Schedule Chart
Definition
A schedule chart (also
called Gantt chart) is a graphic representation of the tasks that
make up a project. The chart shows start and finish dates, the duration
of each task, the order of the tasks, and any dependencies among the
tasks.
For a sample of the indicator data that was used to create this indicator, see “Sample Data Structure” for this indicator.
Usage Information
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Data best suited for
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Schedule charts are
commonly used to display how certain tasks, events, or activities
are scheduled over time. Although not required, displaying the task
on the vertical axis and the time factor on the horizontal axis makes
the chart easier to read. Schedule charts are especially useful for
comparing task length and frequency. A third factor can be introduced
by assigning a different color to each bar. This color can represent
items such as categories, importance, or urgency.
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Target audience
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Use caution when choosing the schedule chart because most people might not be familiar with this indicator type. However,
it is not difficult to interpret, so even users who are unfamiliar with this indicator type should be able
to understand it. Audiences that might be familiar with this indicator type include business analysts, business users, executives,
and financial analysts.
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Data aggregation support
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This indicator type does not aggregate the indicator data.
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Range support
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Ranges are not supported.
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Alert support
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Alerts are not supported.
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Link support
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This indicator type can be used to define a link or as the destination of a link. For
more information about defining an indicator with a hyperlink, see
Adding Links to Indicators or Other Content.
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Interaction support
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Filter multiple items
support
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Filtering multiple items is supported. For
more information, see
Supporting Multiple Selections in a Filtered Data Interaction.
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Display Settings
The following display settings are used in the preceding
figure. For more information, see “Sample Data Structure”
for this indicator.
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Display Setting
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Selection Used for Figure
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|---|---|
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Task value
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Task
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Group by value
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Team
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Start date
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Start date
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Finish date
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End date
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X-axis title
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Set to Start
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Y-axis title
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<blank> (defaults
to Task)
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You can customize the following display settings for this indicator:
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(Required) From the Task list, select the value that you want to use for the task axis in the indicator.
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(Required) From the Group by value list, select the value that you want to use to group the data in the indicator.
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(Required) From the Start date list, select the start date for the tasks in the indicator.
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(Required) From the Finish date list, select the finish date for the tasks in the indicator.
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In the X-axis title field, type the title to use for the X axis in the indicator. If you do not specify a title, the value that you selected from the X-axis value list is used by default. If you do not want a title, type a space in the field. If you select Scale X axis, a measurement label is added to the title.
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In the Y-axis title field, type the title to use for the Y axis in the indicator. If you do not specify a title, the value that you selected from the Y-axis value list is used by default. If you do not want a title, type a space in the field. If you select Scale Y axis, a measurement label is added to the title.
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Select Scale X axis if you want to scale that axis. When you make this selection, a measurement label is added to the X-axis title if the data is numeric. For example, if the X-axis title is set to Revenue and you select Scale X axis, the X-axis title is displayed as Revenue (millions).
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Select Scale Y axis if you want to scale that axis. When you make this selection, a measurement label is added to the Y-axis title if the data is numeric. For example, if the Y-axis title is set to Revenue and you select Scale Y axis, the Y-axis title is displayed as Revenue (millions).
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From the X-axis format list, select the format that you want to apply to the data on that axis. If you do not want to specify a format, select (none). When set to (none), the indicator uses the format that is used in the data source.
Sample Data Structure
To create a schedule
chart, you must provide two variables and two dates (start and finish).
The following data
sample is associated with the figure previously shown. Underneath
each column heading is its associated display setting.
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Team
(Group by value)
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Task
(Task)
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Start Date
(Start date)
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End Date
(Finish date)
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|---|---|---|---|
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Kelly’s Team
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Task 1
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01/01/2010
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01/07/2010
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Bill’s Team
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Task 2
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01/06/2010
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02/05/2010
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Jim’s Team
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Task 3
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01/14/2010
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01/28/2010
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Jim’s Team
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Task 4
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01/21/2010
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01/28/2010
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Jim’s Team
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Task 5
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01/25/2010
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02/05/2010
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Bill’s Team
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Task 6
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02/02/2010
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02/10/2010
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