Display & Publishing - Gantt Chart

OVERVIEW – Use the Gantt Chart to view a graphical display of the open project's schedule information or the order in which activities occur over the course of the project. The Gantt Chart shows each activity's duration, using the timescale specified, as a horizontal bar. A line connecting activity bars indicates a relationship. - Primavera

1. For this tutorial we don’t need to create a copy of the last one since all modifications that we made in the last one all can be changed back using layouts.  Make sure that the Rm. 201 – 2 week look ahead layout is open.
   
   
2. Now, we turn our attention finally toward the Gantt Chart on the right-hand side of the activity view.  This is the visual representation of the information contained in the activity table.  And in as much as the Gantt Chart is a visual representation of the activity table, we are given many more options in controlling the appearance of the Gantt Chart than the Activity Table.
   
   
3. There are three main windows that control the Gantt Chart’s appearance:  Bars, Bar Chart Options, & Timescale.  Buttons for Bars & Timescale can both be found on the main toolbar and all three can be found on the drop-down menu that can be gotten to by clicking the layout bar.
   
   
4. First, click on the timescale button on the toolbar.
   
   
5. Click on the drop-down menu for Date Interval.  It should be currently set to Month/Week.  Change this to this to Year/Month.  Click OK.
   
   
6. Notice that the timescale above the Gantt chart has changed.
   
   
7. Shrink the timescale by placing your mouse over the month labels of the timescale until your cursor becomes a magnifying glass.  Click, hold, and drag to the right in order to see a smaller portion of the timescale and magnify the portion we are concerned with.
   
   
8. Click on the Bars button on the toolbar now.
   
   
9. On the Bars window that pops-up scroll through the various bar types there are and notice which ones are currently displayed by noticing where the checks are.  Uncheck the Summary bar option in order to remove the multiple black bars currently on the Gantt chart that represent summaries of each WBS.
   
   
10. Click Apply in order to see the change without closing the Bars window.
    
    
11. Now, find the Primary Baseline bar and check the Display box next to it.  Click Apply.
    
    
12. Notice that every activity bar in the Gantt chart has a thinner yellow bar below it now.  However, since both schedules are relatively the same, the yellow bars appear directly below the activity bars.
    
    Example: extreme differences between bars.
    
    
13. Highlight the Critical Remaining Work bar line.  Click on the Bar Labels tab below.
    
    
14. At the lower-left-hand-side of the window click Add.
    
    Note – Do not click the Add on the right-hand side because this will add a line above.  More importantly do not click the Delete button on the right if you really want to delete a Bar Label line.
    
    
15. Double-click the position cell and select Left.  This option obviously determines the positioning of the label we’re creating.
    
    
16. In the Label drop-down menu field we are given the option of making nearly any field a label within the Gantt chart.  Select Finish and click Apply.
    
    
17. Look at the Gantt chart and notice that all of the uncompleted critical activities have their finish dates to the left of them.
    
    Note – Labels have to be added to each individual Bar item individually (i.e. – milestones, remaining work, etc.)
    
    TIP – A good milestone schedule will have current milestone dates and baseline dates as labels to show progress.
    
    TIP – Click on the Filter cell for the Critical Remaining Work bar and the Filter window appears.  Notice that two filters are currently applied, Normal & Critical.  However, any combination of filters including user-defined ones can be utilized to make your own custom bar.
    
    
18. Finally, let’s look at the Bar Options window by clicking Options at the lower-right of the Bar window.
    
    
19. On the General tab, check the Show Relationships box.  For a run-down on the other three tabs see below.
    
    
20. Click OK and OK again.
    
    
21. After seeing what the relationship lines look like using this layout, click the relationship button on the toolbar to deactivate them.
    
    
22. Finally, go into the Filters window and highlight the Rm201 – 2-week look ahead filter that we created.  Click Copy and then Paste.
    
    
23. With the new filter highlighted click Modify.  Rename it Rm201 – month look ahead.  On the High Value of both the Start & Finish dates, change them to DD+1M.  Click OK.
    
    
24. Make sure that the new filter is checked as active and click OK again.
    
    
25. Hide the two WBS’s by going to Group & Sort, highlighting the WBS line and checking the Hide if empty box.  Adjust the timescale as necessary.
    
    
26. Save a new layout and name it Rm201 – month look ahead.

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