Gantt Chart Maker

What Is Gantt Chart Maker?

Gantt Chart Maker is a project planning tool that leverages Excel to enable teams to visualize and manage project schedules in a familiar spreadsheet environment. It turns task lists into interactive Gantt charts, enabling users to set timetables, assign resources, and monitor project progress. Teams can link predecessor and successor tasks so that when a schedule changes, dependent activities immediately move across the timeline. This lets them see how delays can affect downstream jobs.

In addition to scheduling, the tool includes baseline and actual progress tracking, enabling teams to compare predetermined timetables with real project performance. Standard Excel formatting can also be used to create chart templates, columns, labels, and colors, allowing the flexibility to modify layouts and tracking information to meet project demands. Different timeline views, ranging from daily to yearly, provide flexibility for projects of varying durations. It also supports visualization of the critical path and PDF or PNG exports, making project schedules easier to review and share.

What Is Gantt Chart Maker Best For?

Gantt Chart Maker stands out for its ‘Advanced Task Dependencies’ and ‘Cascading Schedule Adjustments’, which help teams manage complex project relationships directly in Excel. Users can link predecessor and successor tasks so changes to an upstream task automatically shift dependent tasks across the timeline. Its Automated Forward Pass Calculations help apply these schedule changes across linked tasks, while Critical Path Visualization highlights activities that can affect the project’s completion timeline. This makes the software particularly effective for teams managing projects with interrelated activities and fluctuating timetables.

How Much Does Gantt Chart Maker Cost?

Gantt Chart Maker pricing starts at $0.99 per user per month for 100–1,000,000 users under the 100–10000 users plan. It also offers two further pricing options:

• 1–10 users: $3.49 per user per month — available for 1–1,000,000 users
• 10–100 users: $2.19 per user per month — available for 10–1,000,000 users

A one-month free trial is available for all plans. In addition to the base subscription costs, organizations should account for the following potential expenses:

• Implementation: $300–$1,500 — Covers enterprise installation, license assignment, Excel add-in deployment, testing, and rollout across teams
• Data Migration: $200–$1,000 — Applies when existing Excel project plans require cleanup, restructuring, or conversion into Gantt Chart Maker templates
• Training And Onboarding: $300–$1,200 — Covers optional administrator/user training for task dependencies, resources, templates, baselines, and timeline management
• Customization And Configuration: $300–$1,500 — Covers creation or modification of branded Gantt templates, chart styles, task columns, labels, and project settings
• Premium Support: $200–$1,000/year — Covers optional vendor-assisted troubleshooting, deployment support, and administrative assistance beyond standard documentation

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

Gantt Chart Maker Integrations

The vendor has not specified any information about the software’s integrations.

How Does Gantt Chart Maker Work?

Follow the steps outlined below to get started with the software:

• Install Gantt Chart Maker and sign in to your account before opening Microsoft Excel
• Create a new Gantt chart from the Excel ribbon using Add New Gantt Chart and select a suitable template
• Add project tasks to the Excel task list with details such as task names, dates, durations, and task hierarchy
• Define task dependencies in the Editing Task window by linking predecessor and successor tasks to establish scheduling relationships
• Assign resources to tasks and configure working days, rest days, and holidays to account for resource availability in project scheduling
• Track project schedules by refreshing the Gantt chart to recalculate task dates, durations, dependencies, and timeline elements as project data changes
• Monitor project progress by comparing planned baseline dates with actual progress on the Gantt timeline
• Export the task list, Gantt chart, or both to PDF for sharing and reporting

Who Is Gantt Chart Maker For?

The platform is designed to support a range of project-based teams and businesses, including:

• Software development
• Manufacturing
• Construction
• Engineering
• Project-based businesses

Gantt Chart Maker Use Cases

Based on our analysis of user feedback and Gantt Chart Maker features, we have identified the following key scenarios where it is a good fit:

Project Teams Struggling To Identify Delays Against The Original Schedule

Project teams can find it difficult to determine whether current execution is falling behind the schedule originally set for the project. To address this, Gantt Chart Maker uses Baseline Bars to preserve the original project schedule for later comparison. Teams can then view Estimated Bars to track current planned dates and layer actual progress over both timelines. This makes it easier to see where actual execution differs from the original schedule and where tasks are falling behind. As a result, project teams can identify schedule variances and assess progress against their initial project plan.

Project Managers Struggling To Balance Detailed Planning With High-Level Reporting

Project managers often need detailed schedule views for day-to-day execution, but broader timelines for stakeholder reporting. Gantt Chart Maker lets them recalculate the timeline across daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, and yearly views from the Excel ribbon. This allows managers to move from granular execution details to broader project timelines without rebuilding the schedule. In addition, customizable Excel templates let them adjust colors, fonts, and other layout elements to suit different reporting requirements. This makes the same project schedule easier to adapt for both detailed planning and stakeholder presentations.

Operations Teams Struggling To Keep Schedules Accurate Across Regional Work Calendars

Operations teams working across regions may find it difficult to keep project dates accurate when weekends and local holidays differ by location. Gantt Chart Maker lets them set custom rest days and import regional holiday lists to exclude non-working days from schedule calculations. They can then assign specific owners to tasks using the Resource Allocation Picker to keep responsibilities clear across scheduled activities. By accounting for actual working days and task ownership, teams can build schedules that better reflect regional availability. This helps keep planned durations and milestone dates aligned with the calendars used by different operating locations.

Software Teams Facing Cascading Delays From Changes To Earlier Tasks

Software teams can face wider schedule delays when a change to one task affects several activities that follow it. Gantt Chart Maker allows them to define relationships between related tasks, so changes to one activity can be reflected in the work that depends on it. When an earlier task is delayed, the schedule can automatically shift the affected activities that come after it. Teams can also view the Critical Path to identify tasks that have a greater impact on the overall delivery timeline. This helps them keep related development work aligned as project schedules change.

Is Gantt Chart Maker Right For You?

If you are a project manager, operations professional, or coordinator who manages schedules in Microsoft Excel, Gantt Chart Maker may be a good fit when you need more control over project planning and tracking without moving to a separate project management system. The software is helpful when project schedules need to account for changing dependencies, actual progress, and different working calendars. Its customizable layouts also allow teams to adapt schedules for detailed planning or stakeholder reporting.

The software also includes privacy and security measures, with Gantt Chart Maker running as a desktop COM Add-in within Microsoft Excel. Uniform Software states that it uses physical, electronic, and managerial safeguards to protect online information and does not share personal information with third parties without permission unless legally required. Users can also restrict direct marketing and request access to or correction of their personal information, giving them greater visibility and control over their personal data.

Still not sure if Gantt Chart Maker is right for you? Contact us at (661) 384-7070 and we will help you make the right choice.