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A Gantt chart is a project management tool that helps in planning, scheduling and monitoring a project. Using a Gantt chart can improve your planning and scheduling, remote work collaboration, resource allocation and task delegation. A Gantt chart represents all information visually through a horizontal bar graph. Project managers and team members can view the task schedules, dependencies and progress by just glancing at the chart. Planning for all tasks in advance and making them visible in one place empowers teams to deliver on time. What Is a Gantt Chart?A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart used to display the start date and duration of each task that makes up a project. It is one of the most popular project management tools, allowing project managers to view the progress of a project at a glance. Although the Gantt chart is named after Henry Gantt, an American engineer and project management consultant, he was not the first one to devise it. It was devised first by Karol Adamiecki, a Polish engineer, in the 1890s. He created it for his steelworks unit but Henry Gantt customized it for his clients. Today, Gantt charts are used most popularly for project scheduling and control. Gantt Chart ExampleThe tasks in a project are represented on the Y axis of the Gantt Chart, with its duration on the X axis. Each task is represented by a bar. The length of the bar represents its duration. If you see two bars overlapping on the X axis, know that they occur simultaneously. As you can see in this example, a Gantt chart enables project managers to have a quick view of project information like:
A Gantt chart proves useful in keeping a project on track, especially when you have multiple dependencies and many tasks happen simultaneously. How Gantt Charts Can Be UsedGantt charts make it easy for project managers to identify the critical path to project completion and ensure that there is no delay in those tasks. Project managers should use Gantt charts for project planning and scheduling, allocating resources, tracking the progress of each task at all times and ensuring the smooth and timely execution of critical tasks. How To Make a Gantt ChartGantt Charts can be made using project management software or a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. But before you actually draw up the Gantt chart, you need to bring your team together and plan. Planning To Create a Gantt ChartBefore you create a Gantt chart, gather the following information:
When you sit down with your team, the first thing to create is a list of tasks that will make up the project. After that, you must estimate the duration, resources required, dependencies, etc. for each task. This will help you in allocating the resources properly. However, you must be prepared to replan and reallocate your resources as the project progresses. Remember that the basic information needed to create a Gantt chart is a list of tasks with their start and end dates. Depending upon the complexity allowed by your Gantt chart tool, you can add in more details like task dependencies, critical tasks, resource allocated, etc. Create a Gantt Chart in ExcelLet’s create a very basic Gantt chart in Excel so that you can see how easy it is to work with them. If you’d like a more in-depth explanation, check out our article on creating a Gantt chart in Excel. 1. List all the tasks in column A. 2. Write down the start and end dates in columns B and C for each task. 3. In column D, use the formula =C2-B2 to calculate the duration for each task. 4. On the Insert tab, click on the Insert Column or Bar Chart option in the Charts group. Choose the 3-D horizontal layout and you get your Gantt chart area. 5. Populate with data and format the Gantt chart the way you want. Gantt Chart TemplateIf you prefer not to start from scratch, you can download templates for creating Gantt charts off the internet. These templates come set up with headers and formulas so all you need to do is insert your information to get a chart quickly. Forbes Advisor has created free Gantt chart templates for both Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, with and without task dependencies. If you are using a project management tool, it will likely also have some Gantt chart templates for you to choose from. Gantt Chart SoftwareGantt charts are a project scheduling tool and thus included in almost all project management software. You can use a Gantt chart software as a stand-alone desktop tool or an online version that can be easily shared with other stakeholders. If you are using a desktop Gantt chart software, you can only have one local version that can be updated just by you. Also, when you make changes you need to share a copy with others. On the other hand, if you use online software, it can be easily updated and shared. You can even set it up to be updated automatically as the resources and allocated team members work on each task. When researching Gantt chart software for your project management needs, be sure that it has these capabilities:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You can make a Gantt chart in project management software or spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. The project management software automatically creates a Gantt chart from the project details you enter there. You will need to create the Gantt chart from scratch if you are using a spreadsheet program.
If you are managing a project and need a visual way of tracking its progress, you can use a Gantt chart. Gantt charts can be used for projects of any size, irrespective of the industry you work in. They work well for everything from manufacturing, software development and designing to content marketing.
Theoretically, yes, you can print a Gantt chart, but you should check the print preview before actually printing it out. Usually, these charts take up multiple pages, so consider not including the finished tasks or printing just a part of the chart.
A Gantt chart is a visual project management tool, so you can know the progress of a project and tasks associated with it at a glance. This further empowers you to tweak your plan if the critical tasks are getting delayed.
A Gantt chart is a commonly used graphical depiction of a project schedule. It's a type of bar chart showing the start and finish dates of a project's elements such as resources, planning and dependencies. Henry Gantt (1861-1919), an American mechanical engineer, designed the Gantt chart.
The Gantt chart is the most widely used chart in project management. These charts are useful in planning a project and defining the sequence of tasks that require completion. In most instances, the chart is displayed as a horizontal bar chart. Horizontal bars of different lengths represent the project timeline, which can include task sequences, duration, and the start and end dates for each task. The horizontal bar also shows how much of a task requires completion. A Gantt chart helps in scheduling, managing, and monitoring specific tasks and resources in a project. The chart shows the project timeline, which includes scheduled and completed work over a period. The Gantt chart aids project managers in communicating project status or plans and also helps ensure the project remains on track.
The length of the bar is proportional to the time necessary for a task’s completion. The project tasks are represented on the vertical axis. The chart identifies tasks that may be executed in parallel and those that can't be started or finished until others are complete. It can help detect potential bottlenecks and identify tasks that may have been excluded from the project timeline. The chart depicts things like: task slack time or additional time for completion of a task that shouldn't delay the project; noncritical activities that may be delayed; and critical activities that must be executed on time. Gantt charts can be used in managing projects of all sizes and types. These may include building infrastructure like dams, bridges, and highways. They may also include software development and other technologies. Project management tools, such as Microsoft Visio, Project, SharePoint, and Excel, or specialized software, such as Gantto or Matchware, can help in designing Gantt charts. Investopedia / Sabrina Jiang If the project is about installing new software on a server, the project tasks that require completion are conducting research, selecting a software product, testing the software, and installing it. A milestone is selecting the software. These tasks appear as vertical lines on the chart. Say the project duration is 40 days. Each task takes 10 days to complete, and each task is dependent on the previous task. A critical activity is testing the software in the development and test environments. The task start and end dates, duration, and milestones appear as horizontal bars. The percentage of work completed for each task also is displayed on the horizontal bars.
Gantt charts help visualize various tasks and projects that occur simultaneously with an organization, how far along they have progressed. They are used by management to plan and schedule such projects so that resources can be allocated in the optimal way and that projects that are prioritized can finish before less important ones begin.
Henry Gantt was a social scientist and management consultant who also held a degree in mechanical engineering. He worked in the field of scientific management, developing methods to streamline and increase the productivity of corporations and their workforce. He created the Gantt chart in the 1910s to help supervisors understand the progress of their labor force and to ensure tasks were on schedule.
A Gantt chart can vary in complexity and depth, but will always have three key components: activities or tasks that are to be done, running along the y-axis; milestones or progress stages indicated along the x-axis (either on the top or bottom of the chart); and progress bars, denoted as horizontal bars, denoting how far along each task is at any given point. |