A milestone or Gantt chart is a very common resource in project planning and control. Various professionals use them in their daily tasks to evaluate and expose the scope according to the established stages.
These graphs are simple to understand, to achieve this, it is important to define the steps and deadlines that will lead to the goal. Its execution is greatly simplified with the use of calculation software, Microsoft Excel, we will explain how to do it right away.
Index( )
- What elements are necessary to create a Milestone Diagram?
- How to make a Milestone Chart or Diagram in Excel?
- Correct text placement
- Select the data
- How to modify a created graph?
- Where can I get Milestone Diagram templates?
What elements are necessary to create a Milestone Diagram?
It is known that through the formulas for equations in Excel you manage to organize various aspects in your work environment. But perhaps, you are not taking full advantage of the virtues offered by graphical representations , based on the data obtained in the calculations.
A very precise example is found in diagram-type representations of milestones, known as a milestone, any relevant fact or event. In relation to the business world, a milestone is a necessary stage to execute to reach an end , to raise them it is necessary to determine some generalities:
- Start dates: Meetings, financing, launches and others will be scheduled, which give rise to the beginning of a stage.
- Deadlines: Estimate deadlines for submitting reports, requests, proposals, among others, that lead to the achievement of a goal.
- Review dates: It is important to anticipate the time frame in which the details of the project are submitted for deliberation, negotiation or external review.
How to make a Milestone Chart or Diagram in Excel?
You will find millions of options on the web to carry out milestone diagrams, however, many of these options are not free and do not allow you to customize the format too much. Thus, Excel is positioned as your best option and not at all complicated , with a little time and concentration, you can obtain a satisfactory result.
Correct text placement
The first step is to download Microsoft Excel and properly install it on your computer. Then, it opens a new book that will contain the information on the events (Column 1) with their respective dates in chronological order (Column 2). It is essential that you add a heading to both columns , for example, “Dates” and “Events”.
Also, you must create a helper column, there you repeatedly include opposite values, for example, if the helper column is C, in C2 you enter a positive number like “6”, in C3 “-6”, in C4 “6”, and so consecutively . A simple formula, which helps you to fill the cells of the helper column, is “=(IF(RESIDUE(ROW(),2 ) =0, 6, -6 )”.
Select the data
Moving forward with the process to generate the diagram in our spreadsheet, it is important that you know how to find similar values within Excel , because you may need to build the graph with only one section of data . We immediately continue with the insertion of the milestone diagram.
- Locate yourself in a blank cell, then from the “Insert” menu, press “Insert line or area chart”, in “2D lines”, choose the “Line with Markers” chart.
- Keeping the “ALT” key pressed, adjust along the lines at the ends of the graph, until it is placed in the chosen section.
- Select the graph again and in the upper menu in “Graph Design”, press the “Select data” button. Locate the “Series” section and click “Add.”
- You assign the header name of “Events”, as values of the series you choose the data of the column in question and click on accept. Now in the “Horizontal Axis Labels” section, press “Edit” to select the values for the “Date” column.
- Repeat the series creation procedure with the data in the auxiliary column.
How to modify a created graph?
What follows is the standard procedure for editing a chart in Excel sheets , i.e. putting the finishing touches on it, so if you have no idea how to do it, follow these steps:
- By clicking on the graph, you return to the “Graph Design”, “Change type of graph” and “Combined” option.
- Corrects the type of chart from “Events” to “Line with markers” and “grouped columns” for the auxiliary series, this is also marked as “Secondary axis”
- Go back to “Chart layout” and press “Select data”, select the auxiliary series, “Horizontal axis labels” and press “Edit”. Choose the “Events” values.
- Also, click on the labels at the ends of the graph and press “DEL”.
- Click on the chart bars to select the auxiliary series, Go to “Chart Layout” > “Add Chart Element” > “Error Bars” > “More Error Bar Options”.
- Type “CTRL + 1”, in the right panel mark as “Address”, “Minus”. In “Amount of error”> “Percentage” in 100%
- Again, select the auxiliary series, go to “Chart Layout” > “Add Chart Element” > “Data Labels” > “Outer End”. You select the auxiliary series again, go to the menu on the right on the “Fill” options, mark “No fill” and in “Border” “No line”.
- Click on one of the numbers “6” of the graph labels and press “CTRL + 1”. In the right pane check “Category name” and uncheck “Value”.
- Finally, select the horizontal guide lines of the graph and press “DEL”, for a better finish.
Where can I get Milestone Diagram templates?
Although making a milestone or Gantt chart within Excel is relatively simple, there are template options under subscription in Microsoft 365 and free in Office Templates, which facilitate the visual and functional aspect of them, you just have to browse a little to find the one that suits your needs.
