How to make a Gantt chart in Asana

Which Asana plan do you need for a Gantt chart?

Use Starter or above. The Asana pricing page lists Timeline and Gantt among Starter features. Advanced costs $24.99 per user per month billed annually, or $30.49 monthly, and adds features for managing work across projects.

Critical path highlighting requires Advanced or above. Asana's critical path documentation explains the requirements and notes that subtasks are excluded from the calculation. Decide whether that view is necessary for your planning before upgrading solely for a chart.

How to build a Gantt chart in Asana, step by step

Start with dates, then choose the view and add dependencies. You can refine the schedule as you go. A task with a date range shows its duration; milestones mark events such as approval or launch.

1. Set up the project and give tasks a start date

1. Create a project, or open the one you want to chart. List view is the easiest place to do the setup.
2. Add your tasks in the order you want them read. Sections in List view become groups in Timeline, so if you want phases, add them as sections now.
3. Open each task and set a due date. Then click the date field again and choose Add start date. Add both dates when you want to show the time allowed for the task.
4. If you have a long list, use the Start date and Due date columns in List view instead of opening each task, and type or paste the dates down the column.

Estimate how long each task needs, then place it around fixed commitments and the work it depends on. Adding a dependency does not tell Asana how much time your team needs to do the work.

2. Switch to Timeline or Gantt view

1. At the top of the project, click the + next to the view tabs, or open the view switcher, and choose Timeline. The view is available on Starter and above.
2. For the fuller layout, add the Gantt view the same way. It puts the task list down the left with the bars on the right, which is the layout most people picture when they say Gantt chart.
3. Every task with both dates now shows as a bar. Drag the ends of a bar to change its duration, or drag the whole bar to move it.

Choose a zoom level that makes the relevant weeks or months easy to read. Check for unscheduled tasks too: work without dates can be easy to overlook when reviewing a chart.

3. Add dependencies

1. Hover over the end of a bar until a small connector dot appears, then drag from it to the bar that should come next. An arrow appears between them and the second task is now marked as blocked by the first.
2. Alternatively, open the task and use Add dependencies in the task details, which is easier when the two tasks are far apart on the chart.
3. Link only what genuinely cannot start early. Link tasks when the order matters. Leave independent work unlinked so it can run in parallel.

Open Manage dependencies from the project menu to choose how dates shift. Maintain buffer preserves gaps between linked tasks; Consume buffer uses the gap before shifting work. With shifting disabled, you handle date changes yourself. Asana's date-shifting rules also require dated, incomplete tasks and configured dependencies. New projects created with a Gantt tab use Consume buffer by default. Test one delayed task to confirm that the setting matches your plan.

4. Mark the milestones

1. Open the task that represents a checkpoint, a sign-off, a launch or a handover, and use the task menu to Mark as milestone. In List view the task's circle becomes a diamond; in Timeline and Gantt it shows as a diamond on the date rather than a bar.
2. Milestones have a due date only, no start date, and no duration. If you find yourself wanting a milestone with a length, it is a task.
3. Use milestones for decisions and handoffs that need to stand out. Keep ordinary work as tasks so its duration remains visible.

Review the chart with the people doing the work. Confirm the estimates, dependencies and approval dates before treating it as the agreed schedule.

How do you share an Asana Gantt chart?

People with access to the project can open its Timeline. Send the project link and check its permissions before sharing it with a client or another team. Asana's Timeline sharing guidance explains how project access applies.

For a presentation, capture a readable snapshot and label it with the date. A static image will not reflect later edits. If the audience only needs major milestones, simplify the view first rather than squeezing every task onto a slide. The advice on presenting timelines to clients can help you choose the level of detail.

How do baselines and scheduling settings affect the chart?

Asana's Gantt view supports a baseline, so you can compare current dates with a previous version of the project. Open Gantt, then Options and Dependency settings to choose the baseline date. Asana's Gantt view documentation describes the display and its limit of one baseline per project.

A baseline answers a different question from the critical path. The baseline shows how the plan has changed; the critical path highlights work that affects the finish date. Neither tells you whether an estimate is realistic or a person has time for the assignment.

Before sharing the plan, try moving a blocking task and inspect the dates that follow. Check completed work, subtasks and any deliberate waiting periods. This gives the team a concrete example of how the chosen dependency setting behaves.

What if you are on the free Asana plan?

Upgrading to Starter keeps the chart beside the tasks and conversations the team already uses. That may be convenient if you need other paid features too. Compare the cost for the people who will use the workspace, rather than looking only at one seat.

A spreadsheet is another option. The guides to Google Sheets and Excel explain how to build a chart. A basic coloured-cell version needs manual updates; more elaborate formulas or add-ons can support date logic, with extra setup to maintain.

You can also keep the tasks in Asana and plan the schedule in Ganttile. It is free and supports dependencies, baselines and critical path highlighting. The project schedule template gives you a starting structure to adapt.

If you use two tools, decide which one holds the agreed dates and who updates the other. A link in the Asana project makes the chart easy to find, but does not synchronise the schedules. The extra maintenance matters more if dates change frequently.

What should you check before sharing the schedule?

Review a complete handoff, such as design approval followed by implementation and testing. Confirm that the next task waits for the right event. A dependency on “design finished” may mean something different from a dependency on “design approved”.

Then check the calendar. A five-day task may need more than five elapsed days if it crosses a weekend or the assignee works part time. Include review and waiting time where those affect the handoff. A tidy chart is useful only when the dates reflect how the team can actually work.

Finally, choose who will maintain it. A project owner can review changes at the weekly planning meeting, while task owners keep estimates and completion status current. Agree how to handle a deadline that can no longer be met.

Start with one project

Add dates to a representative set of tasks, open Gantt, link the work that depends on other tasks and mark the main approvals. Test date shifting, review the result with the team and save a baseline when the plan is agreed.

Stay in Asana if that setup covers your needs. If you want a separate free schedule, try the project schedule template and decide how you will keep it current alongside Asana.