Gantt charts have been around since the early 20th century. With a Gantt chart, you can easily see what percentage of each task is complete and who is in charge of that task aka who is the stakeholder. Gantt charts give managers and owners instant information about the status of the project. If you use a Gantt chart with project management software, for example, you can see where your project stands at any point not just in relation to time, but in relation to capacity, budget, and more. Tracking- Gantt charts are used to track the progress of your project over time. Gantt charts display milestones where applicable for projects that require them. Milestones- Similar to dependencies, certain projects require milestones to be hit in order to receive payment. Start/End dates- Gantt charts allow you to input start and end dates for individual tasks and for the project as a whole these may change if the scope of the project evolves.ĭependencies- Gantt charts clearly delineate tasks that include dependencies, meaning they cannot be completed or sometimes even begin until a dependent task is complete.ĭeadlines- Deadlines are clearly marked for each project, task, and stakeholder, helping managers, owners, and team members know when deliverables are expected. Planning, scheduling- When you are setting up your Gantt chart, you are essentially planning and scheduling your project. Who is responsible for what? How long is each task predicted to take? What are dependencies and milestones that need to be reached? Where does the deadline fit with what’s going on today? Are you ahead or behind? To answer all these questions and keep things on track, Gantt charts provide the following features: In a nutshell, Gantt charts or project charts are designed to help with workload management and task management: How is it different from a simple, horizontal bar graph? What makes a Gantt chart a Gantt chart? I.e. They also provide powerful visual information to help managers and owners gain a more holistic idea of where each project stands and what’s involved to move it forward at any given time.Ĭomplex, macro, long timeline → Simple, micro, shorter timelinesĭefining features of a Gantt chart/project chart For projects that have multiple stakeholders and dependencies that need to be tracked, the Gantt chart provides at-a-glance insight into the project’s overall timeline as well as the current status. The Gantt chart exists to break down complex tasks at multiple stages into a simple, organized format. Within a linear timeline, Gantt charts dissemble complicated projects into manageable steps. The overarching purpose of the Gantt chart Otherwise, they might not be worth the time. In fact, Gantt charts are preferred for planning projects that require getting more granular. How granular you get with your Gantt chart is largely up to you and the nuances of the project at hand. The strength of the Gantt chart is in the visual itself– you can get a detailed report of where your project stands against time with just a glance. Dependencies are set too, making it impossible for the timeline to continue until certain tasks have been completed. Here you can see how everything has been planned and scheduled with different stakeholders as owners of different tasks. The Gantt chart is an intelligent bar graph that maps out the timeline of your projects. Gantt charts are horizontal bar graphs that chart activity against time. This one is for all the people scratching their heads, asking, “What the hell is a Gantt chart?” Don’t feel bad you may have also heard them referred to as project charts. Our discussion is based on our own experience, that of PSOhub users, and the pros and cons of using Gantt charts to help manage your project workload. We investigate whether or not Gantt charts make project management easier. Project charts– as they’re also known– appear to be only growing in popularity, especially since more teams have moved online and switched to asynchronous work in the past two years. Gantt charts are the project management tool of choice among managers and owners to plan the timelines of their more complex projects. Many others around the digital water cooler have no idea what they are. Gantt charts are insanely popular with certain industries and roles.