Project is really unlike any other Microsoft product. It looks like Excel but most certainly doesn't act like it.

If you are using Project 2013 or Project 2010 - you can set the schedule to manually scheduled tasks to be able to enter start dates and finish dates. However, don't link those manually scheduled tasks - or your dates will change.

See the link below for a step by step on creating a Gantt chart in Excel:

https://www.officetimeline.com/gantt-chart-excel

Visio also creates Gantt charts. So if your director is looking for the presentation but not calculation, consider Visio or Excel.