Project-Management with
Gantt-Charts
OpenOffice.org 2.0 Calc
[Projekt-Management und Gantt-Diagramm mit OpenOffice.org 2.0 Calc and Comment
crer un diagramme de Gantt avec OpenOffice.org]
[1.1]
First editions: [2005-06-06 and 2003-01-03]
First English edition: [2005-11-09]

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Contents
Contents
Contents..............................................................................................................................................1
Copyright and trademark information................................................................................................2
Feedback........................................................................................................................................2
Acknowledgments.........................................................................................................................2
Modifications and updates.............................................................................................................3
Overview............................................................................................................................................1
Starting the Process.............................................................................................................................2
Converting the simple bar-chart into a Gantt chart.............................................................................5
Using the chart as a graphic in other applications..............................................................................9
Extending Gantt charting for Project Management..........................................................................11
About the macro...........................................................................................................................12
Example: Planning a relocation...................................................................................................13
Controlling the Project.................................................................................................................17
Public Documentation License, Version 1.0....................................................................................19
Project-Management with Gantt-Charts
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Copyright and trademark information
Copyright and trademark information
The contents of this Documentation are subject to the Public Documentation License, Version
1.0 (the "License"); you may only use this Documentation if you comply with the terms of this
License. A copy of the License is available at:
http://www.openoffice.org/licenses/PDL.rtf
The Original Documentation is "Comment crɃer un diagramme de Gantt avec
OpenOffice.org". The Initial Writer of the Original Documentation is Serge LE LOUARNE
Copyright ɂ2003. All Rights Reserved.
(Initial Writer contact(s): serge.le_louarne@tiscali.fr.
Contributor(s): DIETMAR HILLER
Portions created by DIETMAR HILLER are Copyright ɂ 2005. All Rights Reserved.
(Contributor contact(s): hillerd@tiscali.de.
Contributor(s): G. Roderick Singleton.
Portions created by G. Roderick Singleton are Copyright ɂ2005. All Rights Reserved.
(Contributor contact(s):grsingleton@openoffice.org .
Portions created by ______ are Copyright ɂ_________[insert year(s)]. All Rights Reserved.
(Contributor contact(s):________________[insert hyperlink/alias]).
All trademarks within this guide belong to legitimate owners.
[Note: a copy of the PDL is included in this template and is also available at:
http://www.openoffice.org/licenses/PDL.rtf.]
Feedback
Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to:
grsingleton@openoffice.org
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank every member of the German and French Native Language Communities who
are not mentioned but contributed to my being able to provide a translation.
To S. Schneider for fixing my errors and grammar.
Project-Management with Gantt-Charts
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Copyright and trademark information
Modifications and updates
Version
Date
Description of Change
[1.0]
[2005-11-09]
[grs: Initial edition issued for comment]
[1.1]
[2005-11-12]
[ss: Proofed edition issued for publication]
Project-Management with Gantt-Charts
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Overview
Overview
Gantt Charts are a way to graphically show progress of a project. Management of a project is
made easier if it is viewed as small manageable items where the dependencies are visually
illustrated, parallel processes are discovered, the overall processing time determined and
progress tracked. The tasks of a project can be quite complex and dependent on each other.
With a project management tool, such as a Gantt chart,all subtasks of a task can be viewed
graphically.
In this document a relocation-process to another city is used for all examples and is based upon
the accompanying Calc template, .pjm_template_english.ots which may be downloaded from
http://documentation.openoffice.org/HOW_TO/
Relocation DD to M
House-hunting
Cancel apartment DD
Cancel banking's order
New leasing contract
Organise relocation
Send out new address
Forwarding request
Relocation
Registration office
Furnish the flat
Reregister car
Open an account
Undone
Done
Move bank account
Start
Relocation completed
01/04/05
01/05/05
31/05/05
01/07/05
31/07/05
31/08/05
30/09/05
Illustration 1: The finished example
In illustration 1, the subtasks of the relocation-process appear on the y-axis, and the time line
on the x-axis. The bars show when a task should start and when it will be finished. Blue bars
show tasks which have been completed. Yellow bars show work which still must be done.
Project-Management with Gantt-Charts
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Starting the Process
Starting the Process
To chart a project, all the sub-tasks must first be collected in a spreadsheet. In this simple
example there is the name of the task, the start-date and the duration in calendar days:
Illustration 2: Task list
This simplified project consists of eight subtasks ɢTask 1” to “Task 8”.
Next, begin creating the chart by selecting Insert—Chart:
Illustration 3: Create the chart
From the dialogue “AutoFormat Chart” define the selection range. Neither the first row
(containing the column label) nor the first column (containing the task name) should be
included as data.
Project-Management with Gantt-Charts
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Starting the Process
Click “Next >>” , and choose the Chart type:
Illustration 4: Choose chart type
Choose the horizontal bar-chart and click “Columns” to indicate that the data are arranged in
columnar form.
Note: This changes the assignment of the axis in OpenOffice.org Calc. Now the horizontal axis is called “Y” and
the vertical axis is called “X”.
Click “Next >>” and choose the variant “Stacked”:
Illustration 5: Create chart with stacked bars
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Starting the Process
Click “Next >>” once again and enter chart and axis titles:
Illustration 6: Adapt chart labeling
The first Gantt Chart appears as follows:
Illustration 7: Bar chart
The task names are on the vertical axis (“Task 1” to “Task 8”) and the time line is on the
horizontal axis.
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Document Outline

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