Tableau Gantt Chart: A How-to Guide With Pros, Cons & Alternatives

Tableau is an analytics platform that permits organizations to visualise their knowledge on highly effective but user-friendly knowledge evaluation charts and diagrams powered by machine studying, pure language processing and predictive analytics.

Whereas Tableau doesn’t have venture administration options, you possibly can nonetheless use it to make a Gantt chart. On this weblog, we’ll learn to make a Gantt chart in Tableau and discover its key options and limitations.

Does Tableau Have a Gantt Chart?

Tableau doesn’t have a built-in Gantt chart function, so that you’ll must manually arrange its stacked bar charts to make one. The end result might be a Gantt chart diagram that exhibits your venture schedule and primary particulars equivalent to venture job names, length and due dates.

Sadly, in the event you make a Gantt chart in Tableau, you gained’t have the ability to use any of the venture administration options you’d discover in additional highly effective Gantt chart software program. For instance, you gained’t have the ability to assign duties to your group members, hyperlink job dependencies, observe prices, allocate sources or monitor venture progress.

In the event you want a Gantt chart that permits you to do this and rather more, it’s best to attempt ProjectManager. ProjectManager’s Gantt chart permits you to plan, schedule and observe your initiatives from begin to finish and sync with a wide range of venture administration instruments equivalent to kanban boards, venture dashboards, timesheets, workload charts and rather more.

What Can You Use a Tableau Gantt Chart For?

Gantt charts in Tableau are primary at finest. They define the length of occasions or actions in any given venture, serving to venture managers see the venture schedule and keep on observe all through varied phases. Nevertheless, the shortage of true venture administration options is a big gap in its usability, and there’s no time monitoring, vital path or useful resource allocation, to call a couple of.

For instance, if somebody in addition to the venture supervisor prefers to take a look at the info from a unique view, will probably be tough to take action. All formulation should be arrange by hand which leaves room for human error. This isn’t supreme when the success of the venture is on the road. Plus, sharing recordsdata with stakeholders is difficult and time consuming.

Tableau Gantt Chart Key Options

Figuring out learn how to make a Gantt chart in Tableau may help you flip knowledge units, spreadsheets and job lists into data-driven project schedules on your group. It may very well be an excellent various for venture managers who simply want to visualise the length and due dates of venture duties on a timeline however don’t want a Gantt chart to handle the venture’s day-to-day execution. Listed here are some advantages of utilizing a Tableau Gantt chart.

• Map knowledge from giant knowledge set right into a venture timeline utilizing stacked bar charts
• Create correct and lifelike Gantt charts and keep away from human error
• Import knowledge from a wide range of file codecs equivalent to CSV, JSON, XML, Excel recordsdata, amongst many others

Tableau Gantt Chart Instance

In the event you’re nonetheless set on utilizing Tableau, we’ve outlined what a Tableau Gantt chart seems to be like. As you possibly can see, it’s a typical Gantt chart that lists venture duties on the left facet and makes use of a stacked bar chart on the precise to characterize venture duties on a timeline. Upon nearer inspection of every job, this Gantt chart additionally exhibits the due dates and complete length of those duties.

Disadvantages of Making a Gantt Chart In Tableau

Tableau merely doesn’t have the options you want from Gantt chart software program. All you are able to do is use its stacked bar chart to imitate a Gantt chart, but it surely’s clear that that is only a mere knowledge visualization chart and never the project planning, scheduling or monitoring device {that a} Gantt chart must be. Having stated this, listed below are a number of the key disadvantages of constructing a Gantt chart in Tableau.

• Can’t be used for price monitoring, resource allocation or vital path evaluation
• Making a Gantt chart in Tableau is time-consuming and requires you to manually arrange a number of issues equivalent to formulation
• Whereas Tableau claims to be a user-friendly analytics platform, its person interface continues to be onerous to make use of and navigate for most individuals, particularly these new to any such software program
• On account of its complete lack of venture administration options, Tableau can’t be thought of Gantt chart software
• Recordsdata can solely be saved as a Tableau Workbook file format (.twb), which makes it onerous to export knowledge into different software program and share recordsdata with group members

The Finest Tableau Gantt Chart Various

In some instances, making a Gantt chart in Tableau might be useful, but it surely pales compared to Gantt chart software program. With ProjectManager, you get on-line venture and portfolio software program that provides a collection of instruments to plan and handle each stage of your venture. With best-in-class Gantt charts that observe all 4 forms of dependencies, built-in useful resource administration, real-time collaboration and a lot extra, you’ll rapidly see why that is most popular over Tableau’s weak options. If wanted, you possibly can all the time import your Tableau knowledge into ProjectManager for a more in-depth take a look at key metrics.

Use ProjectManager’s Gantt chart to set a baseline, establish the vital path, oversee sources and observe prices. In a couple of clicks, assign duties to your group members, set precedence and recurrence and collaborate together with your group. Use limitless file storage to maintain observe of all paperwork and share recordsdata from wherever you’re working. Try it free for 30 days.

Let’s discover another causes that make ProjectManager a significantly better Gantt chart device than Tableau.

Superior Gantt Chart Options

As we hinted at, ProjectManager has one of many best Gantt chart tools any venture administration software program can supply. In addition to creating an interactive, on-line venture schedule that permits you to collaborate together with your group on-line, ProjectManager’s Gantt chart permits you to allocate sources, estimate venture prices, hyperlink 4 forms of job dependencies, establish the vital path of your initiatives and rather more.

A number of Challenge Administration Instruments

One of many predominant benefits of ProjectManager’s Gantt chart is that it syncs robotically with different venture administration instruments like kanban boards, venture calendars, project dashboards, timesheets and workload administration charts, so you possibly can handle all of the completely different areas of your venture.

Collaborate With Your Workforce On-line

One of many largest drawbacks of Tableau’s Gantt chart is that it’s a desktop-based resolution that doesn’t work for groups that must collaborate online. ProjectManager alternatively, is a web based venture administration resolution with limitless file storage and group collaboration options like messaging and file sharing.

ProjectManager additionally has electronic mail notifications that warn you when somebody makes modifications to duties or initiatives you’re in, or everytime you’re talked about in a message so that you’re all the time up to date in your group’s progress.

In the event you’re nonetheless involved in making a Gantt chart in Tableau, learn on as we define every step it’s worthwhile to make one from scratch. Nevertheless, in the event you’re new to Tableau and also you’re having a tough time adapting to this device, you too can use our Gantt chart template for Excel, which can make it easier to create an analogous venture schedule.

Gantt Chart Template

This free Gantt chart template for Excel can robotically create a Gantt chart for you based mostly on a listing of venture duties and their due dates. Merely enter that knowledge and this free Gantt chart template for Excel will robotically calculate the length of every job and generate a stacked bar chart to depict the venture schedule.

Make a Gantt Chart in Tableau

To make a Gantt chart in Tableau, you’ll must have a venture or enterprise knowledge set, which might be something from an Excel spreadsheet with a couple of venture duties and due dates, to giant knowledge units with tons of of duties. In the event you don’t have an information set, you possibly can obtain our construction schedule template as a CSV or Excel file. Let’s get began with the method of constructing a Gantt chart.

1. Import a Knowledge Supply File

Step one when making a Gantt chart in Tableau is to add knowledge into the software program. For this instance, we’ll use knowledge from our construction schedule template, which we’ve downloaded as an Excel file. To get began, click on the choice that permits Tableau to import a “Microsoft Excel” file. Then choose the file you’d prefer to import out of your laptop.

2. Choose Your Knowledge

When you import your file into Tableau, you’ll land on the “Knowledge Supply” display. Right here you possibly can preview your knowledge set, choose the info you’d prefer to import and take away pointless columns if wanted.

On this case, we’re exporting a file that incorporates venture scheduling knowledge for a building venture that can be utilized to make a Gantt chart, such because the listing of venture duties that must be accomplished, their due dates and length. It additionally incorporates different particulars you may select to show in your Gantt chart equivalent to job prices, useful resource necessities, task dependencies and extra. When you’re completely satisfied together with your knowledge, you possibly can change to the Sheet view.

3. Add Knowledge to Populate Your Gantt Chart

Now that you just’ve imported knowledge into Tableau, you’re able to make a Gantt chart utilizing the Sheet view. On the left facet of your display, there’s a listing of variables out of your knowledge set. Now you possibly can merely drag and drop them into the columns and rows fields to robotically generate a Gantt chart in Tableau.

First drag and drop the “Deliberate Begin Date” from the listing of information variables to the “Columns” area as proven within the picture under.

When you add this variable, click on on it and choose “Precise date,” which is the right date format for making a Gantt chart.

Subsequent drag and drop the “Job Identify” variable into the “Rows” area. When you achieve this, Tableau’s stacked bar chart will start to seem like a Gantt chart, however there nonetheless are some steps that you just’ll want to finish.

Now click on the drop-down menu below “Marks” and choose the Gantt chart.

4. Calculate the Length of Duties

Now let’s configure the Gantt chart to point out the length of venture duties with the scale of every bar. To do that, comply with the steps under.

Open the info visualization drop-down menu and click on “Create Calculated Discipline…”

Identify the calculated area and add a components to it. On this case, we’ll use the “DATEDIFF” components, which can calculate the distinction between two dates. Start by typing “DATEDIFF” after which choose it from the components menu.

Now fill within the components variables by typing “(‘day’, [Planned Start Date], [Planned Finish Date])” as proven within the Tableau Gantt chart instance under.

When you add this components and click on “OK,” this custom-calculated area will seem with the remainder of the info variables on the left facet of your display. Now drag and drop it into the scale icon.

This adjusts the scale of the Gantt chart job bars to point out the length of every job in order that it precisely depicts the construction project schedule.

5. Add Extra Particulars About Your Duties to Your Tableau Gantt Chart

For the final step, drag and drop the “Deliberate End Date” and “Deliberate Length” variables within the Particulars field so this data exhibits as you hover over the Gantt chart bars.

Observe: Set the “Deliberate End Date” as a precise date variable by clicking its drop-down menu and deciding on “Precise date.”

Congratulations, you’ve created a Gantt chart in Tableau. Now you possibly can add additional particulars to your venture schedule, equivalent to prices, sources and assignees.

Benefits of a Tableau Gantt Chart

Though it’s not a best-in-class possibility, there are some benefits to utilizing a Tableau Gantt chart.

• The method of making a Gantt chart is straightforward and solely requires you to import an information set and select what data you’d prefer to show
• Along with the stacked bar charts you need to use to make a Gantt chart in Tableau, there are dozens of information visualization diagrams and charts to research enterprise or venture knowledge
• Easy various for venture managers who solely must see timelines and due dates

Nevertheless, as said above, this primary Gantt chart lacks useful resource administration, price monitoring, project budgeting, threat planning and different necessary venture administration options. On high of that, this can be a desktop-based Gantt chart so that you gained’t have the ability to collaborate together with your group members on-line.

Subsequently, Tableau Gantt charts can solely be used for making a venture schedule however they shouldn’t be used to handle the execution phase of your venture resulting from their restricted performance. In the event you want a strong Gantt chart device you need to use to handle all facets of your venture, attempt ProjectManager. Let’s assessment what makes ProjectManager a a lot superior Gantt chart device than Tableau.

In Abstract: ProjectManager Has a Higher Gantt Chart Than Tableau

As mentioned above, Tableau can solely make it easier to visualize knowledge units into extra digestible charts and diagrams, like a Gantt chart. However sadly, Tableau isn’t a Gantt chart device you need to use to actively manage your projects since you gained’t have the ability to assign work to your group members, observe venture prices, or observe the completion of duties in actual time such as you would with ProjectManager.

Associated Gantt Chart Software program Content material

Selecting the best Gantt chart software program on your group might be difficult in the event you don’t know what to search for when evaluating options. That’s why we’ve created dozens of blogs explaining what are the important thing options of a Gantt chart, completely different strategies you need to use to create one, one of the best software program suppliers and extra that will help you make an knowledgeable determination.

ProjectManager is on-line venture and portfolio administration software program that connects groups whether or not they’re within the workplace, out within the area or anyplace in between. They’ll share recordsdata, remark on the job degree and keep up to date with electronic mail and in-app notifications. Be a part of groups at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software program to ship profitable initiatives. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.