Gantt charts. Love ‘em, hate ‘em, or can’t stay with out ‘em, they’re a actuality of a marketer’s life. However how do you make yours stand out from the remaining?
Beneath you’ll see a number of the finest 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 accountability accordingly.
The weather inside a Gantt chart will be grouped into 4 classes: sources, milestones, duties, and dependencies.
- Assets. Challenge 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 seemingly be milestones, each small and huge, that have to be hit to maintain your venture on observe. A milestone for a weblog launch is perhaps “weblog submit draft due on 5/30.”
- Duties. There are particular issues that should be accomplished alongside the way in which of your venture. In our weblog submit instance, a process is perhaps “edit weblog submit.”
- Dependencies. Duties in your Gantt chart will probably be associated to one another, for instance, the editor received’t have the ability to full her process 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.
Learn how to Make a Gantt Chart
- Replace venture title and begin date.
- Configure the Gantt chart.
- Evaluate venture scope.
- Determine key duties and milestones.
- Estimate process dates.
Getting began along with your first Gantt chart is among the finest methods to create a visible roadmap on your venture.
Right here’s easy methods 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.
Exchange the “Challenge Title” placeholder along with your venture info. Right this moment’s date mechanically populates, nevertheless, you’ll want to decide on a begin date.
Step 2: Configure the Gantt chart along with your begin date.
The beginning date you select populates on the prime of the Gantt chart as a 5-digit quantity.
Relying in your display measurement, you could have to make word of this quantity (or you should still have the ability to see it within the subsequent step).
You’ll see that the dates within the Gantt chart instance don’t but mirror your venture dates. To alter that, right-click one of many dates within the prime bar of the Gantt chart and select “Format Axis” from the dropdown menu.
Change the Minimal Sure to your begin date. You’ll see that the Gantt chart now displays your venture begin date.
Step 3: Evaluate venture scope.
Relating to making a Gantt chart, a very powerful side is knowing how your venture flows. By inputting good information, your chart will probably be correct and efficient.
Evaluate the proposal and any phases you’ve recognized. In case you haven’t outlined what occurs in every part, take a number of moments to take action. You might or could not want to trace all of them.
Nonetheless, it helps you determine that are most necessary 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 Activity record.
Step 5: Estimate dates for every process.
Enter approximate begin and finish dates subsequent to every process. As you go, you’ll discover that your chart begins to populate.
If you wish to observe total 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 may also see how phases overlap particular person duties.
Observe: 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 necessary 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 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 primary purpose of a Gantt chart is to trace the timeline and completion of a venture. It’s useful for venture managers (PMs) who have to maintain crew momentum on campaigns with many shifting elements, 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 accountability accordingly.
- Clear venture 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 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 crew progress.
You may create Gantt charts in Excel, PowerPoint, Google Sheets, and extra, and this monitoring technique can be utilized in quite a lot of industries, from advertising to building, and even design.
So, what does that appear like? Let’s dive in with some stunning 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 observe and one you’ll seemingly 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 here’s a helpful “how-to” video for the Excel-challenged among us.
2. Gantt Chart in PowerPoint
Want to include a Gantt chart in your next PowerPoint presentation? Use this PowerPoint example as your guide.
PowerPoint doesn’t have a built-in Gantt feature, but you can build and edit a chart inside of the platform using their “Stacked Bar” feature.
Learn how to Make a Gantt Chart in PowerPoint
When utilizing the above template to make a Gantt chart in PowerPoint, think about these professional ideas:
- Leverage the duty bars to your benefit and alter their size in accordance along 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 coloration codes for every particular process so you may place a corresponding milestone picture when accomplished so you may monitor your progress and instantly perceive what every coloration means.
3. Gantt Chart in Phrase
What’s that? You’re not conversant in Microsoft’s “Stacked Bar” characteristic but? Nicely, in the event you’re getting pleasant with Gantt charts, you’ll be utilizing this go-to characteristic fairly a bit.
In case you’re making a Gantt chart in Microsoft Word, you’ll stack bars as soon as extra. However in the event you’ll be updating and tweaking your Gantt chart commonly, Excel or PowerPoint could offer you higher flexibility.
Learn how 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 exhibit process 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 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 number of easy formulation.
Learn how to Make a Gantt Chart in Google Sheets
In case 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 small business, and the chart will probably be created mechanically.
You’ve got much less artistic freedom with this chart, nevertheless it’s nice for these hesitant to create a chart from scratch.
5. Gantt Chart in Google Docs
Desire a Gantt chart you may share and collaborate on with colleagues? Contemplate creating your chart in a Google Doc. Put it aside to your Google Drive and share as regular.
Google provides “Stacked Chart” choices of their “Chart Editor,” so getting began is a breeze.
Learn how to 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 observe, and permitting you to see the way you’re progressing over time. You may then share info 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 part of content material creation, and add duties to your chart.
What we like: The colour coding on this chart lets you simply determine the distinct duties at a look. The coloured squares additionally mirror the proportion of the venture that has been accomplished, going from a light-weight shade to a darker one as your crew makes progress.
2. Gantt Chart for Challenge Administration
Challenge administration is among the commonest verticals counting on Gantt charts.
These charts assist venture managers determine the duties concerned in every venture, create a timeline for every process, 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 process. You may visualize the size of time for every process 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 numerous instruments out there that assist entrepreneurs create Gantt charts, particularly for advertising campaigns. This instance from GanttPro provides ready-made marketing campaign templates with predefined duties, subtasks, and milestones.
What we like: This template lets you clearly group subtasks collectively to coordinate all of the elements 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 fastidiously organized chart, like the instance beneath. 
What we like: This chart lets you break down every step of your design venture and to visualise how lengthy the full venture will take. It’s simple to take a number of the steps as a right, nevertheless it’s necessary to call and designate a timeframe for every one.
5. Gantt Chart for Product Launch
Product launches have many shifting elements. Hold observe of analysis, budgets, crew roles, and even threat evaluation in a customizable Gantt chart like this one. You may even set dependencies and assign duties to sure folks.
What we like: This chart shows each the full timeframe for the venture, the overlap of duties, and which duties depend upon which, supplying you with a visible for the large image whereas conserving observe of your progress.
6. Gantt Chart for Social Media Marketing campaign
Whenever you’re mapping a social media advertising marketing campaign utilizing a Gantt chart, make 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 most important classes obligatory for a social media marketing campaign — internet belongings, content material, and instruments/know-how — 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
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 extra manageable. Whereas this instance doesn’t present many particulars, it offers you a good suggestion of how a Gantt chart may help you arrange your occasion.
Getting Began With Gantt Charts
Gantt charts may help maintain your initiatives organized, so that you by no means miss a beat.
Whenever you’re prepared to start creating your individual Gantt chart, check with the examples on this record and obtain our free Excel template to get began.
