dissertation gantt chart template excel

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The Benefits of Using a Gantt Chart Template in PowerPoint

Gantt charts are a great way to visualize and track the progress of projects. They are used to show the timeline of tasks, dependencies, and milestones. While there are many software programs available for creating Gantt charts, PowerPoint is an easy-to-use and cost-effective option for creating Gantt charts. Here we will discuss the benefits of using a Gantt chart template in PowerPoint.

Easy to Use

One of the biggest advantages of using a Gantt chart template in PowerPoint is that it is very easy to use. All you need to do is download the template, open it in PowerPoint, and start filling in your project information. You can easily add tasks, set deadlines, and assign resources with just a few clicks. The template also includes helpful tips on how to use the chart effectively so you can get the most out of it.

Customizable

The Gantt chart template in PowerPoint is highly customizable so you can make it look exactly how you want it. You can change the colors, font sizes, and add images or logos to make your chart stand out. You can also add notes or comments to each task so everyone involved in the project knows what needs to be done and when it needs to be done by.

Time Saving

Using a Gantt chart template in PowerPoint will save you time because you don’t have to create one from scratch. All you have to do is download the template and start filling in your project information. This saves you time because you don’t have to worry about formatting or making sure everything looks right – it’s already done for you.

Overall, using a Gantt chart template in PowerPoint is an easy and cost-effective way to visualize and track your projects. It’s easy to use, highly customizable, and time saving – all great reasons why you should consider using one for your next project.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

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Dissertation Gantt Chart Templates Excel

Get Template.net's Free Dissertation Gantt Chart Templates in MS Excel to Easily Make Calculations, Analysis, and Store Data for Your Dissertation Gantt Chart Examples. Download Standard or Professionally-Made Gantt Chart Samples to Present Your Proposal, Timeline, and Research Plan for Projects in Business, Construction, or Engineering. Download All You Need for Free from Us Today!

Dissertation Proposal Gantt Chart Template

Dissertation Gantt Chart Template

Sample Dissertation Gantt Chart Template

Engineering Dissertation Gantt Chart Template

Example Dissertation Gantt Chart Template

Dissertation Timeline Gantt Chart Template

Dissertation Research Gantt Chart Template

Dissertation Project Gantt Chart Template

Dissertation Plan Gantt Chart Template

Dissertations have always been a part of the university and its doctoral programs. This is considered the best way for professors to see an individual’s capacity in his or her chosen field. However, even if a person is capable of writing one, the biggest challenge lies in time and resource management. Luckily, we have Dissertation Gantt Chart Templates in Excel below to help you manage your time efficiently. Instead of starting from scratch, these high-quality and easily editable templates come with original elements that are professionally designed. Stop worrying about not meeting the deadline for your dissertation and start subscribing to our templates!

How to Design a Dissertation Gantt Chart in Microsoft Excel

Someone who’s taking up a doctoral degree at a university may be overwhelmed by the numerous requirements to accomplish. One of those is the dissertation, which marks the end of a person’s doctoral program. To manage your time in writing your dissertation, guidelines are provided below to help you design the appropriate Gantt chart in Microsoft Excel .

1. Fully Understand the Research Topic

Regardless of the topic, it’s very important to understand it thoroughly for the sake of your Gantt chart and dissertation. What is the scope of your topic? How much effort should be put in it to meet the deadline? And what resources do you need? These are just sample questions to get you started.

2. Set a Deadline or Schedule for Submitting the Project

Typical Gantt charts are all about getting tasks done within an allotted time. To determine how much time you have, you need to plan your deadline. In most cases, your deadline will be the same as the date for submitting your master thesis.

3. Divide the Topic into Multiple Sections

Despite the topic’s simplicity, a dissertation should look at it from multiple angles. This is what makes thesis writing complicated. To handle this, it’s best that you divide the whole topic into manageable sections. Make a checklist of these tasks and use them as your reference as you’re writing your project. 

4. Break Down the Timeline into Parts

Thesis writing takes time, which is why you should break down your schedule into parts. When doing so, set a milestone for each section of the timeline. These milestones will signify critical paths in the process. Breaking down the schedule will make the project more manageable since you’ll be focusing on a handful of tasks at one time.

5. Add Progress Bars for Each Task or Topic

Between Gantt charts and standard schedules, the former is more effective because of one additional feature, the progress bars. These graphical bars illustrate how long a particular task will take. When adding these, make sure to set a unique color for each. Doing so will help you distinguish one progress bar from another.  

Frequently Asked Question

What is a gantt chart.

A Gantt chart is a type of graphical bar-type chart that illustrates the relationship between activities and a schedule. This was developed by Henry Gantt for the purpose of helping construction workers keep track of their progress.

What is a dissertation?

A dissertation is defined as an essay about a specific topic. This document serves as a requirement to allow a person to graduate from a university’s doctoral program.

What is the purpose of a dissertation?

A dissertation's purpose is to present findings to questions or research proposals that a person chooses himself or herself. Also, a dissertation’s purpose is to assess the person’s performance in doctorate subjects.

What are the differences between a dissertation and a thesis?

While a dissertation marks the end of a doctoral program, a thesis marks the end of a master’s program. Another difference between the two is that a thesis serves to prove that an individual fully understands a program, and a dissertation serves to contribute knowledge and theories.

Can a dissertation be rejected?

Yes, it is possible. However, the person is still given a chance to make revisions to their dissertation and resubmit it on an agreed date.

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The 10 most stunning excel dissertation Gantt chart templates

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Excel is a fantastic tool that provides everything for you. Excels templates are doing an excellent job of managing everyday tasks. Now, you can arrange your project's tasks using a dissertation Gantt chart and monitor your progress. If your data is spread throughout a continuous range of cells, you can choose any one of those cells to include the entire range of data. The 10 most stunning excel dissertation Gantt chart templates are now available for your use.

These 10 most stunning excel dissertation Gantt chart templates are managing your tasks in chart form.

1. Gantt Chart dissertation Project Template

Using a Gantt chart project template, you may arrange your project's tasks and monitor your progress. Select any cell to include all the data in that range if your data is spread across a continuous range of cells. Select the cells while holding down the command key if your information isn't in a constant range.

2. Progress Gantt Chart with Events Template

Project Gantt chart with events is going to manage your events with the help of this template. It is stunningly designed for you. Use it now if you want to control the events with Gantt charts.

3. Red Simple Gantt Chart Template

This template is designed with beautiful red velvet. It is easy to handle and free to download.

4. Construction Schedule Gantt Chart Template

Construction Schedule Gantt Chart template is now available at the WPS office. This template is created explicitly for the construction project, either large or small.

5. Planning Gantt Chart Template

The Planning Gantt Chart template is now available at the WPS office in the premium version. This template is beautifully designed for planning big tasks. You can easily use this template now.

6. Sales Activity Gantt Chat Template

Sales Activity Gantt Chat is used for sales management in the chart. A Gantt chart template is created for this purpose so you will easily manage your tasks.

7. Project Management Gantt Chart Template

Project management Gantt Chat is used to manage your projects in the chart. A Gantt chart template is created so you can easily manage your projects.

8. Grant Analysis Chat Template

Now there is a template named as Gantt analysis chart, which is designed to analyse your data. All the information of data is anlysed by using this Gantt chart.

9. Simple Gantt Chart Template

The simple Gantt chart is free to download at the WPS office.

10. Simple Monthly Gantt Chart Template

The simple monthly Gantt chart is available for the monthly assessment purpose. You can analyse your data every month.

The bottom line

Teams can visualize a project's chronology using a Gantt chart template, a project management tool. It comprises a list of project tasks, project dates, and bars that show the start and end dates and the length of each work. All these 10 most stunning dissertation Gantt chart templates are created for your convenience. If you want to get these charts for the free or premium version, go to the WPS office and download them now. It is a great opportunity offered by the WPS office. Grab it now before it runs out.

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Dissertation Gantt Chart Template

Shamma mukandatsama, excel download at the bottom.

This time last year I started my honours project. This project accounted for about 16% of the degree. I knew if was able to get decent grade it would significantly boost my grade average.

From the start my supervisor stressed the importance of planning ahead. The 1st task he gave me was to make a gantt chart. I had never even heard of one before, so I decided to watch a few hours worth of Excel tutorials on YouTube so I could make the best chart ever. This was 100% unnecessary and a waste of time, but I just wasn't satisfied with the templates I was finding online. So I'm sharing the chart I made so you can use it too.

If you would like to know a some more about why Gantt charts are useful for dissertation planning and organising, Christina Katopodis, PhD wrote a great artical on the topic called Gantt Charts, or What Academics Can Learn From Project Managers, Part I . Worth reading.

Here is a downloadable template of the chart I used for my project.

If you have any questions on how to get it working, please Email me. [email protected]

Best of luck.

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Get organized with Gantt chart templates

Gantt charts give you a visual timeline of the steps in your project, and they've never been easier to put together than with these templates. with just a glance, you'll know exactly when and how things will come together, and these templates will be just the beginning of your journey to a successful, well-run project..

Let these Gantt chart templates guide your success

Let these customizable Gantt chart templates help your business see into the future. This staple of project planning just got easier to outline with templates where all you need to do is bring your parameters and yourself to get started. A Gantt chart is the ideal tool to coordinate groups of people and simultaneous goals and keep all aspects of a plan moving when they're supposed to. With these easy-to-use templates, your Gantt chart can be as colorful and as detailed as your organized heart desires. Make sure everything's going smoothly for your grand opening by know exactly what you have to do and when you have to do it. Or, add a compelling visual to a presentation by laying out the various elements of your project in a comprehensive yet comprehendible way. Dive into timelines and deliverables and let the planning stage of your project be the easy part—a Gantt chart is your business's new best friend.

Run and collaborate on creative projects more smoothly.

Plan, manage, and track product launches and campaigns.

Stay organized and communicate critical details to teams.

Streamline and scale manufacturing operations.

See how TeamGantt helps teams like yours meet deadlines, streamline communication.

Successful marketing project starts with a plan.

Track event details and to-dos.

Scope out roadmaps and manage backlogs.

Manage design, copy, and video work.

Learn all about gantt charts and how to use them to manage projects more easily.

Hear real testimonials from real TeamGantt customers.

How to Create a Simple Gantt Chart in Excel: The Best Free Template

Create an easy Excel gantt chart with our free template

Our easy premade Excel gantt chart template can save you tons of time by organizing your project plan and tackling the tedious scheduling work for you! Use this Excel gantt chart to simplify complex projects into an easy-to-follow plan and track the status of tasks as work progresses. This free template is also useful for keeping track of project deadlines, milestones, and hours worked.  Learn more about gantt charts . Before you get started,  check out this quick Excel vs. TeamGantt comparison  to see how you can save time and effort managing gantt charts in TeamGantt.

How to use our free gantt chart Excel template

We made this Excel gantt chart template easy, powerful, and painless to use for projects of any kind—from construction projects to website redesigns and beyond. It’s great for scheduling simple projects that don’t require real-time collaboration. 

TeamGantt’s free Excel gantt chart template enables you to:

• Customize the gantt chart to fit your project needs
• Set up new tasks
• Assign task dates and team members
• Automate task durations and timeframes
• Track task progress

You can customize our Excel template to view and manage projects over any time period, whether it’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Simply plug in your tasks, dates, and resources, and you'll have a presentation-quality Excel gantt chart. Be sure to update the percent complete as work progresses to stay on top of project tracking. Want to learn how? First, download the Excel gantt chart template , then watch our Excel gantt chart template tutorial on YouTube below.

Additional Excel project management templates

If you want to spend less time building spreadsheets, check out some of our other Excel project management templates. Here are a few you can download for free:

• Excel timeline template
• Project schedule Excel template
• Excel to-do list template and task tracker
• Work breakdown structure (WBS) template in Excel

How to make a simple gantt chart in Excel

Want to learn how to build an Excel gantt chart from scratch? This step-by-step tutorial guides you through how to do an Excel gantt chart that maps out dates on your project timeline.

Note: We performed the following steps in Microsoft Excel 365 for Mac, but the basic workflow should be the same on a PC or in any version of Excel with minor changes.

• Add basic task details to the Excel worksheet
• Apply a formula to calculate task duration
• Insert a stacked bar chart
• Set up your Excel gantt chart data
• Add the project title to your chart
• Change the chart’s date range
• Format the horizontal axis as dates
• Set your Excel gantt chart at weekly intervals
• Reorder tasks and move the date axis to the top
• Format your stacked bar chart to look like a gantt chart
• Change taskbar colors for a customized look

1. Add tasks and dates to the Excel worksheet for your gantt chart.

Create columns for Task Name , Start Date , End Date , and Duration , and fill those cells with the basic details for your project tasks.

Format these columns as follows:

• Task Name = Text format
• Start Date and End Date = Date format
• Duration = Number format

Want to organize your Excel gantt chart into phases with subtasks? Add a row before the first task in each project phase, and enter the following dates for each task group:

• Start Date  = Start Date of your first task or milestone in the group or phase
• End Date = End Date for the last task or milestone in the group or phase

2. Apply an automatic formula to calculate task duration

Use a simple formula to subtract the start date from the end date. That way your Excel worksheet will automatically calculate the length of each task in your gantt chart. For instance, we entered =C2-B2 into the Duration field for our first task.

Tip: If you started in different cells in your worksheet, be sure to adjust this formula accordingly.

Place your mouse on the right corner of D2 until you see a black + sign and double-click or drag your mouse down to paste the formula in the remaining cells in column D.

3. Insert a Stacked Bar Chart from the Insert menu

Click the Insert tab, and select the bar chart icon. Choose Stacked Bar from the 2-D Bar section to add a chart to your Excel worksheet. This chart type most closely resembles a gantt chart.

4. Set up your Excel gantt chart data

You should see a blank chart in your Excel worksheet now. Right-click the chart, and choose Select Data .

Click the plus sign (+) under the Legend entries section to add the first data set. Name it "Start Date." Then click on the Y values field, and select the data in the Start Date column.

Repeat this process to add a second entry called “Duration,” making sure to select the data in the Duration column for the Y values . Click the Horizontal Axis Labels field, and select the entire Task Name column.

Tip: Make sure the Show data in hidden rows and columns checkbox is ticked so your Excel gantt chart will still work if you decide to hide any of the columns or rows in the worksheet.

5. Add the project title to your chart

Double-click the Chart Title textbox to select the full title. Enter the name of your project to replace the generic placeholder text.

6. Change the chart date range to your project start and end dates

Copy the Start Date for the first task in your project into a blank cell below your task list, and format that cell as a number rather than a date. Repeat this process for the End Date for the last task in your project.

Tip: Excel stores dates as numbers. In our gantt chart example , Excel converts the Start Date for our first task from 9/1/22 to 44805.00, while the End Date for our last task becomes 44865.00 instead of 10/31/22.

Now select the horizontal axis of your gantt chart, right-click, and choose Format Axis . Under Bounds , there are fields for Minimum and Maximum . These are the first and last “dates” in the chart. Change the Minimum value to the number you got when you converted the first task date into a number and the Maximum value to the number for your last task date.

Hit Enter to remove the extra time from the beginning of your chart.

7. Format the horizontal axis as dates

If the labels on the horizontal axis of your gantt chart show numbers instead of dates, click the Number section of the Format Axis window to expand it. Change the category from Number to Date . Now the horizontal axis will show readable dates.

8. Set your Excel gantt chart at weekly intervals

Under Units in the Axis Options section, you’ll find Major and Minor fields. These determine the timeline intervals for your Excel gantt chart. Enter 7.0 into the Major field to set the project timeline in your Excel gantt chart at weekly intervals.

Tip: Want a monthly gantt chart? Set the Major field at 30.0 for monthly intervals.

9. Reorder tasks, and move the date axis to the top of your gantt chart

Select the vertical axis, right-click, and choose Format Axis .

Tick the Categories in reverse order checkbox.

This also moves the date axis to the top of the chart where it’s a little more useful.

10. Format your stacked bar chart to look like a gantt chart

Click on the first portion of a taskbar with 2 colors to select all of the bars in your first data series. In the Excel chart below, our first data series is represented by the blue taskbars.

Then click the Paint Bucket tab, and expand the Fill section. Select No fill to remove the blue bars that precede your task start dates.

11. Change taskbar colors for a customized look

Click on a single bar twice. Don’t double-click it—click it once to highlight all the bars in that color, then click it again to highlight a single bar. Click the Paint Bucket icon, and choose the color you want from the color fill options.

Tip: Differentiate project phases from subtasks by giving phase taskbars a neutral color, such as gray.

Tip: Color milestones yellow or gold in your gantt chart so they stand out easily from other tasks.

Repeat this process for the rest of the bars in your newly made gantt chart to change their colors.

Congratulations! You’ve created your very own weekly gantt chart in Excel. That was probably a few more steps than you bargained for. Especially if you have to do that every time you need to create a gantt chart for a new project. That’s where TeamGantt comes in.

Build a gantt chart in minutes with TeamGantt

A better, faster, and more collaborative way to create, update, and track gantt charts.

Gantt charts that are simple, beautiful, and super-easy to manage and update is exactly what TeamGantt was designed from the ground up to do.

Comparison: TeamGantt vs Excel gantt chart

Forget having to keep track of multiple Excel gantt chart files for each project and wasting time making sure all your charts are presentation-ready. TeamGantt makes it easy—and dare we say FUN—to create and manage your projects with shareable online gantt charts. Here’s a quick peek at how you can save time and headaches making gantt charts and managing projects with TeamGantt compared to Excel:

The best collaborative gantt chart template

No need to build your plan from scratch with TeamGantt’s collaborative gantt chart template! We’ve plugged in some basic project elements for you. Feel free to duplicate task groups to speed up your gantt chart setup. ‍ Try our basic project gantt chart template! Or browse our full library of free collaborative gantt chart templates .

How to create a gantt chart in TeamGantt

Ready to get started? Follow these easy steps to set up your first project in TeamGantt.

1. Go to teamgantt.com/signup to sign up for your free account to get started.

2. Once you log in, go to My Projects in the sidebar, and click + New Project , then Create New Project .

3. Give your project a name, and choose a project template to get you started if you want. Choose your default project view and the days of the week you want to be able to schedule work in your project. Then click Create New Project .

4. Your project is created, and you’re ready to start adding your tasks!

5. Once you’ve added your tasks to the task list, just click and drag each taskbar to set the dates and duration.

6. If you have tasks that can’t begin until another task is complete, you can add a dependency to your gantt chart to make sure those tasks are always done in the proper order. Simply click the gray dot to the right of the first task, and drag the dependency to the dependent task.

You’re all done! Congratulations on creating your first project in TeamGantt!

How to save a TeamGantt project as a gantt chart template

In TeamGantt, you can create unlimited gantt chart templates from the projects you build. Here are 2 easy ways to save a project as a template from Gantt view:

• Option 1 : Click Menu > Save as Template .
• Option 2 : Go to Menu > Project Settings , and click the Mark as Template toggle on.

Your gantt chart template evolves with your root project so it stays up-to-date.

How to apply a gantt chart template to any TeamGantt project

Using a template to create a new project is as easy as clicking the Template dropdown on the project creation screen and choosing the one you want to use from the template library. No more starting from a blank screen!

Any gantt chart templates you save will be listed under the My Templates section. Once your gantt chart template loads, simply update the tasks and invite your team.

Get started with TeamGantt today

You can create a beautiful project plan in just minutes with TeamGantt. And because everything happens online, it's easy to track project progress and collaborate with your team in real time.

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Excel Gantt Chart FAQs

Is there a gantt chart template in excel.

Unfortunately, Excel doesn’t come with a built-in gantt chart template. You’ll need to create a gantt chart manually in Excel, then save it as a template for future project use.

How do I create a gantt chart template in Excel?

You can save any Excel file you make as a template. Simply follow these steps to build a gantt chart of your own in Excel . Then click File > Save as template to create an Excel gantt chart template you can use again and again to schedule project timelines.

How do I format a weekly Excel gantt chart?

To format your Excel gantt chart by week, right-click on the date axis, and select Format Axis. Expand the Axis Options section, and enter 7.0 into the Major field below Units for weekly intervals.

How do I format a monthly Excel gantt chart?

To format your Excel gantt chart by month, right-click on the date axis, and select Format Axis. Expand the Axis Options section, and enter 30.0 into the Major field below Units for monthly intervals. It won’t be a perfect monthly picture since some months have more or less days, but it should provide a decent visual approximation for your Excel gantt chart.

How do I track work progress in Excel?

Start by downloading our free gantt chart Excel template , which has progress bars built-in. Then all you have to do is update progress in the Percent Complete column, and Excel will adjust the taskbar on the gantt chart to reflect the current status.

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Gantt Chart Template for Excel

A Gantt chart is a tool for project management developed originally by Henry Gantt in the early 1900s. It is a type of bar chart that shows the start and end times for each task in a project schedule. The tasks are usually categorized using a work breakdown structure with summary tasks for the main project deliverables and sub-tasks that break the project down into a detailed and manageable task hierarchy. If you use Excel or Google Sheets, you can create this type of project schedule with almost no learning curve by downloading Vertex42's free Gantt Chart Template.

For complicated project management activities, you may need a tool such as Microsoft Project or other specialized software. But, if you want to create a simple Gantt chart quickly and easily, you only need some basic Excel skills to use this template (such as knowing how to copy and insert rows).

Excel Gantt Chart Template

"No installation, no macros - just a simple spreadsheet" - by Jon Wittwer

License : Private Use (not for distribution or resale)

This template is the original Excel Gantt Chart created by Vertex42 over a decade ago. Over 3 million downloads so far. That is a LOT of projects.

Over 1 million downloads!

Older Versions

Description.

This template contains the core functionality needed to create a simple Gantt chart easily. Each row of the worksheet represents a separate task. All you need to do is define the start date and duration of each task.

• To add more tasks, you just copy and paste rows (or insert a row then press Ctrl + D to copy formulas down).
• To change the range of dates displayed in the chart area, just slide the scroll bar.
• To track the status of a task, edit the % Complete column. The bars in the chart show the % complete for each task.
• The vertical red line shows the current date.
• To use the automatic work breakdown structure numbering, copy the formula for the appropriate level from the bottom of the worksheet.

While planning a project, you may also want to use a yearly calendar or project budget worksheet.

• Enter Work Days, Calendar Days, or End Date
• Choose Different Colors for the Bars
• Select a Daily, Weekly, or Monthly View
• Create Task Dependencies Easily
• Exclude Holidays from Work Days

Free Gantt Chart Template

This download provides the same functionality as the original free gantt chart template above. The main difference is the formatting. The WBS, End, and Work Days columns are highlighted gray to indicate that they contain formulas.

Note : Gantt Chart Pro version 5.0 uses a design very similar to this free version.

Creating Dependent Tasks in a Gantt Chart with Excel

One of the reasons why Excel is a useful tool for creating Gantt Charts is that task dependencies can be defined by using Excel formulas. Gantt Chart Template Pro is designed to make this easier than entering your own formulas, but here are a few simple examples you can try:

1. Start a Task the Day After a Predecessor Task

   where end_date is a reference to cell (e.g. D10 ) containing the END date of the predecessor task.

2. Start a Task on the Same Day as another task

   where start_date is a reference to cell containing the START date of the other task.

3. Start a Task the next WORK day after a Predecessor task (excludes Sat & Sun)

   Use the WORKDAY.INTL() function in Excel 2010+ to define a custom work week (days other than only Sat & Sun)

The problem with only using formulas is that you can't see the dependencies between tasks when you view or print the chart. Other Gantt chart software may show dependencies as lines connecting the bars in the gantt chart, but I've never found a simple way for Excel to do that (and the lines can get really messy).

The simple approach is to list the WBS number of the Predecessor in another column , like in the critical path example above. In the CPM template and in Gantt Chart Template Pro, formulas calculate the start dates based on what you enter. If you want to try doing this on your own, here is a formula to get you started:

4. Start a Task the next day after a Predecessor task listed in another column

Gantt Chart Pro uses a formula like this, but it allows up to three predecessors and it accounts for work days.

Showing Critical Tasks in a Gantt Chart

Some Gantt charts are designed to show the critical path and available slack or float time for each task. If every task must be done in sequence, every task is critical and there is no slack time (because if one task is delayed, it delays the entire project). However, if some tasks can be done in parallel and have some available slack time, then the project manager may be able to free up some resources to devote to the more critical tasks.

Currently, the only template I have so far that uses the Critical Path Method (CPM) algorithm to show critical tasks and available float time is the CPM Template shown in the image on the left. The Gantt chart in this example shows the critical tasks in red and the available slack time in gray.

The CPM algorithm requires a fully defined task dependency structure, meaning that every task must have a successor (another task that depends on it). A simple Gantt chart may not need to have the dependencies between tasks fully defined, which is why you will see many project schedules with tasks defined only with a start and end date.

More Free Excel Gantt Chart Templates

Commercial Gantt Chart Software

There are hundreds of software applications for creating gantt charts and project schedules. Some of the most popular are those that allow easy online collaboration such as SmartSheet.com and ProjectManager.com. And of course there's Microsoft:

• Microsoft Project - products.office.com - Although a bit pricey, this really is the ultimate software for creating gantt charts and project timelines, partly because it is widely used and you can probably find someone in your office that knows how to use it if you have questions.

Other Free Gantt Chart Spreadsheets

• Simple Project Schedule - vertex42.com - This worksheet may be useful if you want to avoid formulas and just want a way to create a stylish project timeline.
• PeltierTech.com - John Peltier explains how to create a gantt chart in Excel using stacked bar graphs.
• http://hyperthot.com/pm_excel_gantt.htm by James Chapman - This page includes a few free gantt chart downloads for Excel that also calculate spend plan. This is done by including labor costs broken down by employee and the number of hours spent on each task.
• CPM / PERT Spreadsheet - vertex42.com - This template includes a gantt chart for critical path analysis.
• Gantt Chart Definition and History - wikipedia.com
• Project Management Graphics (Gantt Charts) - edwardtufte.com - A detailed academic discussion about the use of gantt charts as project management tools.
• Gantt Chart Guide - spreadsheet.com - A fairly comprehensive explanation of the Gantt chart feature in spreadsheet.com and its features and functions.

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