Ganntt+Chart

Even though Microsoft Office Excel 2007 does not provide a Gantt chart type, you can simulate a Gantt chart by customizing a stacked bar chart type so that it depicts tasks, task duration, and hierarchy. An Excel Gantt chart typically uses days as the unit of time along the horizontal axis. If you want to use hours instead of days, see the link in the **See Also** section about how to create a Gantt chart that uses hours as the scale in Excel 2007. What do you want to do?
 * [|Simulate a Gantt chart]
 * [|Save a chart as a template]



Simulate a Gantt chart
The following procedure will help you create a Gantt chart with results that are similar to those shown in our example Gantt chart graphic. For this chart, we used the example worksheet data. You can copy this data to your worksheet, or you can use your own data, as long as you use the same column headers and worksheet structure. How to copy the example worksheet data Selecting an example from Help
 * 1) Copy the example worksheet data into a blank worksheet, or open the worksheet that contains the data that you want to plot into a Gantt chart.
 * 1) Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
 * 2) Select the example in the Help topic.
 * Note** Do not select the row or column headers.
 * 1) Press CTRL+C.
 * 2) In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.

> 1|| **Task** || **Start** || **Duration** || > 2|| Task 1 || 0 || 2 || > 3|| Task 2 || 2 || 6 || > 4|| Task 3 || 8 || 9 || > 5|| Task 4 || 17 || 3 || > 6|| Task 5 || 20 || 5 || This displays the **Chart Tools**, adding the **Design**, **Layout**, and **Format** tabs. [|Top of Page]
 * Note** The values in columns B and C (**Start** and **Duration**) represent the number of days from the start date and the number of days required to complete the task.
 * 1) Select the data that you want to plot in the Gantt chart (A1:C6 in our example worksheet data).
 * 2) On the **Insert** tab, in the **Charts** group, click **Bar**.
 * 3) Under **2-D Bar**, click **Stacked Bar**.
 * 4) Click the chart area  (chart area: The entire chart and all its elements.) of the chart.
 * 1) On the **Design** tab, in the **Chart Styles** group, click the chart style that you want to use. [[image:http://office.microsoft.com/global/images/default.aspx?AssetID=ZA102401591033 caption="Chart Styles group on Excel Ribbon"]]
 * Tip** For our Gantt chart, we used **Style 27**.
 * 1) In the chart, click the first data series (**Start**), or select it from a list of chart elements (**Format** tab, **Current Selection** group, **Chart Elements** box).
 * 2) On the **Format** tab, in the **Current Selection** group, click **Format Selection**. [[image:http://office.microsoft.com/global/images/default.aspx?AssetID=ZA101940491033 caption="Current Selection group on Excel Ribbon"]]
 * 3) Click **Fill**, and then click **No fill**.
 * 4) Click **Close**.
 * 5) In the chart, click the legend, and then press DELETE.
 * 6) Select the vertical (category) axis, or select it from a list of chart elements (**Format** tab, **Current Selection** group, **Chart Elements** box).
 * 7) On the **Format** tab, in the **Current Selection** group, click **Format Selection**.
 * 8) Under **Axis Options**, select the **Categories in reverse order** check box, and then click **Close**.
 * 9) If you want to use theme colors that are different from the default theme that is applied to your workbook, do the following:
 * 10) On the **Page Layout** tab, in the **Themes** group, click **Themes**. [[image:http://office.microsoft.com/global/images/default.aspx?AssetID=ZA101654451033 caption="Themes group on Excel Ribbon"]]
 * 11) Under **Built-in**, click the theme that you want to use.
 * Tip** For our Gantt chart, we used the **Office** theme.

Save a chart as a template
If you want to create another chart like the one that you just created, you can save the chart as a template that you can use as the basis for other similar charts. For more information about how to apply a chart template, see [|Create, apply, or remove a chart template].
 * 1) Click the chart that you want to save as a template.
 * 2) On the **Design** tab, in the **Type** group, click **Save as Template**. [[image:http://office.microsoft.com/global/images/default.aspx?AssetID=ZA101653891033 caption="Type group on Excel Ribbon"]]
 * 3) In the **File name** box, type a name for the template.
 * Tip** Unless you specify a different folder, the template file (.crtx) will be saved in the **Charts** folder, and the template becomes available under **Templates** in both the **Insert Chart** dialog box (**Insert** tab, **Charts** group, Dialog Box Launcher [[image:http://office.microsoft.com/global/images/default.aspx?AssetID=ZA100985101033 caption="Button image"]]) and the **Change Chart Type** dialog box (**Design** tab, **Type** group, **Change Chart Type**).
 * Note** A chart template contains chart formatting and stores the colors that are in use when you save the chart as a template. When you use a chart template to create a chart in another workbook, the new chart uses the colors of the chart template — not the colors of the document theme that is currently applied to the workbook. To use the document theme colors instead of the chart template colors, right-click the chart area (chart area: The entire chart and all its elements.), and then click **Reset to Match Style** on the shortcut menu.