Please can I have some Excel help to create a Gantt chart?

[spongy]

As part of my Manufacturing Engineering HNC I'm studying several units and one of them is Business Management Techniques.

One of the tasks I have to complete for an assignment is about Project Management and Work Breakdown Structure. I have been given a Project Network Template with 14 tasks and the times needed to complete each task. All the tasks are interlinked and each task has an earliest start date and a latest start date with a Critical Path Line.

I've had to do Gantt charts before and have previously used a downloaded template from t'interweb to complete but the variable start and finish dates that I now have to plug in are well beyond my computer skills. I am on the verge of putting my fist through the screen of my laptop right now I thought this course was about learning skills for my industry. Today I drew up some tread plates for a metal spiral staircase on a CAD program, programmed a CNC laser to cut them from 4mm thick mild steel, used the laser machine to cut them, cleaned and edge-rounded them then used a 130 ton BrakePress to fold them up. Within 0.25mm tolerance. But telling a bloody computer to make a bar chart has me more stressed than any of that:down.

I have a key for the template and have filled in the network diagram but transposing this into a Gantt chart is doing my ****ing nut in.

Can someone please help

I shall upload some pictures of what I have soon as soon as I actually figure out how to upload them.

 

[easynow]

https://www.teamgantt.com/

 

[WATFORD zero]

As part of my Manufacturing Engineering HNC I'm studying several units and one of them is Business Management Techniques.

One of the tasks I have to complete for an assignment is about Project Management and Work Breakdown Structure. I have been given a Project Network Template with 14 tasks and the times needed to complete each task. All the tasks are interlinked and each task has an earliest start date and a latest start date with a Critical Path Line.

I've had to do Gantt charts before and have previously used a downloaded template from t'interweb to complete but the variable start and finish dates that I now have to plug in are well beyond my computer skills. I am on the verge of putting my fist through the screen of my laptop right now I thought this course was about learning skills for my industry. Today I drew up some tread plates for a metal spiral staircase on a CAD program, programmed a CNC laser to cut them from 4mm thick mild steel, used the laser machine to cut them, cleaned and edge-rounded them then used a 130 ton BrakePress to fold them up. Within 0.25mm tolerance. But telling a bloody computer to make a bar chart has me more stressed than any of that:down.

I have a key for the template and have filled in the network diagram but transposing this into a Gantt chart is doing my ****ing nut in.

Can someone please help

I shall upload some pictures of what I have soon as soon as I actually figure out how to upload them.

A little tip - Tonight may not be the night, try this post again early next week and you might get more response

 

[TheJasperCo]

Do you have to use Excel? I've done Gantts with SmartSheet. They're not that pretty to look at but they're functional, and if you're going to create the chart in 30 days, you needn't pay anything.

 

[Bry Nylon]

I can't help you with your chart, but I have nothing but complete admiration for the dedication you put into your job, your studies and your family.

 

[Superphil]

As part of my Manufacturing Engineering HNC I'm studying several units and one of them is Business Management Techniques.

One of the tasks I have to complete for an assignment is about Project Management and Work Breakdown Structure. I have been given a Project Network Template with 14 tasks and the times needed to complete each task. All the tasks are interlinked and each task has an earliest start date and a latest start date with a Critical Path Line.

I've had to do Gantt charts before and have previously used a downloaded template from t'interweb to complete but the variable start and finish dates that I now have to plug in are well beyond my computer skills. I am on the verge of putting my fist through the screen of my laptop right now I thought this course was about learning skills for my industry. Today I drew up some tread plates for a metal spiral staircase on a CAD program, programmed a CNC laser to cut them from 4mm thick mild steel, used the laser machine to cut them, cleaned and edge-rounded them then used a 130 ton BrakePress to fold them up. Within 0.25mm tolerance. But telling a bloody computer to make a bar chart has me more stressed than any of that:down.

I have a key for the template and have filled in the network diagram but transposing this into a Gantt chart is doing my ****ing nut in.

Can someone please help

I shall upload some pictures of what I have soon as soon as I actually figure out how to upload them.

I've not found an excel template that does a decent Gantt chart, I use ProjectLibre, open source software, no real frills, but does the job just fine for me.

 

[easynow]

ah sorry just re-read your post. If the project network template is entirely based on excel and its source data then I'm guessing you can't third party your way out of it haha. good luck!

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Project Management is my bread 'n' butter trade.
In any trade, it's important to use the right tool for the job.
To produce a GANTT chart, Excel is not the right tool for the job.
You need a project planning tool.
I've been a MS Project user for 25 years - its the professional planning tool of choice - but licence fees are not cheap.
If it's a one-off assignment, as mentioned above, I'd go for a piece of open-source to do the job.

Power Point could do a better job if it's just a presentation of a GANTT you looking to achieve.
But if you want to facilitate, successor & predecessor dependencies, with lags and floats, plus date constraints for start and finish, Excel is not he right horse for this course.

 

[spongy]

A little tip - Tonight may not be the night, try this post again early next week and you might get more response

I think you're right to be honest. I must admit I am a little pissed but little'un is down (eventually) and Mrs is in bed so I have a couple of hours free so thought I'd have a go. Just realised what time it is. Got work tomorrow too. Maybe time for bed.

Do you have to use Excel? I've done Gantts with SmartSheet. They're not that pretty to look at but they're functional, and if you're going to create the chart in 30 days, you needn't pay anything.

I don't have to use Excel, I didn't realise there was alternatives to be honest. I only have a hookie version of MS Office here. Resources are limited. I can do a lot on computers, but I haven't used Excel or similar like this since 1997 when I was at college. I reckon I've been drunk at least 1047 times since then and thats a conservative estimate of once a week. More like 2094 times if not more. Its amazing just just what can leave your brain. I dread to think about how much stuff Ive forgotten. And Im still only 38. Im at acollege with people who werent even born when I was getting into all kinds of states in Ibiza when it was good in the 90's....

 

[spongy]

Project Management is my bread 'n' butter trade.
In any trade, it's important to use the right tool for the job.
To produce a GANTT chart, Excel is not the right tool for the job.
You need a project planning tool.
I've been a MS Project user for 25 years - its the professional planning tool of choice - but licence fees are not cheap.
If it's a one-off assignment, as mentioned above, I'd go for a piece of open-source to do the job.

Power Point could do a better job if it's just a presentation of a GANTT you looking to achieve.
But if you want to facilitate, successor & predecessor dependencies, with lags and floats, plus date constraints for start and finish, Excel is not he right horse for this course.

It is a one off. Ivejust re read your post and the word float and Critical Path is in the question. I have worked out the earliest start and finish dates for each task, from the Network Template I can see the Critical Path ( where there is no slack in the start/finish dates)

Can you recommend an easy 3rd party software package? Ive just had a look at that teamgantt site that [MENTION=27186]easynow[/MENTION] linked to but sod that. I got as far as adding task in before I stopped blinking!

 

[easynow]

It is a one off. Ivejust re read your post and the word float and Critical Path is in the question. I have worked out the earliest start and finish dates for each task, from the Network Template I can see the Critical Path ( where there is no slack in the start/finish dates)

Can you recommend an easy 3rd party software package? Ive just had a look at that teamgantt site that [MENTION=27186]easynow[/MENTION] linked to but sod that. I got as far as adding task in before I stopped blinking!

haha sorry mate. All I do it look at the data created by this software shared on the work dropbox. Assumed it must be good

 

[easynow]

This is completely free - http://www.ganttproject.biz/

 

[beorhthelm]

i dont think the objective is fancy presention, they'll want to see the sequence of tasks, something showing dependancies, length of task to a suitable scale, maybe some milestones. just a thought.

 

[easynow]

i dont think the objective is fancy presention, they'll want to see the sequence of tasks, something showing dependancies, length of task to a suitable scale, maybe some milestones. just a thought.

but it's the bank holiday weekend!

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

To be honest - a project with only 14 tasks - I'd work out sequencing manually - some of the project plans I run can be 1,000 tasks, and MSP helps with resource constraint / over utilisation too.
For 14, keep it simple ... if you map it out as a network diagram, anything off the critical path will have float.

 

[DavePage]

Hasn’t charted in ages, but still getting royalties I guess. They still use his music over here at sports stadia, surely they know about his alternative performances?
Oh sorry thought you said Gadd

 

[Change at Barnham]

That has just made me realise how thick I am and how pleased I am that I no longer have any work pressure.
Good luck, you clearly have a great work ethic. Your family are fortunate to have you.
Enjoy today and forget about things until Tuesday if you can.

 

[spongy]

Project Management is my bread 'n' butter trade.
In any trade, it's important to use the right tool for the job.
To produce a GANTT chart, Excel is not the right tool for the job.
You need a project planning tool.
I've been a MS Project user for 25 years - its the professional planning tool of choice - but licence fees are not cheap.
If it's a one-off assignment, as mentioned above, I'd go for a piece of open-source to do the job.

Power Point could do a better job if it's just a presentation of a GANTT you looking to achieve.
But if you want to facilitate, successor & predecessor dependencies, with lags and floats, plus date constraints for start and finish, Excel is not he right horse for this course.

Hi mate.

This is just a quick ask for help...

I only need a basic Gantt chart, nothing too fancy but I do have to show the critical path and also the float. Ive been struggling with the Gantt templates so I am just literally just using an Excel worksheet and filling in the cells with colour to create the chart but Im struggling on how to show the float. The critical path line has been easy.

Here is the data from my question which is basically just the duration of each task....



And I have to fill in this template which I think I have done correctly but..... Its the figures in the bottom boxes that have me confused and making me wonder if I've done it right.



If I work along the bottom from Task B to Task F for example.....

Task B starts at week 0 and takes 14 weeks, with an earliest finish date of 14 weeks and a latest finish date of 14 weeks.

So when filling my chart in Ive just highlighted 14 weeks along the horizontal axis. With an extra 2 weeks shaded to show the float. When I come to fill in Task F do I start at week 14 or 16? Task F should last 20 weeks so I would expect it to finish on week 36 at the latest? Correct?

But my data is showing expected finishing dates of Task F at between 38-42 weeks. Thats a 2-6 week discrepancy. Or have I worked out the timings wrong? For the figures in the lower of the boxes I have worked backwards from Node 9 back to 0 counting the different variables and choosing the lowest figure eg. Node 6 I have 3 choices working back (nodes 7,8 and 9).

Its all a bit of a mind****. Im not sure if Im just confusing myself or Im correct.

Do you have any advice or see a mistake that I have made.

I would really appreciate a little help if you could. If anyone could have a look it would also be appreciated