Gantt charts are commonly used in project management as well as in financial management. When I was in a telecommunication company, Gantt charts were used frequently hence it is one of the most popular and useful charts which will show activities (tasks or events) displayed against time. On the left of the chart is a list of the activities and along the top is a suitable time scale. Each activity is represented by a bar; the position and length of the bar reflect the start date, duration, and end date of the activity. This allows you to see at a glance:
- What the various activities are
- When each activity begins and ends
- How long each activity is scheduled to last
- Where activities overlap with other activities, and by how much
- The start and end date of the whole project.
The objective is to create the above Gantt chart using the following collected data:
Step 1. Create a Calculated Field and enter the title "Duration". Enter the calculations:DATEDIFF ("day"' [Start date], [End Date]) and click OK.
Step 2. Create again a Calculated field and enter the title "Completed". Enter the calculations "[Duration]*[Percentage Complete]". Apply and click OK.
Step 3. Drag the "Start date" dimension to the Columns shelf and click the "Year (Start Date)" drop-down arrow and select "Day" as a "Continuous". Second, drag the "project" to the rows shelf. Now drag "duration" to the "size". Afterward, click on the "Standard" drop-down arrow then select "Entire view".
Step 4. Press Ctrl and Drag to Drop the "Day" pill in the columns shelf to the right in order to duplicate. Right-click on this pill and select Dual Axis.
Step 5. Right-click on the Axis header and select "Synchronize Axis".
Step 6. In the second "Day" Marks Panel, drag "Completed" to the Size Mark then click "Color" Mark.
Step 7. In the first "Day" Marks Panel, drag "Percentage completed" onto the "Lable" Mark then "center" the label.
Step 8. Add a filter "Accountable" of Tasks. Drag "Accountable" to the filter's shelf and check all the boxes in the pop-up window. Click OK.
Step 9. Create a calculated field that return's today's date as a Reference Line. Named it "Today's date" and enter [Today ()]. Drag "Today's date" to "Detail" on the first Marks. Right-click "Today's date" on the Marks and select "Exact Date".
Step 10. Right-click the date axis and select "Add Reference Line'. Then select "Today's date" or create a Parameter. Set it to:"Value" in the "Add Reference Line, Band or Box dialog".
Step 11. Final Gantt Chart is below:
Arnel Lopez Cadeliña, MBA, RREA, CFA (Investment Foundation)
Tableau Author
