How to create a Gantt chart in Jira

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Gantt charts are simple yet powerful visual tools that help keep projects on track.

Today, Gantt charts are the go-to tool for 85% of project managers managing multiple projects simultaneously.

They help you track task dependencies, monitor project progress, and keep all deadlines under control.

Popular project management tools, such as Jira, make it easy to integrate Gantt charts into your processes.

Whether you need to monitor task dependencies or visualize project timelines on a daily, weekly, or monthly scale, your Jira Gantt chart has you covered.

In this article, we'll learn how to create a Gantt chart for project management in Jira (and a cool alternative!).

How to create a Gantt chart in Jira
Before we begin, you should know saudi arabia number data that Jira does not come with built-in Gantt charts .

The good news is that you can still enhance Jira's capabilities by adding plugins to create and use Gantt charts effectively. It's an extra step, but it gets the job done!

Step 1: Create a Gantt (chart)
How to create a Gantt chart in Jira: Launch Plugin from Apps

The first step here is to choose an appropriate plugin. To do this, you can use the Gantt (WBS) Chart plugin or a similar plugin. Once you've done this, head over to the top-level applications menu. You'll be presented with two options :

Project Tab : Open your current project in Gantt (chart) view, no hassle, no extra settings, just instant project progress at a glance!
Gantt (chart) tab : Use this option to create a new Gantt (chart) from multiple projects and save the filters
How to Create a Gantt Chart in Jira: Project Tab

When you create a new Gantt chart , you'll be prompted to enter issues from Jira projects or filters you've already set up. You can create a complete project roadmap or focus on specific tasks using filters.

Create a new Gantt chart in Jira

via Jira Congratulations! You have just created a new Gantt chart in Jira.

On the left, you'll see the work breakdown structure (WBS), and on the right, you'll see the schedule, an overview of your tasks, their durations, and dependencies.

Now that you've created your Gantt chart in Jira, it's time to configure it.

You can tailor it to your project scheduling needs by editing the work calendar or aligning the schedule with your fiscal year.

Adjusting Gantt chart calendars

via Jira To improve the visualization of your project, you can customize the progress bars and priority indicators with different colors.

If your project has multiple files, the Quick Filter feature comes to the rescue! Just like the ones on your Jira Board, you can search and filter for specific issues using JQL to simplify your project scheduling.

make changes to the Gantt chart

via Jira

Step 3: Plan tasks on your Gantt chart
Have you ever felt like your project was spiraling into chaos? Jira’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface for planning may be just what you need.

Need to add dependencies? Simply grab the start or end of a taskbar and drop it on the corresponding task. It's very easy.

Planning tasks on a Gantt chart

via Jira Once you've set the start date and duration of a task, the app will automatically calculate the end date based on your work calendar.

Of course, if you want to adjust the dates manually, you can easily drag, stretch, or shrink those taskbars.

The cherry on top? If you adjust a task's schedule, all of the task's dependencies follow suit, keeping your project in sync like clockwork.
You can also read: 5 steps for effective project time management

Step 4: Assign resources and workflow
Now that your project is taking shape, it's time to manage your team's workload.

Work in Progress (WIP) in Jira is useful for measuring how much work each person is handling, measured in "units." This feature limits the maximum amount of work that can exist in each state of a workflow.



via Jira It even helps you adjust each person's workload right in the Gantt chart.

And here's where it gets interesting: If someone has been saddled with too much work (let's call it the "Bob has too many tasks" scenario), their task bar turns red. It's time to step in and redistribute tasks before they burn out.

This is resource management done right, folks.

To effectively manage your team's workload within your Gantt chart in Jira, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Jira Settings for Custom Fields
Go to Jira Settings and select Issues
Click the Custom Fields tab, then select Create New Custom Field
Select Advanced Fields, then select Multi-User Selector to allow multiple assignees (if needed for tracking purposes)
Step 2: Create custom units for Workload Management
When setting up your custom field, define it as a unit of measure for workload (for example, "hours per task" or "units per day") to help track how much work each team member is handling.
Step 3: Automatic issue assignment
Use the Assignee field with the Automatic option. This will assign tasks to the default assignee for a component or project, streamlining the process of assigning new issues.
Step 4: Change the people assigned to tasks using the command palette
Press the command palette keyboard shortcut and type "Assign Issue"
Find the desired team member, select their name and press Enter to assign them the issue
Step 5: Adjust the Workload in the Gantt Chart
In the Gantt chart, you can visually track workload via task bars. If a team member's workload exceeds a set threshold (e.g. more than 8 hours a day), their task bar will turn red, indicating that you may need to redistribute tasks.
You can also read: How to Make a Gantt Chart in Google Sheets (with Templates)

Step 5: Monitor and track your project
Project management doesn't end with the plan. Real action begins with monitoring progress.

This way you can easily compare your progress with the original plan. Baseline tracking, with light grey bars under each task, gives you a clear view of whether you are ahead or behind schedule.

Remember to keep an eye on the critical path. These are the crucial tasks; if deadlines are not met, it can derail the entire project schedule.

professional advice:Save the Gantt chart for reference.