How to Add a Gantt Chart in Google Docs

A Gantt chart is a useful project management tool to visualize a project schedule. It shows the start and finish dates of tasks, allowing you to see the big picture of your project’s timeline at a glance.

Adding a Gantt chart to your Google Docs file can help you plan, coordinate, and communicate your project’s progress. While Google Docs doesn’t have a built-in Gantt chart feature, you can create one manually or by using Google Docs add-ons.

Benefits of Using a Google Docs Gantt Chart

Here are some of the key benefits of using a Gantt chart in Google Docs:

• Visualize the project timeline: View all tasks and deadlines in one place to improve planning and scheduling
• Track progress: Update the Gantt chart as tasks are completed to monitor whether the project is on track
• Identify dependencies: Understand task relationships and priority to manage workflows
• Share and collaborate: Allow team members to view or edit the chart to keep everyone updated
• Accessible from anywhere: Being in Google Docs makes the chart accessible from any device

How to Manually Create a Gantt Chart in Google Docs

While it takes a bit more work, you can create a Gantt chart manually without any add-ons. Here are the steps:

1. Set up the data

• In a new Google Sheets file, create columns for:
  • Task name
  • Start date
  • End date
  • Duration (in days)
  • Percent complete
• Enter your project tasks, dates, and durations

2. Calculate durations

• Set up the Duration column to auto-calculate from the start and end dates using the formula: =END_DATE-START_DATE

3. Create chart

• In your Google Docs file, go to Insert > Chart, and select Stacked bar chart
• Choose the Google Sheet you created as the data source
• Customize the chart colors, labels, etc.

4. Set up progress tracker

• To visualize task progress, right-click the bars and select Series
• Choose your Percent complete column as the Progress measure

The end result will be a color-coded Gantt chart showing each task’s duration and percent completed.

Adding a Gantt Chart via Google Docs Add-ons

A quicker way to insert an editable Gantt chart into Google Docs is by using add-ons. Here are some top options:

Slick Gantt

Slick Gantt is user-friendly and perfect for basic Gantt charts.

To install:

1. Go to Add-ons > Get add-ons
2. Search for “Slick Gantt”
3. Click Install

Once installed, you’ll have a Gantt chart toolbar to create your chart.

GanttPRO

GanttPRO is a robust, feature-packed add-on for professional Gantt charts.

To install:

1. Go to Add-ons > Get add-ons
2. Search for “GanttPRO”
3. Click Install

GanttPRO offers pre-made templates, task dependencies, critical path analysis, and more.

Awesome Table

Awesome Table lets you build Gantt charts plus other tables and charts.

To install:

1. Go to Add-ons > Get add-ons
2. Search for “Awesome Table”
3. Click Install

While not exclusively for Gantt charts, Awesome Table is one of the most versatile Google Docs add-ons.

Gantt Chart Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of Gantt charts:

• Break down large tasks into smaller sub-tasks
• Organize tasks from top to bottom in order of completion
• Use color coding and icons to indicate task status
• Add milestones to highlight major events
• Update the chart frequently to track changes
• Share a view-only version with stakeholders

Conclusion

Adding a Gantt chart to Google Docs provides a quick, free way to improve your project planning and management. Visually mapping out project timelines helps teams coordinate tasks, meet deadlines, and track progress.

Manually building a Gantt chart takes time but allows for full customization. Using Google Docs add-ons like Slick Gantt, GanttPRO or Awesome Table makes the process faster with dedicated Gantt chart tools.

Whichever option you choose, a Google Docs Gantt chart helps keep your projects on schedule and makes status reporting more efficient. With the power to visualize your work, hitting project milestones becomes much more achievable.