Exporting Timelines to Create Gantt Charts

When you use Visio diagrams to schedule your projects, you usually start by visualizing the big picture with timelines, and then you create Gantt charts to display project details. Instead of creating a Gantt chart from scratch, you can export your timeline data to the Microsoft Office Project file format with the Export Timeline Data command. You can use this data to create a Visio Gantt chart by using the Import Project Data Wizard, which is available on the Gantt Chart menu in a diagram started using the Gantt Chart template.

Tip

As you revise your Gantt charts, you'll no doubt make changes to the overall schedule as well. Just as you can export timeline data to create Gantt charts, you can also export Gantt chart data to create new timelines by using the Export Project Data Wizard, which you can start by clicking the Export command on the Gantt Chart menu.

In this exercise, you open an existing timeline, and use the Export Timeline Data command to export the timeline data. Then you use the Import Project Data Wizard to create a Gantt chart from that data.

Important

To complete this exercise, you need Microsoft Office Project (version 2000 or later) installed on your computer. If you don't have Project installed, the Export Timeline Data command doesn't appear on the Timeline menu.

OPEN the Timeline file in DocumentsMicrosoft PressVisio 2007 SBS5_Schedules.

1.	Select the primary timeline on the drawing page.   Troubleshooting You must select a timeline on the drawing page before you can export timeline data. To quickly select a timeline, click either edge of the timeline.
2.	On the Timeline menu, click Export Timeline Data.
3.	A message appears that asks you if you'd like to export all markers on the timeline's expanded child timelines. Click No. The Export Timeline Data dialog box appears.
4.	In the File name box, type TimelineData, and then click Save. Visio saves the timeline data in Microsoft Project File (*.mpp) file format and in the Documents folder by default.   Tip You can open the exported timeline data in Project to plan your projects in more detail and incorporate them into other enterprise schedules.
5.	When you see a message stating that the project has been successfully exported, click OK.
6.	On the File menu, point to New, point to Schedule, and then click Gantt Chart. Visio opens the Gantt Chart template and three stencils, and the Gantt Chart Options dialog box appears. When you open the Gantt Chart template, a Gantt Chart menu and toolbar also appear.
7.	In the Gantt Chart Options dialog box, click Cancel. Visio deletes the Gantt chart frame from the drawing page and closes the Gantt Chart Options dialog box.
8.	On the Gantt Chart menu, click Import. The first page of the Import Project Data Wizard appears.
9.	On the first page of the Import Project Data Wizard, select the Information that's already stored in a file option, and then click Next.
10.	On the second page of the Import Project Data Wizard, click Microsoft Office Project File, and then click Next.
11.	On the third page of the Import Project Data Wizard, click Browse, navigate to the Documents folder, double-click TimelineData, and then click Next.
12.	On the fourth page of the Import Project Data Wizard, click Next. The wizard populates the pages with information used most often in Gantt charts, so you don't need to make any changes and can accept the default information.
13.	On the fifth page of the Import Project Data Wizard, click Next. By default, Visio includes all tasks from the data in the Gantt chart.
14.	On the last page of the Import Project Data Wizard, click Finish. Visio creates the Gantt chart from the timeline data.
15.	On the File menu, click Save As to open the Save As dialog box.
16.	In the File name box, type NewGantt, and then click the Save button to save the drawing.

CLOSE the NewGantt file.