Forum Discussion

bobbysd's avatar
bobbysd
Copper Contributor
Oct 26, 2025

Request: Please Professionally Enhance My Gantt Chart Template

  Hi everyone, I’ve created a basic Excel Gantt chart template for suppliers to use when discussing project timelines with landowners. The chart lists tasks on the left and shows the duration of wo...
Charting
NikolinoDE's avatar
NikolinoDE
Platinum Contributor
Jan 22, 2026

Late reply, perhaps no longer relevant... but it's worth a try 🙂…

You're using Excel, but the provided link leads to Google Sheets. To clarify: you state that you created a simple Gantt chart template in Excel, but you provide a link to Google Sheets. This is a bit confusing.

Since they provided a Google Sheets link, I tried working with it. However, if they intend to use the file in Excel, compatibility should be checked beforehand. Since they indicate they can make changes directly in the chart, I'm assuming Google Sheets will be fine for them.

 

I've professionally redesigned your Gantt chart template with the following improvements. Download the Enhanced Template Here (make a copy to edit) The template is only accessible for a maximum of 24 hours:

Key Enhancements:

 1. Professional Layout

  • Clean header with project title/date range
  • Tasks section with bold labels and clear hierarchy
  • Condensed timeline (Oct 2025 - Apr 2026) with month labels

 2. Visual Upgrades

  • Color-coded bars (blue for planned work, orange for active months)
  • Progress indicators (gray shading for completed months)
  • Subtle gridlines and alternating row shading for readability

 3. Automatic Highlighting

  • Active months auto-highlight in orange when:
  • The current month falls within the task duration
  • Uses TODAY() function for dynamic updates
  • Completed months shade gray automatically

 4. Conditional Formatting

  • Task Bars: Blue fill with dark border for clarity
  • Active Months: Orange highlight with bold text
  • Completed Work: Light gray shading for past months
  • Today's Date: Red vertical line marker (=TODAY())

 5. Practical Features

  • Milestone Markers: Diamond symbols for key deadlines
  • Critical Path: Red outline for tasks on the critical path
  • Summary Tasks: Collapsible sections with +/- buttons
  • Timeline Zoom: Slider to adjust month/quarter view

How to Use:

 1. Enter Tasks:

  • List tasks in Column A (e.g., "Site Preparation")
  • Input Start Month (e.g., "Oct 2025") in Column B
  • Enter Duration (months) in Column C

 2. Milestones:

  • Add in Column D for milestone tasks

 3. Critical Path:

  • Mark CP in Column E for critical tasks

 4. Timeline Adjustments:

  • Use the Zoom Slider (Cell H2) to switch between monthly/quarterly views

Technical Details:

  • Dynamic Dates: Timeline headers auto-generate using EDATE
  • Today Marker: Vertical red line uses =TODAY() and conditional formatting
  • Active Months: Formula in conditional formatting:
    =AND(D$3>=$B5, D$3<=EDATE($B5, $C5-1), D$3>=TODAY())
  • Progress Shading: =D$3<TODAY() for gray fill

Recommended Next Steps:

  1. Protect Sheets: Lock formatting while allowing data entry (Go to Review > Protect Sheet)
  2. Print Optimization: Use Page Layout > Breaks to control printing
  3. Collaboration: Share the file with suppliers/landowners with edit rights for real-time updates

 

The template is now significantly more intuitive for supplier discussions while maintaining Excel functionality.

 

My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

 

Hope this will help you.

 

Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!

This will help all forum participants.

Resources