Taking Project Management to the Next Level
In this blog post, I’m going to show you how you can create impressive Gantt charts using ChatGPT and Mermaid. Whether you’re a project manager or just someone who likes to stay organized, Gantt charts are a powerful tool for visualizing tasks and timelines.
But before we dive into the details, make sure you’ve read our previous post on how AI can help solve project management tasks. It will give you some valuable context for this discussion.
The Tools You’ll Need
To create Gantt charts with ChatGPT, we’ll be using a few key tools:
- First, you’ll need a project timeline or, at least, a project description.
- Second, we’ll rely on Mermaid.live, a fantastic platform that can convert simple code into various diagrams, including Gantt charts. Don’t worry, though; you won’t have to write the code yourself. We’ll let ChatGPT handle that for us.
- Last but not least, ChatGPT will help us generate the code we need to create our Gantt chart.
Getting Started
To begin creating your Gantt chart, you’ll need a project plan in a table format, complete with start dates and task durations. If you don’t already have one, don’t worry. The AI behind ChatGPT can fill in the missing details based on its understanding of your project.
While ChatGPT can’t generate images or graphics, it excels at writing top-notch code. That’s where Mermaid comes in. Mermaid is an amazing tool that enables you to create stunning diagrams and charts by writing simple code. To see how it works, head over to Mermaid.live.
Combining the Powers of ChatGPT and Mermaid
Now let’s switch gears and focus on ChatGPT. Here’s an important tip: the more specific you are about what you want ChatGPT to do, the better the results will be. So let’s get detailed.
First, we’ll start with a general prompt like this:
"Create a Gantt chart using Mermaid."This prompt alone should give us a workable output. But to make it even better, let’s provide an example of the format we want ChatGPT to follow. We can begin by adding the phrase, “This is how Gantt charts are created in mermeid.js:” and then include the sample code from the Gantt chart at mermaid.live. Here’s what the prompt looks like now:
"Create a Gantt chart using Mermaid. This is how Gantt charts are created in mermaid.js:nn[Sample code]"To improve our chances of success, let’s also include our project timeline. Simply add the sentence, “Here is my project timeline in a table:” to the prompt and then copy your table with the project timeline into the message. Your complete prompt for ChatGPT should now look like this:
"Create a Gantt chart using Mermaid. This is how Gantt charts are created in mermaid.js:nn[Sample code]nnHere is my project timeline in a table:nn[Your project timeline]"Ready to see the magic happen? Send this prompt to ChatGPT and wait for the response. In my case, I received the following answer:
Bringing Your Gantt Chart to Life
Voila! We have the code we need to create our Gantt chart. Now it’s time to head back to mermaid.live and paste the code into the code area. Watch as the image updates to reveal your beautiful Gantt chart.
Now that you have your Gantt chart, you can export it as an image or SVG file from the “Actions” tab in mermaid.live. Here’s a pro tip: if you export it as an SVG file and insert it into PowerPoint, you can right-click on it, select “Convert to shape,” and easily edit it like any other shape. How cool is that? 🦸
With ChatGPT and Mermaid by your side, creating Gantt charts has never been easier. Happy charting!
This article was created with Zenith City News in mind.
