Did someone ask you to do a Gantt chart, but you have no idea what this actually is? Fear not, in this article we explore what this is all about and how to use this method to support your projects.
Such graphics and charts can help you to steer your projects and keep a better overview. This helps project managers as it can help get a hold of where a project is at and its estimated timeframe. This also helps get information across a viewer easily with engaging visuals.
A Gantt chart has a graph structure that joins helps illustrate activities and manages expectations, demonstrating every movement of a project plan. The diagram helps viewers understand the timeline of a project and the specific task being done per goalpost in a timeframe.
Utilizing the Gantt chart
Despite being developed in 1986, the Gantt chart continues to be a great model for project management, especially for businesses when presenting projects to shareholders. Similar to the waterfall project management method, the graph can help anticipate a project’s outcomes, such as the duration of time needed to work on a certain aspect of a project.
These days, the Gantt chart isn’t merely applied to office setups. It is also used in different areas, such as engineering, IT programming, and manufacturing. It even helps students plan out their studying habits. While there are various ways to utilize the chart, there are important reasons why many use this chart.
First off, having a Gantt graph helps keep vendors on target while managing their clients’ expectations. The graph is also a timetable for each undertaking within a certain project. With a visual projection of a project’s progress, the graph also helps shareholders see what’s at stake in each step and what is needed to accomplish a milestone.
Apart from that, a Gantt chart can help identify each task of a team or a person and when these can be accomplished. This helps businesses have visibility as well on certain collaborations across teams and what can be done simultaneously to reach the end goal of a project. It also assures the productivity of the people working on a project.
While it’s not mandatory to utilize visual tools to manage a project, a Gantt chart certainly helps get things along. It’s also useful in helping manage big and complex projects for stakeholders to not lose track of what needs to be done.
If you are interested in project management, you can also check out our article on managing projects or check the learning resources from the Project Management Institute (PMI).
YouTube: What is a Gantt Chart
Photo credit: The feature image has been taken by ThisisEngineering RAEng. The chart example graphic has been done by Vheilman.
Source: Monday.com blog post / Project Management Institute learning portal
