The Gantt Chart view for most users is the single most used view in Microsoft Project. It provides a clean, timescaled view of the project tasks. The Gantt Chart view provides the best place to graphically see how tasks line up over time.
Looking at the Gantt Chart
You can get to the Gantt Chart view in two ways. The first is to click on the View menu and select Gantt Chart from the menu.
The second is to click Gantt Chart on the View bar.
The Table (or Sheet) area gives the user access to basic data about the tasks in the project, such as the task name , the start and finish dates, and the duration. The sheet can be customized to include more data.
The Chart area of the view shows how the tasks fall across the timescale. This timescale can be customized depending on the size of the project.
The Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons provide an easy way to change the timescale when trying to see more or less of a project across time.
Just to the right of the zoom buttons is the Go To Selected Task button, which moves the view on the timescale to show the currently selected task.
Did You Know?
You can customize and create views . All of the views discussed in this chapter can be customized, and in most cases, can be copied to create whole new views for specific purposes.
Gantt Chart Views
View Name
Description
Gantt Chart
Provides basic data about tasks, such as Start, Finish, and Duration. This is generally the everyday, "launch pad" view for most project managers.
Detail Gantt
Provides visual indicators of critical and noncritical tasks, as well as of how far a task can slip before delaying the project.
Tracking Gantt
Allows for visual comparison between the current plan and the baseline. Excellent for finding where a project started to fall behind.