- 5 min read
- Feature
Are you seeking a method to streamline complicated projects and add more advanced features to improve your workflow? We adore utilizing Gantt charts on SalesTitan to animate our projects! The Gantt chart is adaptable and adjustable to suit the twists and turns of your project’s evolution. Let’s discover how to use it as a board view or widget in a Dashboard!
What is a Gantt chart?
A Gantt chart is a traditional and practical method of presenting activities concerning time. It is a chart that displays a project’s planned schedule, tasks, or events between a start and end date in a horizontal bar format. The horizontal axis indicates the timeline, and the bars represent tasks.
How it works
The structure of a Gantt chart can be broken down into several parts. On the left-hand side of the chart, there is a list of all the items on the board, along with their names and corresponding dates. The items are represented as bars, and their relationships are illustrated with arrow lines. The chart functions as a grid, with the items listed vertically and the dates displayed horizontally. To quickly and easily get an overview of an item, hover over it, and the entire row will be highlighted.
Setting up the Gantt
The Gantt View collaborates with your board data to provide a well-structured and vivid representation of your project plan. Let’s begin!
See what columns are needed for the Gantt chartOnce all your data is plugged into these columns, you can add the view to a board or as a widget to a Dashboard!
Add the Gantt View to a board.
After adding the necessary information to the required columns, you can include the Gantt chart view on a board or as a widget on a Dashboard.
To add a new Gantt chart view to your board, click “Board Power-Ups,” located in the upper right corner of your screen. Select “Board Views” and “Gantt” from the Views Center options.
Tip: If you want to make the Gantt view the default view for your board, you can do so by accessing the three-dot menu next to “Gantt” in the board view section and selecting “Set as board default” from the options. For more information about board defaults, refer to the “Board Default” section in this article.
Add the Gantt widget to a Dashboard.
To include the Gantt chart widget on your Dashboard or Dashboard View, choose the “Gantt” option from the available widgets.
Settings and Customization
You can customize your Gantt chart completely to visualize your project in the best possible way. To access the customization options, click on the three-dot menu at the top right corner of your Gantt and choose “Settings” from the dropdown menu.
- Choose Timeline columns
Select the Timeline Columns you wish to show on your Gantt by accessing the customization options in the three-dot menu at the top right of the Gantt. You can display specific Timeline Columns, Date Columns, or Week Columns if you have more than one.
- Choose how to group your Gantt
You can arrange your items in the Gantt view based on your preference by grouping them by board, column, or group. For instance, if you prefer to see your tasks arranged according to project phases, you can group them to have a quick overview of all your tasks in chronological order. Select your preferred grouping option from the “Group by” section in the Settings menu.
- Label your items in various ways
You can label your items in the Gantt chart according to your preference. You can mark them based on the group, item name, board, owner, or status, or opt for no label. All the options are available in the “Label by” section of the Settings dropdown menu.
- Color your items
Visualize your Gantt according to your color preferences! Go to “Color By” in the Settings dropdown menu to color your Gantt according to the group, column, board, or no color setting. The colors shown are the colors you already have chosen for your board’s Main Table View.
- Show group summary
To clarify, a group summary provides the total duration of each group in your Gantt based on specific dates. This “group” refers to how you group the tasks or items in your Gantt, which may not necessarily correspond to the groups on your board. If you choose to group your tasks based on a column such as “Status,” you will see a summary of each label in the “Status” column. To show the group summary, go to the “View Settings” section of your Settings.
- View options
You can automatically adjust the zoom of your project by using the “Auto Fit” option at the top of your Gantt. You can zoom in or out by clicking the “+” or “-” buttons. To view your Gantt in full-screen mode, click the three-dot menu located in the upper right corner of your Gantt and select “Full Screen.”
Show dependencies
The Gantt chart’s most beneficial aspect is its ability to visualize the relationships between tasks using dependency lines with arrows. These lines link tasks that rely on completing other tasks, with the arrow indicating the dependent task. The arrows make it easy to see the connections between tasks, but they can be turned off by selecting “Show Dependencies” in the “View Settings” of the Settings menu.
The Gantt chart’s advantage lies in its ability to adjust dependencies when your project’s timeline changes. You can select a delayed task and shift all its dependent tasks by the number of days needed. To do this, click and drag the timeline bar of the delayed task, and the changes will be reflected in your Main Table View.
Note: Ensure that your Gantt chart knows the tasks that must be completed before other tasks can begin by configuring the Dependency Column. This will enable the dependent tasks to adjust their timelines accordingly in case of a critical delay or scheduling change. Refer to this article to gain a better understanding.Add a Baseline
In project management, a baseline is a valuable tool that serves as a reference point for measuring the progress of a project. You can easily see any deviations from the original plan by capturing a snapshot of the project at a specific time. To take a baseline snapshot in your Gantt, click on the “Baseline” option at the top of the chart and then choose “Add a new snapshot” from the “Baselines” section in Settings.
Once you take a snapshot of your project’s baseline in the Gantt chart, the items are displayed as gray and fixed in position regardless of any changes made to the timeline. Use the “Baseline” option at the top of your Gantt chart to show or hide your baseline snapshots. When your project is on track, the items are displayed in green. But if there are delays or extensions to the timeline, the items turn red, along with their dependent items. You can learn more about this feature in the linked article.
Oversee your timeline with a critical path.
The critical path of a project is valuable in determining all the necessary tasks that must be completed to meet the project deadline. It provides a comprehensive view of the project manager’s actual completion time. Identifying a critical path enables the manager to distinguish between critical and non-critical tasks, as well as dependencies, and helps them manage the project more efficiently. Further details can be found in this article.
Time and Date Customization
- Select the time frame
You can choose the time scale for your Gantt chart, which can be set to display information in different units of time, such as days, weeks, months, quarters, or years. To make this change, click on the dropdown menu at the top of your Gantt chart.
- Show today indication
In the Gantt chart, a vertical blue bar represents the current date, which is a valuable reference point to know the progress of your tasks in relation to today’s date. To activate this feature, you can click on “Show Today Indication,” located in the “View Settings” section of your Settings.
- Set the first day of the week.
You can select which day of the week your timeline should start from, either Sunday or Monday. To do this, go to the “View Settings” section of your Settings and click on “Edit” next to “Set workdays.” You will be taken to your Admin page, where you can change this account setting.
- Show weekends
You can display weekends as part of your calendar or hide them only to view workdays. By selecting the “Show Weekends” option in the “View Settings” of your Settings, you can enable or disable this feature. The “Days” view will show the weekends as gray blocks.
Set up Milestones
Milestones signify significant dates that mark the end of a particular stage or a pivotal moment in the project. The Gantt chart lets us easily track these dates using a distinctive diamond symbol. To designate a milestone on your Gantt chart, choose a date and click on “Set as a milestone,” located at the bottom of your calendar pop-up window.
Update items directly from the Gantt View.
You don’t have to switch between board views to edit your project details. Just click on any bar in the Gantt, and a pop-up view of the item will appear. You can then make any changes to the item’s details or updates. For example, you can quickly turn an item into a milestone directly from the Gantt by clicking on the Timeline Column in the pop-up view and setting it as a milestone.
Filter and sort items
You can limit the information displayed on your Gantt chart by using filters, which can be applied temporarily or saved for later use. This allows you to focus on the specific data you need to see without being overwhelmed by extraneous information.
Share your Gantt!
You can easily share your Gantt with others by creating a shareable link, generating an embed code, or exporting it to Excel. To learn more about sharing your board views, refer to the relevant resources available.
For further questions, please visit our Knowledge Center. To view the Knowledge Center, click the Home Page icon the top right of your page, then select “Support” and make you way to “Help Center” in the bottom left. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact our team by selecting the blue “Contact Us” button.