The third method gets us part way there, but many people have wanted to see the differences in the Gantt Chart itself. The first two approaches don't make it easy to visually compare differences between the planned and actual dates. Showing the Original Dates in the Gantt Chart With the new columns, you can compare dates side-by-side, but that still may not be as visual as you'd like. Many people do that to add a budget column, and in this case you could add columns to keep track of original start and end dates. It's easy to insert new columns in the XLSX version of the Gantt chart.

Add New Columns for Storing the Original Dates Screenshot showing separate Plan and Actual worksheets 3. This still doesn't provide a good solution for easily comparing planned and actual dates, though. Of course, these worksheets will be entirely independent, but it's an easy solution for keeping a copy of the original project plan. You can make a copy of the Gantt Chart worksheet within the same workbook and rename the worksheets GanttChart-Actual and GanttChart-Plan (see the image below). Make a Copy of the Gantt Chart Worksheet and Rename It You can view files side-by-side or compare printouts. Keeping a backup is always a good idea, and this is the most basic approach for keeping a record of the original plan. Keep a Backup Copy of the Original Project Plan The simple answer is 'yes, depending on how you want to show the difference.' In this post, I'll explain how you can do this using the new version of the Gantt Chart Template Pro that makes it easy to see visually. I was recently asked if my Gantt Chart Template could be used to compare actual dates to original project dates. ◄ Return to the Gantt Chart Template Page

Ms project gantt chart template