Create a Gantt Chart in Google Sheets

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Gantt charts are super useful for project tracking. They give you a clear picture of your project’s timeline and task durations. Google Sheets doesn’t have a built-in Gantt chart option, but you can easily make one using a stacked bar chart.

Making a Gantt Chart with a Stacked Bar Chart

You can build your Gantt chart by first organizing your project’s data, then calculating the durations of your tasks, and finally customizing a stacked bar chart to look like a Gantt chart.

Set Up Your Project’s Raw Data

1. First things first, open up a new Google Sheet. In the first three columns, put your project tasks: Task, Start Date, and End Date. Fill in the names of the tasks in the “Task” column, followed by their respective start and end dates.

   

2. Double-check that all your dates are correctly entered and formatted as dates in Google Sheets. This is essential for accurate calculations.

Calculate Task Durations

1. Now, we’ll make a second table below the first one to calculate task durations. Start by copying all of the “Task” names from the first table into this new table.

2. Next, label the two columns after the “Task” column “Start Day” and “Duration.”

3. To calculate the “Start Day” for each task, you’ll need to subtract the project’s start date from each task’s start date. In the first cell of the “Start Day” column, enter this formula:

   =INT(B2) - INT($B$2)
   

This formula determines the number of days between the start of each task and the very start of the whole project.

4. Then, drag the fill handle down the “Start Day” column so the formula applies to all tasks.

   

5. To figure out each task’s “Duration,” you’ll subtract the start date from the end date. In the first cell of the “Duration” column, put in this formula:

   =(INT(C2) - INT($B$2)) - (INT(B2) - INT($B$2))
   

This formula will calculate the number of days each task is expected to take to complete.

6. Finally, drag the formula down the “Duration” column to include all of your tasks.

Insert a Stacked Bar Chart

1. Now, select the entire second table, including the Task names, Start Day, and Duration columns.

2. Head to the ‘Insert’ menu and click on ‘Chart’. This creates a basic chart based on your selected data.

3. Google Sheets might not pick the right chart type initially. If necessary, change the chart type to a ‘Stacked bar chart’ using the Chart editor. If the Chart Editor isn’t visible, click the three-dot menu on the top right of your chart and choose ‘Edit chart’.

4. In the ‘Setup’ tab of the Chart editor, you’ll see a ‘Chart type’ dropdown menu; use it to select ‘Stacked bar chart’.

   

Customize the Chart into a Gantt Chart

1. Time to customize the stacked bar chart and make it look like a Gantt chart. In the Chart editor, click the ‘Customize’ tab, and then expand the ‘Series’ section.

2. In the ‘Apply to’ dropdown, pick ‘Start Day’ to configure the appearance of this series.

3. Set the ‘Fill opacity’ slider to 0%. This makes the ‘Start Day’ bars invisible, showing only the ‘Duration’ bars, which form the visual representation of your task timelines.

4. Now, the chart should look like a Gantt chart! You can also customize other aspects, like the colors, axis labels, title, and legend to make it suit your project’s style.

   

5. Take a look at your Gantt chart to ensure all the tasks and timelines are accurate. Adjust data or formatting as needed.

   

That’s all it takes. You’ve just made a Gantt chart in Google Sheets to visualize your project timeline!