A Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart developed as a production control tool in 1917 by Henry L. Gantt, an American engineer and social scientist. Frequently used in project management, a Gantt chart provides a graphical illustration of a schedule that can be used to plan, coordinate and track tasks in a project.
Gantt charts can be simple versions created on graph paper or more complex automated versions created using project management applications such as Microsoft Project or Excel.
Karol Adamiecki, a Polish mechanical engineer and professor, is credited with devising what would become the first Gantt chart in 1896. He developed the law of harmony in management. It emphasizes the importance of good teams, scheduling and using compatible production tools.
Adamiecki created the harmonogram, a precursor of the Gantt chart. It was not published until 1931 and was only published in Polish.
In 1917, American engineer Henry L. Gantt used Adamiecki's harmonogram as inspiration for his own chart. The Gantt chart became popular as a way to describe resource loading and production planning in factories. It was also useful for gauging employee productivity.
Early Gantt charts were made of physical materials like paper and blocks. Some of the earliest ones were used in World War I at munitions manufacturing plants to help manage the unprecedented production requirements to support war efforts.
Until the 1980s, Gantt charts were limited in complexity and were hand-drawn. Computers enabled more complex Gantt charts. They also made the charts easier to change and suitable for more applications. Today, Gantt charts are widely used as part of project management software.
Gantt charts are one of the many project management tools. They present in one chart all the tasks in a project. They show the order in which they tasks should be done and the time needed to complete them. This is valuable information to have when managing projects for the following reasons:
Both the Waterfall and Agile project management methodologies make use of Gantt charts. Because they display project information linearly, they work particularly well with Waterfall, where customer expectations are collected at the beginning of a project, and a linear plan is devised to meet them.
Project teams using the Agile approach set their own goals and use continuous customer feedback to update their plan in real time. Gantt charts can be useful in Agile to compare an old plan to a proposed change and to see what effect the change has on the overall plan.
A Gantt chart is constructed with a horizontal axis representing the total time span of the project, broken down into increments -- days, weeks or months. It has a vertical axis representing the project tasks. For example, if the project is choosing new HR software, major tasks might be: conduct research, choose software and install software.
Horizontal bars of varying lengths represent the sequences, timing, and time span for each task. Using the same example, put "conduct research" at the top of the vertical axis and draw a bar on the graph that represents the amount of time anticipated for the research, then enter the other tasks below the first one with representative bars at the points in time when they'll be undertaken.
The bar spans may overlap. For example, conducting research and choosing software may happen during the same time span. As the project progresses, secondary bars, arrowheads or darkened bars may be added to indicate completed tasks, or the portions of tasks completed. A vertical line is used to represent the report date.
Gantt charts can also be created using software like Microsoft Excel. With some programming knowledge, JavaScript can be used. It has several chart libraries that work well for data visualization.
Some benefits of using a Gantt chart include the following:
Gantt charts are useful project management tools, but they have flaws, such as the following:
A variety of project management tools can function as Gantt chart software. Examples include:
Not all of these tools are exclusively for creating Gantt charts. Some of them support other functions and contain features that let users create Gantt charts. For example, Jira is a project management and application lifecycle management tool that contains a Gantt chart feature. On the other hand, Gantto is largely dedicated to creating and sharing Gantt charts.
Certain applications that are used for creating Gantt charts can also be used for team collaboration. Learn the five steps organizations can take to better manage team collaboration applications.
24 Nov 2021