Scheduling Projects with Gantt Charts

The Gantt chart was originated by Charles Gantt in 1917, and its clarity and hierarchical format have helped project managers ever since. Essentially a horizontal bar chart, a Gantt chart focuses on the sequence of tasks necessary for completing a project. The Gantt Chart template in Visio 2007 includes horizontal task bar shapes that are updated for you based on the duration of a task and its start time, as Figure 12-10 shows. The template also adds a floating toolbar and the Gantt Chart menu to the Visio 2007 window. Most of the work you do to refine your chart involves these two tools.

Creating a Gantt Chart

When you start a diagram with the Gantt Chart template, Visio 2007 immediately prompts you for information with the Gantt Chart Options dialog box, shown in Figure 12-11. You can choose from a number of options for customizing the information that appears in the chart. For example, you can add markers to show the estimated and actual start and end dates. On a task bar, you can display the name of the person assigned to the task or other information. For ongoing projects, you can display a progress line to indicate actual start and completion dates. Although you use the Gantt Chart Options dialog box to set up your chart, you can also add rows, columns, and tasks as you work. A primary design goal was to provide consistency with Project 2007, so command names and toolbar buttons in Visio 2007 match those in Project 2007.

Although Gantt charts can become quite complex, it’s best to include no more than 15 tasks in one chart so that your chart remains manageable. You can create subtasks to represent more than 15 tasks in one chart, or insert pages and use the Gantt Chart Frame shape to show additional project information.

Follow these steps to create a new Gantt chart:

1.	Choose File, New, Project Schedule, Gantt Chart. The Gantt Chart Options dialog box is displayed.
2.	On the Date tab, type the number of tasks you want to start with, the units of time, duration format, and timescale range for the chart.
3.	Click the Format tab, and then choose options for the appearance of the task bars, milestones, and summary bars. Note The options on the Format tab of the Gantt Chart Options dialog box affect the look of all Gantt charts on a drawing page.
4.	Click OK. Visio 2007 creates the Gantt chart on the drawing page. If the results aren’t what you expected, you can change date and format options by choosing Gantt Chart, Options.

Adding Task Names and Dates

After you have set up a Gantt chart, the next step is to replace the default task names and add dates. Visio 2007 requires only a duration value. Based on that number and the start date you specified in the Gantt Chart Options dialog box, Visio 2007 updates the start and finish dates for a task. When you specify duration, you can type just a number, which Visio 2007 interprets using the units you selected in the Gantt Chart Options dialog box. You can also type a number and any unit of time that Visio 2007 recognizes. For example, to indicate a two-day duration, you can type 2d or 16h. Why 16 hours? Because Visio 2007 deals in 8-hour work days.

Follow these steps to add task names and dates:

1.	In the Task Name column, select Task 1, and then type the name of a task.
2.	In the Duration column, select the first shape, and then type a number and a unit of time. Type m for minutes, h for hours, d for days, or w for weeks. Note To switch from the insertion point (which appears when you type) to the Pointer tool, press the Esc key or click outside the shape you’re typing in.
3.	Repeat this procedure to add task names and durations in each row.
4.	To indicate that a task represents a milestone, type 0 for the duration.

Inside Out: Change the chart’s calendar Although you never have to type a date in the Start or Finish column, you can. Visio 2007 changes the length of the task bar and the duration value to match the new dates. However, if you change the date in the Start column of the first task, Visio 2007 doesn’t change the calendar displayed above the task bars. To change the chart’s calendar, choose Gantt Chart, Options, and specify a new date in the Start Date list.

Editing Tasks

To add, remove, and reorder tasks in your Gantt chart, you can use the commands on the Gantt Chart menu or the shapes’ shortcut menus, as Table 12-1 describes.

Table 12-1. Editing Tasks

Task	Technique
Add tasks to the end of a chart	Select the thick, outer border on the Gantt chart to display its selection handles. Drag the center selection handle at the bottom of the frame to fill the space with new task rows.
Insert a new task in the middle of a chart	Right-click the task name that will follow the new task, and then choose New Task. Or drag the Row shape from the Gantt Chart Shapes stencil into approximate position.
Delete a task	Right-click a task name, and then choose Delete Task.
Reorder tasks	Drag a task row to the desired position. It’s easiest to drag by the ID, but you can drag the task name or other column.
Edit an existing task name	Double-click in a Task Name shape. This feature places the insertion point inside the text box so you can type.
Change the row height	Select a shape in the row, and then drag the top or bottom selection handle.

Adding Subtasks

Indent

When you need to show that a task involves several related steps, you can insert a subtask. Visio 2007 indents subtasks to show that they are subordinate to a main task and then displays the parent task in bold and adds summary bars to the parent task bar, as Figure 12-12 shows. To add and edit a subtask, follow the steps described in Table 12-1 for adding and editing tasks, then select the subtask, and click Indent on the Gantt Chart toolbar.

Adding Task Bar Labels

You can display the value of any column as a label on the task bar shapes. For example, you can display the task duration, as Figure 12-13 shows. Visio 2007 displays labels on all the task bar shapes on the drawing page. You can’t selectively add labels to tasks.

Follow these steps to add a task bar label:

1.	Choose Gantt Chart, Options, and then click the Format tab. [View full size image]
2.	In the Left Label, Right Label, or Inside Label lists, select the name of a column heading that appears in your Gantt chart, and then click OK.

Linking Tasks to Show Dependencies

Linked tasks are the heart of a Gantt chart. As you adjust dates for a linked task, all subsequent tasks change to reflect the new information. Linked tasks appear connected in the chart with a blue link line, as Figure 12-14 shows. You can link tasks in a number of ways—by using the Gantt Chart menu, the shapes’ shortcut menus, or the Gantt Chart toolbar, or by modifying task bar and milestone shapes directly. The shapes include yellow control handles that you can drag to link to another task bar or milestone shape. However, it’s easier to use the Gantt Chart toolbar.

Follow these steps to link tasks:

1.	Select the starting task or milestone, and then additionally select the subsequent tasks in order. Note Hold down the Shift key and click to select multiple shapes.
2.	Click the Link Tasks button on the Gantt Chart toolbar. Link Tasks
3.	To unlink two tasks, select both of them and click the Unlink Tasks button on the Gantt Chart toolbar. Or select the link line between two tasks and press Delete. Unlink Tasks

Troubleshooting: Visio 2007 doesn’t align simultaneous tasks correctly It’s a little tricky to represent simultaneous tasks in a Gantt chart. Your best option is to link in the correct order using the Link Tasks button on the Gantt Chart toolbar. For example, if tasks 2 and 3 occur simultaneously, link tasks like this: select task 1 and 2, and then click Link Tasks. Select tasks 1 and 3, and then click Link Tasks. Now repeat, linking tasks 2 and 4, and then tasks 3 and 4. You usually end up with overlapping connectors, as shown in Figure 12-15.

Customizing Columns in a Gantt Chart

Help

To customize the project information that your Gantt chart tracks, you can add, delete, and reorder columns and edit the column header text. When you add a column (choose Gantt Chart, Insert Column), the Insert Column dialog box appears, as Figure 12-16 shows. You can choose from an assortment of standard column types, such as % Complete, as well as oddly named columns, such as User Defined Number and User Defined Text. The user-defined columns are just that—columns designed to support a particular data type, such as a number, text, or date, that you can use for any purpose. To see a complete list of the data types associated with each column type, click the Help button in the Insert Column dialog box.

If you’re accustomed to adding and editing columns in Excel, you’ll find that Visio 2007 works a little differently. For details, see Table 12-2.

Table 12-2. Adding and Editing Columns

Task	Technique
Add a column	Right-click an existing column, and then choose Insert Column. Select a column type, and then click OK. Visio 2007 inserts the column to the left of the selection.
Delete a column	Right-click a column, and then choose Hide Column.
Move a column	Drag a column by its name to a new position.
Rename a column	Click the Text tool on the Standard toolbar, select the column text, and then type.
Change the column width	Select a cell, and move the left or right green selection handle.

Troubleshooting: An error appears when you select a task bar shape If you select a task bar shape with the Text tool, Visio 2007 displays the following message: [View full size image] Task bars are locked against text editing; however, you can insert up to three labels that display the values from the chart’s columns. For details, see “Adding Task Bar Labels” earlier in this chapter.

Exporting a Visio 2007 Gantt Chart to Use in Project 2007

When you need the detailed tracking features of Project 2007, you can export an Visio 2007 Gantt chart in a format that Project 2007 can import.

Follow these steps to export an Visio 2007 Gantt chart:

1.	Select the tasks you want to export, or drag a selection rectangle around the entire Gantt chart, and then choose Gantt Chart, Export.
2.	Select MPX File, and then click Next.
3.	Type a name for the new file, and then click Next. Or click Browse to specify a location and file name, click Save, and then click Next.
4.	Click Finish. Visio 2007 displays a message when the project export is successful.

Project 2007 Integration

You need not start anew with your timeline data if it already exists in Project 2007. You can both import information from Project 2007 into Visio 2007, and send a Visio 2007 Gantt chart into Project 2007. Here’s how.

Importing Data from Project 2007 into a Visio 2007 Gantt Chart

If you wish to import data from Project 2007, follow these steps:

1.	On the Visio 2007 File menu, point to New, and then select Schedule, click Gantt Chart and then click Cancel.
2.	On the Gantt Chart menu, click Import.
3.	On the first wizard page, click Information That’s Already Stored In A File. This lets Visio 2007 know that you have already put the information together, as shown in Figure 12-17. Figure 12-17. The Import Project Data Wizard allows you to choose what type of file you wish to import. [View full size image]
4.	On the next wizard page, under Select The Format Of Your Project Data, click MPX or MPP file, and then click Next.
5.	On the next wizard page, click Browse to locate the Project 2007 file from which you want to create a Gantt chart.
6.	Select the file; click Open; click Next.
7.	Now you only need to follow the wizard prompts to create your Gantt chart.

Exporting Timeline Data from Visio 2007 to Project 2007

Sometimes you may want to export timeline data from Visio 2007 to a project. To do so, follow the steps below.

1.	Open the timeline drawing that contains the data you wish to export, and then click the border of the timeline to select it.
2.	On the Timeline menu, click Export Timeline Data. Note that this option will only display if you have Project 2007 installed.
3.	In the Export Timeline Data dialog box, under Save in, navigate to the folder where you want to save the exported file. For File name, type the name you want to use for your Project 2007 file. For Save as type, click Project (*.mpp), and then click OK.
4.	Now you can start Project 2007, cruise over to your file, open it, and manipulate the timeline however you see fit.