However, you can quickly create a Gantt chart in Excel by using the bar graph functionality and a bit of formatting. Regrettably, Microsoft Excel does not have a built-in Gantt chart template as an option. A Gantt chart illustrates the breakdown structure of the project by showing the start and finish dates as well as various relationships between project activities, and in this way helps you track the tasks against their scheduled time or predefined milestones.

A Gantt diagram in Excel represents projects or tasks in the form of cascading horizontal bar charts. The Gantt chart bears a name of Henry Gantt, American mechanical engineer and management consultant who invented this chart as early as in 1910s.