step 5: Estimate dates for every activity.
Enter approximate begin and finish dates subsequent to every activity. As you go, you’ll discover that your chart begins to populate.
If you wish to monitor 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 even see how phases overlap particular person duties.
Be aware: You probably have greater than 20 duties, you may add rows by right-clicking any # between 2 and 20 and choosing “Insert Row” from the dropdown. Nonetheless, it’s vital so as to add them above #20 (Row 27) to maintain formulation operational.
The columns routinely monitor allotted dates, and you’ll monitor precise time spent so you may higher estimate future initiatives.
Now you know the way 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 principle objective of a Gantt chart is to trace the timeline and completion of a venture. It’s helpful for venture managers (PMs) who have to preserve staff momentum on campaigns with many shifting components, like product launches or advertising occasions.
Listed here are some extra advantages of utilizing Gantt charts:
- Visible monitoring offers an overarching view of initiatives and their timelines, serving to the immediately accountable people (DRIs) perceive progress and assign duty accordingly.
- Clear venture timelines help with useful resource planning, as you may know which duties require which instruments and precisely when DRIs will want these instruments. /span>
- Visible understanding of which venture 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 staff progress.
You possibly can 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 to development, and even design.
So, what does that appear like? Let’s dive in with some lovely Gantt chart examples, beneath. Put together to geek out.
Methods to Make Gantt Charts
1. Gantt Chart in Excel
Creating Gantt charts in Excel is a typical apply and one you’ll doubtless come throughout in your work. Excel doesn’t have a predefined Gantt chart, however the “Stacked Bar” characteristic is your buddy, permitting you to indicate venture 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
Wish to embody 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 inside the platform utilizing their “Stacked Bar” characteristic.
How you can Make a Gantt Chart in PowerPoint
When utilizing the above template to make a Gantt chart in PowerPoint, take into account these professional ideas:
- 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 venture execution course of.
- Make distinctive shade codes for every particular activity 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 accustomed to Microsoft’s “Stacked Bar” characteristic but? Nicely, in case you’re getting pleasant with Gantt charts, you’ll be utilizing this go-to characteristic fairly a bit.
For those who’re making a Gantt chart in Microsoft Phrase, you’ll stack bars as soon as extra. However in case you’ll be updating and tweaking your Gantt chart often, Excel or PowerPoint might provide you with higher flexibility.
How you can Make a Gantt Chart in Phrase
When utilizing the template above, leverage the stackable bars characteristic to create an interactive Gantt chart to obviously reveal activity progress and monitor your accomplishments.
As well as, create a day by day check-ins schedule in your chart so you may transfer the “Right this moment” line ahead as every day goes on, serving to you keep on monitor 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 number of easy formulation.
How you can Make a Gantt Chart in Google Sheets
For those who’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 what you are promoting, and the chart might be created routinely.
You’ve gotten much less artistic freedom with this chart, but it surely’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? Contemplate creating your chart in a Google Doc. Reserve it to your Google Drive and share as regular.
Google presents “Stacked Chart” choices of their “Chart Editor,” so getting began is a breeze.
How you can Make a Gantt Chart in Google Docs
In Google Docs, use the timeline template paperwork to your benefit and provides your self an summary of your venture progress.
It’ll assist with visualization, staying on monitor, and permitting you to see the way you’re progressing over time. You possibly can 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. Embrace publication dates as your milestones, add subgroups for every section of content material creation, and add duties to your chart.
What we like: The colour coding on this chart means that you can simply determine the distinct duties at a look. The coloured squares additionally replicate the proportion of the venture that has been accomplished, going from a lightweight shade to a darker one as your staff makes progress.
2. Gantt Chart for Venture Administration
Venture administration is among the most typical verticals counting on Gantt charts.
These charts assist venture managers determine the duties concerned in every venture, create a timeline for every activity, and assign dates, instruments, and progress updates for every of the duties inside the venture.
What we like: This chart makes use of bars whose lengths correspond to the dates assigned to every activity. You possibly can visualize the size of time for every activity and the way they relate to one another chronologically and whether or not there’s any overlap.
3. Gantt Chart for Advertising and marketing Marketing campaign
There are numerous instruments out there that assist entrepreneurs create Gantt charts, particularly for advertising campaigns. This instance from GanttPro presents ready-made marketing campaign templates with predefined duties, subtasks, and milestones.
What we like: This template means that you can 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 should use Gantt charts, too. Plan design launches, monitor brainstorming, and share draft progress with a rigorously organized chart, like the instance beneath. 
What we like: This chart means that you can break down every step of your design venture and to visualise how lengthy the full venture will take. It’s simple to take a few of the steps as a right, but it surely’s vital to call and designate a timeframe for each.
5. Gantt Chart for Product Launch
Product launches have many shifting components. Maintain monitor of analysis, budgets, staff roles, and even threat evaluation in a customizable Gantt chart like this one. You possibly can even set dependencies and assign duties to sure individuals.
What we like: This chart shows each the full timeframe for the venture, the overlap of duties, and which duties rely on which, providing you with a visible for the large image whereas retaining monitor of your progress.
6. Gantt Chart for Social Media Marketing campaign
Once you’re mapping a social media advertising marketing campaign utilizing a Gantt chart, be sure 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 obligatory for a social media marketing campaign — net belongings, content material, and instruments/expertise — together with the particular duties belonging to every class.
This offers you a complete view of the marketing campaign and its progress.
7. Gantt Chart for Occasion Advertising and marketing
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 monitor of your technique, staff 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 extra manageable. Whereas this instance doesn’t present many particulars, it offers you a good suggestion of how a Gantt chart will help you arrange your occasion.
Getting Began With Gantt Charts
Gantt charts will help preserve your initiatives organized, so that you by no means miss a beat.
Once you’re prepared to start creating your personal Gantt chart, discuss with the examples on this record and obtain our free Excel template to get began.
