Gantt chart (PlantUML)

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PlantUML's Gantt syntax reads like English, which makes it unusually easy to hand to someone who does not write diagrams.

#What this example shows

  • Tasks declared with durations and starts-at-end-of dependencies.

  • A milestone, and a coloured critical path.

  • Closed days, so weekends do not inflate the plan.

#A worked example

Open it, edit it, or copy the source below.

Gantt chart (PlantUML)

The source, which you can paste into a new diagram and edit:

@startgantt
project starts 2026-09-01
saturday are closed
sunday are closed

[Inventory current system] lasts 10 days
[Agree target architecture] lasts 7 days
[Agree target architecture] starts at [Inventory current system]'s end

[Provision environment] lasts 5 days
[Provision environment] starts at [Agree target architecture]'s end

[Migrate reference data] lasts 5 days
[Migrate reference data] starts at [Provision environment]'s end
[Migrate reference data] is colored in Crimson

[Migrate transactional data] lasts 14 days
[Migrate transactional data] starts at [Migrate reference data]'s end
[Migrate transactional data] is colored in Crimson

[Parallel run] lasts 10 days
[Parallel run] starts at [Migrate transactional data]'s end

[Cutover] happens at [Parallel run]'s end

[Decommission] lasts 5 days
[Decommission] starts at [Parallel run]'s end
@endgantt

#Making it your own

  • saturday are closed and sunday are closed keep the dates honest.

  • happens at declares a milestone, which is a task with no duration.

  • Colour the critical path, or every bar looks equally important.

Verbose, stable, and it draws almost everything.