Share schedule and task details with a Visio Gantt chart

A Gantt chart helps you schedule your project tasks and then helps you track your progress. To communicate detailed task and schedule information to managers or other team members, you can create a Gantt chart in Microsoft Visio. You can also use a Gantt chart to manage the project's schedule at the task level.

Set up a Gantt chart

Select File > New, then search for Schedule.
Click Gantt Chart, and then click Create.
In the Gantt Chart Options dialog box, set up the dates for the timescale:
- Click the Date tab, and then choose the options that you want.Major units are the longest unit of time (such as years or months) that you want to use in the chart, and Minor units are the smallest (such as days or hours).
- On the Format tab, click the shapes and labels that you want to use on the task bars, milestones, and summary bars, and then click OK. If you aren't sure what formatting to choose, just accept the default choices. You can change the formatting later.

Add data to a Gantt chart

Tasks

Each task in a Gantt chart occupies a row in the chart frame. When you type task names in cells in the Task Name column, task durations are represented as task bars in the area under the timescale.

Goal	Action to take
Change a task name	Click the cell in the Task Name column that contains the task, and then type a new name.
Set or change task duration	Click the cell in the Gantt chart frame that contains the date or duration that you want to change, and then type the new information. Type a duration as follows: 1h for 1 hour 1d for 1 day 1w for 1 week 1m for 1 month
Add new task rows	Drag a Row shape from the Shapes window and drop it on the chart where you want the new row.
Add percent complete indicators to tasks	Select the column to the left of where you want a percent complete column to appear. On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Columns group, click Insert. Under Column type, click % Complete, and then click OK. As you make progress on a task, type the percentage of the task completed in the new column. A percent complete indicator appears in the task bar.
Delete a task	Select any cell in the row that represents the task you want to delete, and then on the Gantt Chart tab, in the Tasks group, click Delete.

Milestones

Because a milestone represents a significant event in a schedule rather than a task, set its duration to zero.

Goal	Action to take
Add a new milestone	Drag a Milestone shape from the Shapes window and drop it on the chart where you want to create a new milestone row. Right-click the cell in the Start column of the row representing the milestone, and then click Edit Date on the shortcut menu. Set the date and click OK. The date in the Finish column changes to match the date in the Start column, and the Duration is set to zero (0).
Convert an existing task to a milestone	Type a duration of zero (0) in the Duration column of the row representing the task that you want to convert to a milestone.
Change the way a milestone marker looks	Right-click the milestone marker, and then click Task Options on the shortcut menu. Choose the options that you want, and then click OK.
Delete a milestone	Select any cell in the row that represents the milestone that you want to delete, and then on the Gantt Chart tab, in the Tasks group, click Delete.

Summary tasks

You can use a summary task when you want to combine several subordinate tasks under one umbrella task.

Goal	Action to take
Create subordinate tasks under a summary task	A summary task is a normal task row. It summarizes the subordinate tasks that are indented below it. To create subordinate tasks: Select a cell containing a task name. To select multiple tasks, hold down SHIFT while you click. On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Tasks group, click Indent. The indented task is now subordinate to the summary task above it.
Set the duration for a summary task	In the row for the first subordinate task, click the cell in the Start column, and then type the start date for that task. For the same subordinate task, click the cell in the Finish column, and then type the end date for that task. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each subordinate task. The summary task duration fills in automatically after you add the task duration information for all the subordinate tasks.
Promote (Outdent) a task	Right-click the name of the task that you want to promote, and then, on the shortcut menu, click Outdent.
Change the way a summary task bar looks	Right-click the time bar of a summary task that you want to change, and then click Task Options on the shortcut menu. Under Summary bars, select the symbols that you want for the start and end of the bars, and then click OK.

Dependencies (Linked tasks)

When you make one task in your Gantt chart dependent upon another, an arrow connects the two task bars. If you change a date or duration of the task that another task is dependent upon, the dependent task dates change also.

Goal	Action to take
Set dependencies between tasks	Select the name cells of the tasks and milestones you want to link. To select multiple tasks, hold down Ctrl while you select. On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Tasks group, click Link.
Break dependencies between tasks	Select the tasks with dependencies that you want to break by clicking in the cells containing the task names. To select multiple tasks, hold down Ctrl while you select. On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Tasks group, click Unlink.
Change the style of dependency arrows	With the Gantt chart open, right-click the drawing page, and then click S Type Connectors.

Add columns

Goal	Action to take
Rename an existing column	Click the heading of the column that you want to rename, and then type a new name.
Add a new predesigned data column	Select the heading of the column to the left of where you want the new column to appear. On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Columns group, click Insert. In the Column Type list, click the column name that corresponds to the type of data that you want to add, and then click OK.
Add a new data column that you design yourself	Select the heading of the column to the left of where you want the new column to appear. On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Columns group, click Insert. In the Column Type list, click one of the user-defined columns that corresponds to the format that the data will be in (for example, User Defined Decimal, User Defined Text, or User Defined Time), and then click OK. Type a new name for the column. Note: If you add more than one text column, click a different user-defined text option each time. For example, click User Defined Text 1 for the first column, User Defined Text 2 for the second column, and so on.
Delete (hide) a data column	Select the heading of the column that you want to delete (hide). On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Columns group, click Hide. Note: When you delete, or hide, a column from the chart, the data from the column is preserved in a file. To show the column again later, right-click a column heading, and then click Insert Column. From the list, select the column that you want to show again, and then click OK.
Move a data column	Click the heading of the column that you want to move. Drag the column to a new location. Do one of the following: To move a column to the left of another column, position the midpoint of the column that you are moving to the left of the midpoint of the other column. To move a column to the right of another column, position the midpoint of the column that you are moving to the right of the midpoint of the other column. To move a column to the right of the timescale region, position the midpoint of the column that you are moving to the right of the midpoint of the timescale region.

Timescale

The timescale is a scale of major and minor time units that extends from the date that your project begins to the date that it ends. You can define the time units for the timescale, its start and end dates, and the days that you consider to be nonworking days.

Goal	Action to take
Change start or end date, or both	On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Manage group, click Chart Options. In the Gantt Chart Options dialog box, under Timescale range, set the date range.
Change time units	On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Manage group, click Chart Options. In the Gantt Chart Options dialog box, under Time units, select the Major units and Minor units that you want, and then click OK.
Set nonworking days	On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Manage group, click Configure Working Time. In the Configure Working Time dialog box, select the options that you want for Working days and Working time, and then click OK.
Scroll to a particular task or milestone	Select the task or milestone that you want to scroll to by clicking in the cell that contains the task name. On the Gantt Chart tab, in the Navigation group, click Scroll To Task.
Scroll to a particular date	To scroll to the end of the timescale, on the Gantt Chart tab, in the Navigation group, click Go to Finish. To scroll one minor unit to the left, on the Gantt Chart tab, in the Navigation group, click Next. To scroll one minor unit to the right, on the Gantt Chart tab, in the Navigation group, click Previous. To scroll to the beginning of the timescale, on the Gantt Chart tab, in the Navigation group, click Go to Start.
Change the width of the timescale region	Select the timescale column. Drag the selection handle on the right side of the column in either direction until the region is the width that you want.
Display more time units	Click the solid line surrounding the Gantt chart frame to select the frame. Drag the selection handle at the right-center of the frame toward the right. Note: When you extend the timescale to display more time units, you also change the end date associated with your project.

Share schedule and task details with a Visio Gantt chart

Set up a Gantt chart

Add data to a Gantt chart

Tasks

Milestones

Summary tasks

Dependencies (Linked tasks)

Add columns

Timescale

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