Microsoft project Gantt Chart Wizard

Gantt Chart Wizard

The project plan can be viewed in different ways. The default way is the on the Gantt Chart which normally shows the tasks in the plan all in the same way. To see the Critical path or the Baseline Gantt chart wizard needs to be run.

1.     Start the wizard by: Clicking on the icon

Right clicking on the Gantt Chart Wizard

Format menu and clicking on Gantt Chart Wizard

2.     The first step of the wizard gives a general description of what the wizard does, click next.

3.     Select the type of Gantt Chart required.

The standard is the default type, but depending on what needs to be shown, Critical

Path or Baseline can be chosen here.

The other option gives the same sort of options but by using other non standard colour options. One very useful one in Other is baseline3 which gives the baseline and the critical path.

Custom Gantt Chart allows you to create your own – but if you are going to do that it is probably better to do that manually via the menu system rather than a wizard.

4.     The wizard can be completed by clicking on Finish at this point if all you need to do is change how the bars are to appear. If other options need to be changed as well then click on next.

Here the information shown next to the bars can be changed.

Resources and dates – shows the resource names by the tasks and dates by the milestones.

Resources shows just the resource names

Dates shows the start and finish dates of all the tasks. None shows no information

Custom task information allows you to choose what is shown on the left, right and middle of each type of bar. The problem with choosing the custom task information is that it does not allow you to choose from all the fields when done via the wizard.

5.     Make Selection and click on next (Resources and dates is the default option).

6.     Do you wish to show the link lines? It depends on the length of your project plan, the durations of the tasks and what zoom level the project is going to be displayed.

If the project is going to be zoomed out, then the task bars will be very thin (depending on duration) and the link lines could then appear to be over powering the project data.

 7.     Once the decisions have been made the selections can be finalised by clicking on the Format it button.Once this has been carried out it cannot be undone by using the undo feature. If there is anything that needs to be changed then it can be done by using the back button to go back to any stage necessary and the appropriate selections made. The wizard can always be run again if necessary.

Showing the Baseline

The baseline shows how the project has changed in comparison the original agreed plan. It is displayed by showing the bars on the Gantt Chart at half height, so that the current plan and the original plan can be shown at the same time.

The baseline can be shown by choosing the baseline option in step 2.

If a baseline has not been set then the Gantt Chart will be the same as the standard Gantt except that the bars will be shown at half height.

This view generated via the wizard does not show the critical path. Should you wish to see the critical path, then when choosing the view on the wizard one of the other views need to be chosen.

Baseline style 3 shows the critical path and the baseline at the same time. As this is generated via the wizard, the other options can be chosen as necessary.

The critical path and the baseline are also shown together on the tracking view, but on this view the information shown at the end of the bars is set to display percentage complete

.