How to create a Gantt chart in just 5 steps (free template)

Time is precious, no one can afford to waste it. That is why a project requires organization to deliver it in a timely manner, since if the tasks are not defined and the period to fulfill them could be postponed and even fail.

It is precisely because of this need that the Gantt chart originated, a way to organize activities in an easy and visual way, with the aim of having clear start and delivery times of a project, as well as the tasks or actions that are added. until the final goal is achieved.

 

If you don't set times to do a task, it can slow down and take indefinitely, as Parkinson's Law says: "Work expands to fill the time available for completion." What is sought with a scheme like Gantt is to do a task in the necessary time, always thinking about optimizing each process.

What is a Gantt chart?

It is a project management tool that seeks to streamline and meet delivery objectives; allows you to see the tasks, which team or person is responsible for each one of them, the duration of each activity and the dates scheduled to be completed.

Henry Laurence Gantt is credited with creating this diagram, which began to spread from 1910. It has been maintained over the years due to its ease of use, versatility and adaptation to any type of sector or project.

The tasks shown are linked to each other so that a project is completed, so it will allow you to see the progress of each one in particular and have an overview of the evolution of the project in general .

Define your project

First you must be clear about the project you are going to carry out; This must be concrete and achievable in your area of ​​competence, because you have the personnel, knowledge, tools and everything that this project implies.

In the event that it involves the work of several areas or teams, it will be necessary to designate the person responsible for preparing the scheme, who will be the link between these areas to establish the tasks and times.

Make a to do list

Based on the selected project, establish a list of tasks necessary for it to be completed. You can have primary and secondary tasks, but they are all linked in one way or another, since the sum of these represents the completion of the project .

Every activity counts, you just have to be careful not to include tasks that do not have to do with the project or that you can take for granted as they are included in a larger task.

Set the times

Absolutely everything must have a time, a period of duration, a beginning and an end. The first thing in this stage is to determine the start and end date of the project in general. This period must be realistic and achievable, you can identify it according to the number of tasks you require and the people or teams that must participate to carry them out.

Likewise, you must assign a duration time for each task or activity, the full days that will be dedicated, as well as the remaining days. Depending on the project, your time intervals can be days, weeks, months or years.

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Assign tasks

It is time to assign those tasks to a team or individuals, who will be responsible for executing that particular activity in the previously established time. These bars will spread horizontally in the span for a complete task.

Check the progress

Once you integrate these elements you already have a Gantt chart in operation, each team or person in charge will verify their times and apply them in the execution of the task.

Depending on the total time of the project, it is advisable to establish reviews and meetings with those involved to evaluate the progress , which we will clearly see with percentages of what has been completed. This will serve to verify that everything is flowing according to plan, identify obstacles and reformulate times at a certain moment for a specific task.

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How to use the HubSpot Gantt chart template?

This template has been made so that you have an overview of your tasks and times, as well as visualize your progress. Your horizontal bars are automatically generated according to the data you have entered. Using it is very easy:

Download it forfree. Fill out the form and click the "Download template" button.
Open your Excel file. In the first tab you will have instructions.
Click on the "Gantt chart" tab. Enter the name of your project.
Write down the start and end date of your project.
Include the names of your tasks.
Integrate start and end dates, the duration in days, the days that will be complete and which are remaining, that is, how many are left to complete that task; Also write down the percentages of your progress.
If you need to add more rows for other tasks, insert a new row between the task rows. To keep the format, we suggest that you do not do it after the last row of the list.
The number in the box must be put as the minimum indicator of the horizontal axis. Click the right button of the mouse on the date bar and enter "Format axis" and in "Axis options" in the "Minimum" box, write down this number.

In the scheme you will see the data you filled out reflected. With this you already have your Gantt chart. You can change all the elements of this template, that is, replace the HubSpot logo with your own, modify the color palette, select a new font, and more.

3 examples of Gantt charts

Example of a Gantt chart for an HR project

In this diagram, the project belongs to the Human Resources area of ​​a company that must look for candidates to fill various positions within the company, so it establishes the main tasks to reach this end:

Example of Gantt chart for web design

This example involves a project by a single person, in this case by a designer who must make a website, so he structures the main tasks that will lead him to have his page and verifies the progress of each action:

Example of a Gantt chart for a sales department

A Gantt chart helps you get a picture of what you need to do to reach a goal. In this case, a project to generate a new training plan for salespeople. The number of tasks is greater than in the previous cases because the project requires it; These could still be increased if more areas participated in the development of said training plan:

As you have seen, the Gantt chart is versatile and flexible, it adapts to any company regardless of its line of business, to any area or department and even to anyone who has a project and wants to work on it in an organized way.