How to create a Gantt chart in Google Sheets

You can easily create Gantt charts in Google Sheets with the Timeline feature. Here is a step-by-step tutorial. Create a Google Sheet and name columns. Or you may use the template we've prepared for you.

You need columns for task name, start date, and end date. The other columns are optional. We recommend also adding Tag, Status, and Progress columns.

In order not to put data manually, we recommend using Data validation. Thus, you will avoid making mistakes while adding data. That way, you can preset the values for your columns and will never enter invalid data into your table. For the date columns, select the columns and click "Data" and choose "Data validation".

Click "Add rule" in the Data validation rules and select the "Criteria Is valid date". That way, when you double-click a date cell, a calendar will pop up, and you can simply select the date.

For the status column, navigate to "Data" and choose "Data validation". Click "Add rule" and select "Drop-down". Next, enter the values you want. For instance, you may use the classic Kanban statuses: To do, Doing, and Done.

In order to have a visual representation of your progress, copy and paste this formula to the column Progress:

=IF(C2=””,””,IF(E2<>”Done”,IF(today()>C2,”⏰”,””),”✔️”))

Thus, overdue items will have  ⏰ , on time - , done - ✔️ . But you can use any other emojis, words, or symbols. It is a good idea to use conditional formatting while creating a spreadsheet for a Gantt chart. For instance, for the Tag column. Thus, your tasks will be colour-coded according to the value you insert in the cell. To create the conditional formatting,  click "Format" and choose "Conditional Formatting".

Click "Add another rule" in the right-side panel. Choose the style of your cell, then from the dropdown list, select the rule Is equal to, and enter your tag’s value. Repeat that for each tag you want to have. Once you are done, extend the rule to the entire column by dragging the corner bottom square down to the rest of the column.

Add data to the spreadsheet. Now you may create a Gantt chart. Select your data or the whole spreadsheet, click Insert, and select Timeline. Click OK.

Of course, this is a very basic Gantt chart, and it might not be enough for your needs. Kanbanchi is a tool that will help. It is a project management app for teams using Google Workspace that combines a Gantt chart and a Kanban board.