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.
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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 Example
The 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:
- List of tasks that comprise a project
- Start and end dates for each task
- Dependencies between tasks
- Scheduling
- Progress of each task
- Task owners
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 Used
Gantt 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 Chart
Gantt Charts can be made using project management software or a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. But before you draw up the Gantt chart, you need to bring your team together and plan.
Planning To Create a Gantt Chart
Before you create a Gantt chart, gather the following information:
- List of tasks
- Start and end dates for each task
- Task dependencies
- Task owners
- Team members allocated to each task
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, and more 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 Excel
Let’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 Template
If 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 Software
Gantt charts are a project scheduling tool and thus included in almost all project management software. You can use 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:
- Defining and updating milestones in your project
- Linking tasks according to predefined or customizable dependencies
- Collaborating on a dynamic project plan
- Share files in the form of text, images videos or notes summarizing tasks
- Monitor progress of each task against the planned one
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I need a Gantt chart?
If you have a large project, a Gantt chart can be useful in helping you achieve your goal. It helps to identify the resources needed, identify timelines for completion and helps to develop a plan to get it all done. Once you have the Gantt chart completed, it serves as a way to monitor progress and get a high-level overview of how the project is going.
Who should use a Gantt chart?
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.
Can I print a Gantt chart?
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.
What are the benefits of using a Gantt 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.
What is the disadvantage of a Gantt chart?
Because Gantt charts are very complex in design, breaking projects into very small bite-sized chunks, they may not be practical to create. Many companies are moving toward an Agile project management system where small sprints are used to complete certain tasks and then the next set of tasks are evaluated when the sprint is done. Using a Gantt chart in this system would not always be practical.
What are some things to look for in Gantt chart software?
The best Gantt Chart software systems will be easy to learn, offer numerous integrations and templates that you can use right away, make it possible for members of your team to collaborate easily and have some form of security protection for your work.
