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Gantt Chart Template for HR Projects and Initiatives

Free Gantt chart template for HR teams. Plan hiring cycles, onboarding, and employee programs visually. No sign-up required — open in browser and start now.

Gantt Chart Template for HR Teams: Plan Hiring, Onboarding, and People Programs Visually

HR teams manage projects that affect every person in the organization: hiring cycles with 30-60 day timelines, onboarding programs that span 90 days, benefits open enrollment windows, performance review cycles, and compliance training campaigns. Yet most HR teams plan these projects in spreadsheets or email threads rather than dedicated project management tools.

A Gantt chart template built for HR brings these timelines into one visual format that the HRBP, Recruiting Manager, and HR Director can all read and update. At gantt-chart.io, it's free, browser-based, and requires no HRIS integration. You do not need Workday login access to use it. Open a browser, build your hiring or program timeline, and share the link with your team.

What to Include in an HR Gantt Chart

HR projects fall into three main categories: recruiting and hiring, onboarding, and recurring programs like performance reviews or open enrollment. Each has a defined timeline structure.

For a hiring cycle (30-60 days per role):

  • Job requisition approval (3-5 business days): The Hiring Manager submits the req. HR or Finance approves headcount. This is a dependency: sourcing cannot start until the req is approved.
  • Job description finalization and posting (2-3 days): HR Coordinator updates the JD, posts to LinkedIn, Indeed, and the ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, or Workday Recruiting). Internal posting (if required) runs concurrently.
  • Active sourcing and application review (2-3 weeks): The Recruiter sources passive candidates and screens incoming applications. Set a checkpoint at Day 10 to assess pipeline volume.
  • Phone screens (1 week): The Recruiter conducts 30-minute phone screens with 8-12 candidates. Schedule this as a defined task, not an open window.
  • Hiring manager interviews (1 week): First-round interviews with 4-6 candidates. Debrief with the Hiring Manager within 24 hours of the last interview.
  • Panel or final interviews (3-4 days): 2-3 finalists meet the full panel. Debrief and decision meeting by end of the same week.
  • Reference checks (2-3 days): The Recruiter or HR Coordinator completes reference checks for the selected candidate.
  • Offer extension and negotiation (3-5 days): Offer call, written offer letter, candidate decision window.
  • Background check and pre-employment screening (3-7 business days): Run through your vendor (Sterling, Checkr, or equivalent). Offer is contingent on completion.
  • Start date and onboarding begins: This is your milestone. Everything above is a dependency.

For a 90-day onboarding program:

  • Pre-boarding (first week after offer acceptance): Equipment ordering, system access provisioning, Day 1 agenda preparation
  • Week 1: Orientation, IT setup, benefits enrollment window (typically 30-day window starting Day 1)
  • Weeks 2-4: Role-specific training, team introductions, first project assignment
  • Days 30, 60, 90: Manager check-in milestones with defined agenda (role clarity, early wins, 90-day goals)

How to Use This Template in gantt-chart.io

Step 1: Open gantt-chart.io in your browser. No account needed. Click "New Chart" and set your date range. For a single hiring cycle, a 6-8 week range covers most searches. For an annual HR calendar (performance reviews, open enrollment, engagement survey), use a 12-month range.

Step 2: Add your phases and assign owners. For recruiting, assign each task to the Recruiter, Hiring Manager, or HR Coordinator by name or role. Dependency arrows matter here: the interview phase cannot start before the phone screen phase ends. Set these explicitly so the chart reflects actual sequencing, not an optimistic assumption that everything runs in parallel.

Step 3: Share via link or export as PDF/PNG. Share the chart link with the Hiring Manager so they can see where the search stands without asking the Recruiter for a status update. For leadership reporting, export as PDF and include in your talent acquisition dashboard or HR business review deck.

HR-Specific Gantt Chart Tips

Track time-to-fill by mapping the offer date as a milestone. Time-to-fill is one of the most important recruiting metrics. If you put the job posting date and the offer-accepted date as milestones on your Gantt chart, the gap between them is your time-to-fill, visible without any ATS report. For roles where the goal is under 30 days, the chart immediately shows which phases are running long.

Build the benefits open enrollment window as a hard constraint. Open enrollment has a fixed start and end date that cannot move. In your HR annual Gantt chart, block the enrollment window first, then work backward to schedule employee communications, manager briefings, and benefits vendor readiness tasks. The typical error is planning communications too late: employees need 2-3 weeks of lead time before the window opens, not 2 days.

Show the performance review cycle as a multi-phase project, not a single event. Annual performance reviews typically span 6-8 weeks from launch to calibration completion. Put each phase on the chart: manager self-assessment, employee self-assessment, manager draft review, HRBP calibration meetings, final review delivery, and compensation planning. Many organizations lose 2-3 weeks because they treat "performance reviews" as one task rather than seven sequential tasks with different owners.

Use the onboarding Gantt to hold hiring managers accountable. The 30-60-90 day check-in meetings for new hires are milestones on your chart assigned to the Hiring Manager, not just to HR. When a new hire reaches Day 30 without a manager check-in, the chart shows the gap. This makes onboarding a shared responsibility rather than an HR-only process.

Plan your HR project calendar at the start of Q4 for the following year. Open enrollment, annual reviews, engagement surveys, and compliance training all have predictable annual timing. Build an annual Gantt chart in November showing all recurring HR programs for the next 12 months. Share it with HR leadership and department heads so they can plan around HR requests rather than being surprised by them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a Gantt chart integrate with our ATS?

It does not integrate directly. Gantt-chart.io is a visual planning tool, not an ATS. Use your ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Workday Recruiting) to track individual candidate status. Use the Gantt chart to track the overall hiring timeline: when each phase starts and ends, where delays occur, and what the Hiring Manager needs to do and when. The two tools serve different purposes.

Should we build one Gantt chart for all open reqs or one per role?

One per role for detailed tracking, especially for roles with unique search complexity. For an overview of all open reqs, create a summary chart with one row per role and key milestones only: req open date, interview start date, offer target date, and start date. The summary chart is for HR leadership and department heads. The detailed charts are for the Recruiter managing each search.

Can we use a Gantt chart for diversity recruiting initiatives?

Yes. A diversity recruiting initiative is a project with phases: sourcing strategy design, partner organization outreach (HBCUs, professional associations), pipeline-building events, targeted sourcing campaigns, and outcome tracking. Put each phase on the chart with the Diversity Recruiter or HRBP as the owner. Track the initiative over a quarter or half-year rather than per-req, since diversity sourcing is a strategic program, not a one-time event.

Start building your HR project Gantt chart at gantt-chart.io: free, no account required.