If you’re looking for an easy and simple way to manage your next project, this video is for you. And luckily, we have created a handy template to help you save time and keep your plans moving forward. Let’s show you how to use our Free Gantt Chart Template for Google Sheets:
by Instagantt (https://instagantt.com/).
There’s no denying it’s a very powerful and versatile tool, so it’s no surprise someone would turn to Google Sheets for their project management needs. And in reality, it’s very common to see project managers using Google Sheets to create Gantt charts and track projects since you can easily create multiple tabs for different types of projects, or to manage different team members and the tasks they’re working on.
As you may know, Gantt charts can be customized to fit exactly what you need, and they can help you track projects with multiple tasks and multiple deadlines. They can help you visualize progress and they let you know where you stand and where you need to be at any given time, based on the schedule that you’ve created.
First, make sure you’ve located our Free Gantt Chart Google Sheets Template, open the file, and make a copy by navigating to File and selecting “Make a copy” from the menu. This will give you total access to editing the template and plugging in your tasks.
The first thing that will surely catch your eye, is the blue header, where each column represents different information. Let’s take a look at what these columns are: First, you have the task column, then you have the percentage of completion for each task, the task’s start date, the task’s due date, after how many days the task is set to start, and lastly, the duration of the task. You’ll also notice three of these columns have an asterisk next to their title. This means that these columns are automatically calculated and there will be no need to input any information.
You can choose to separate your tasks into different sections, or you can simply create a long list of tasks you need to complete. In this example, we have separated tasks into multiple sections, which is always useful when managing large projects. You can replace the task’s name by editing the information. Let’s change it to “Example”. Hit tab or Enter, and you’ll notice how it gets updated in your Gantt chart.
You can do this for the remaining list of tasks, and, in case you have a much more extensive project that requires more steps than what’s currently available, you can simply add extra rows by clicking on the last row and selecting insert. That way, you’ll be adding in new rows that have the same formatting.
Next, you’ll need to schedule your tasks. Head over to the Start and Due columns and double-click the dates. Then, select a new start and due date from the calendar. Notice how the Duration column populates itself according to the dates you’ve selected, and also how your Gantt chart now represents your newly scheduled dates and deadlines.
Now, let’s take a look at the Progress column. You should always update your Progress column because it’ll give you a quick idea of where you are, and how much work you’ve accomplished. Our template makes it even more simple by automatically changing colors when updating your progress. To do this, simply click on the cell, and update the information so it matches your task’s completion. Let’s make it 100%.
And there you have it! You’re ready to use our Google Sheets Gantt chart template to create your list of tasks. It’s simple, it helps you stay on top of your work, and it does the trick.
But what happens when you need to go a little further and you realize that Google Sheets lacks some of the functions that are required when managing complex projects, and multiple teams at once? If this is the case, you will probably need features like drag & drop, dependencies, milestones, resource management, automatic scheduling, task prioritization, and many more.
This is where choosing software that specializes in building professionally looking Gantt charts in minutes will make a genuine difference in your work. Instagantt is the perfect online Gantt chart software for project management. With Instagantt, you can very easily create timelines, schedule tasks, manage your team, your resources, and store project information, all in one single place.
So if you’re ready to take the next step towards the project and team management, Instagantt is pretty much the perfect place to start.