Creating a schedule network diagram 5How to Create a Schedule Network Diagram in Excel

A Schedule Network Diagram is a key office in your projection Schedule planning, particularly when trying to effigy out the disquisitional path and the "bladder" or wiggle room in your project.

Below is a nice manner to create a dynamic Schedule Network Diagram in Excel that updates when you update the numbers just is also able to be moved around your worksheet.

Footstep 1

Click in the top left corner of your canvass to select all cells.  Then right click on the meridian row (for columns) and select cavalcade width. Set up Column width to 3.

Right click on the left department and select "Row width". Set that to 19. At present we have nice squares to work with.

Step 2

Use the border tool to create "Nine Square" boxes, then "Merge and center" the middle 3 boxes. That will exist our clarification, while the others will exist our early finish, duration, tardily terminate, etc. Do this two across and equally many as you like down (every bit many schedule boxes y'all will need).

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Step 3

Next let's freeze some cells, and then we can always run across our department with the boxes in it. Select column "I", row "A", and go to "View > Freeze Panes". This will always bear witness our activity boxes.

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Step 4

Now we can select the offset activity box. Select it and re-create it (using Ctrl+C or right click > copy).

Next, Paste it into our worksheet expanse, just do it like this: Correct click > "Other Paste Options" > Linked Picture.

Now, everything we change in our activity box volition reflect on our worksheet schedule boxes. Y'all tin can copy equally many boxes as you similar. If y'all double click on a picture box, information technology will have you lot to the activeness box on the left to fill out.  Very handy!

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Step 5

Yous can as well link the boxes together with arrows. Go to "Insert > Shapes" and select an arrow of your choosing.

Change the colours to suit, and you now have your Schedule Network Diagram, created from scratch in Excel, and able to be dynamically updated!

Well done!

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– David McLachlan