While working on project tracking dashboards, I got a requirement to display task timelines with highlighted important checkpoints, such as planned start, planned finish, and actual milestones. Using a simple bar chart, we can only show the duration, but I also had to display milestone markers on the timeline.
For this data visualization, I used the Tableau Gantt chart and displayed the date milestones on it.
In this tutorial, I will explain how to create a Tableau Gantt chart with milestones. In this chart, tasks will be displayed as bars, and milestone dates will be represented as shapes.
With this chart, we can track both the overall duration of tasks and the critical dates in project management.
Tableau Gantt Chart With Milestones
In Tableau, a Milestone Gantt Chart is a project management visualization chart that combines task timelines with milestone markers. The horizontal bars represent the start and end dates of tasks, while milestones are shown as shapes like circles or diamonds that are placed on specific dates, such as planned start, planned finish, actual start, and actual finish.
Using the Tableau Milestone Gantt Chart, it is easier to compare planned vs. actual progress and identify where tasks are on track or delayed.
For example, a task was planned from 1st to 10th August, but actually ran from 3rd to 12th August. The chart will display the planned bar, along with markers for the actual start and finish, highlighting the delay with the milestone date.
Create a Gantt Chart With Milestones in Tableau
To create a Tableau Gantt chart with milestones in Tableau, I have created a sample project management data set. You can use the same data set to create a milestone Gantt chart in Tableau.
Now, connect the datasource with Tableau and follow the steps below to create a Gantt chart with milestones in Tableau.
- Create a calculated field “Duration” to calculate the number of days between the start and end dates. Enter the formula below in the calculated field.
DATEDIFF('day', [Start Date], [End Date])- Drag the Task to the Rows and Start Date to the Columns.
- By default, the Start date will be in the Year format. Click on the Start Date and select the date format as Day(continuous).
- In the Marks section, set the chart type to Gantt Bar.
- To show the size of the bars in the Gantt chart, add the calculated field to the Size card in the Marks section.
With this, we can see the start date and task duration on the bars.
- Now, to display milestones, add the Milestone Date ( task completion target date) to the Columns. Then, change the date format from year to day.
- With this, we will get two Gantt charts. For the Milestone Date axis, change the Marks type to Shape. From the Shape card, select the shape to display milestones.
- Click on the Milestone Date in the Columns and select Dual Axis.
- If the Milestones shapes are not aligned on the bars, then right-click on the axis and select Synchronize axis.
- To spot the milestone on the bars, we need to change its color. For this, add the Milestone Date to the Color card. Select the color that is clearly visible on the bar.
Now, we hover on the Gantt bars, we can see the start date and duration of tasks, and on the Milestone shapes, we can see the Milestone date or the target date set for the task completion.
This way, we can create a Tableau Gantt bar chart with Milestones by following the above steps.
Conclusion
In this Tableau tutorial, we have learned how to build a Gantt chart with milestones in Tableau. We created task bars to display timelines and added milestone shapes to highlight critical dates, such as planned start, finish, and actual dates.
By following the above steps, you can create a milestone Gantt bar chart to track project progress, compare planned vs. actual timelines, and identify delays or checkpoints in project management.’
You may also like to read:
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I am Bijay Kumar, the founder of SalesforceFAQs.com. Having over 10 years of experience working in salesforce technologies for clients across the world (Canada, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, etc.). I am a certified salesforce administrator and expert with experience in developing salesforce applications and projects. My goal is to make it easy for people to learn and use salesforce technologies by providing simple and easy-to-understand solutions. Check out the complete profile on About us.
